Anyone who tuned into the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah had to have come away impressed by 21-year-old American rookie Jackson Koivun. Nobody in the world had a better seat to witness Koivun’s abilities with a golf club in his hand than teammate Justin Thomas, who thoroughly enjoyed the show the former Auburn star put on.
Thomas and Koivun were paired together for what was the third match of the opening day’s four-ball session. With this year’s Presidents Cup marking Thomas’ fourth, he’s learned to take things in on the first tee, and he picked up on the fact that Koivun virtually “blacked out” before finding the fairway with his opening tee shot.
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“It just was really cool to kind of just watch him do his thing. I’ll never in my life forget the smile he had on his face when he put the tee in the ground on Thursday morning and he was about to hit,” Thomas recalled on Sunday. “I think he kind of blacked out and went to pick up the tee, didn’t pick up the tee. It was just laying right there when I went to go put my tee in the ground. It’s kind of cool to get to experience those moments with someone.”
Jackson Koivun of the U.S. Team and Justin Thomas of the U.S. Team pose for a photo with the trophy at the first hole tee box during Day One of the Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club Course No. 3 on September 24, 2026 in Chicago, Ill. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
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Koivun and Thomas cruised to a 4&3 victory over the International pairing of Nico Echavarria and Corey Conners on Thursday.
Team USA captain Brandt Snedeker opted to sit Koivun during Friday’s foursomes matches, which the Americans were swept 5-0 in, but paired Koivun and JT together again for Saturday’s four-ball session.
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The Thomas-Koivun duo grabbed a 2-up lead with four holes to play before Sungjae Im and Min Woo Lee found some late momentum to earn a half point.
Justin Thomas of the U.S. Team reacts with Jackson Koivun of the U.S. Team on the 11th green during Saturday’s Four-ball matches on day three of the Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah Country Club on September 26, 2026 in Medinah, Ill. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Earning a point and a half out of a possible two for Koivun, who has been a professional for less than 90 days, was still an accomplishment, and then came Sunday’s singles matches.
Koivun squared off against Si Woo Kim, a veteran of the event and arguably the best ball-striker on the property for the week, and earned a 2-up victory after falling to 2-down after 10 holes.
Jackson Koivun of the United States, wearing a “W” flag, and Justin Thomas of the United States celebrate on the No. 18 green following Team USA’s win at the Presidents Cup, September 27, 2026, at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill. (Photo by Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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It isn’t necessarily up for debate that Koivun going 2-0-1 in his Presidents Cup debut was the top takeaway from the event from the Americans’ perspective.
Based on Thomas’ kind words about Koivun – who was still playing college golf earlier this calendar year – it’s safe to say that he would agree.
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