Justin Thomas has admitted that he was shocked by just how easily Jackson Koivun was able to win the 3M Open last month, as he revealed that he spoke to him the night before his victory to reassure the youngster about the task he was facing.
Koivun announced his arrival onto the PGA Tour stage in some style at TPC Twin Cities. The 21-year-old was making only his third professional start on tour at the 3M Open.
He went on to steal the show in Minnesota. Koivun set a tournament record by finishing on 25 under par and winning by three shots.
The player who finished second to the starlet was none other than Scottie Scheffler.
Justin Thomas comments on Jackson Koivun winning the 3M Open
There are extremely high hopes for what Koivun could go on and achieve during his career. Plenty of fans would clearly like to see Brandt Snedeker pick him on his Presidents Cup team later this year.
And perhaps there is good reason to think that Koivun would be able to handle the size of the stage if he is included on the team at Medinah.
Speaking on the We Need A Fourth podcast, Justin Thomas explained what he made of Koivun’s maiden win on the PGA Tour.
“We actually have the same agent which is cool, although he did go to Auburn, so that’s not my favourite thing about him. But I definitely like him as an Auburn kid,” he said.
“I’ve played some practice rounds with him in the last couple of years, like the US Opens he’s qualified for. I’ve tried to help him, be a soundboard if he needs anything. But when I’ve played with him, I’ve been very impressed. He’s very mature for his age, and he has his head on straight.
“I was obviously very impressed and, I shouldn’t say shocked, but still shocked that he won yesterday [at the 3M Open]. And how calm and how comfortable he looked was the impressive part to me.
“That was something I told him. Saturday, I was texting with him. I was like, ‘hey dude, yes, it’s harder to win at different levels, but winning, you still have to do the same stuff. You’ve been winning your whole life, so you have to still do that’. But I didn’t think he’d make it look that easy.
“He just absolutely blew them out of the water, so it was cool. He’s a great player, and obviously going to be making a name for himself for a long time.”
Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun would be a fantastic Presidents Cup pairing
There is no question that Koivun’s hopes of being included on the Presidents Cup team have been dealt a blow after he failed to make it past the first FedEx Cup playoff event.
Obviously, he had significantly less time to earn points. So he can still reflect on an amazing season. But it is going to be a nervy wait for Koivun.
If he does make the team, perhaps Snedeker could look to pair him with Thomas himself.
The two-time PGA Championship winner was left out at Royal Montreal two years ago. And back in 2022, he played in all four sessions over the first three days alongside Jordan Spieth.
With Spieth highly unlikely to make the team this year, there is arguably a fantastic opportunity to put Koivun alongside Thomas in Illinois.