Jackson Koivun is coming off a breakout Presidents Cup, but it’s still not smooth sailing for the 21-year-old.
Koivun won on the PGA Tour for the first time in just his third event as a pro, then became the story of the Presidents Cup with his Sunday singles performance. He beat Si Woo Kim to win the Cup for Team USA, club twirling on the 18th with confidence beyond his age.
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But there’s no rest for the wicked. Koivun is straight back in action on the PGA Tour the week after the Presidents Cup, playing the Bank of Utah Championship. He had to scratch and claw to make the cut on the number with a birdie on the 18th hole.
After making it through to the weekend, Koivun admitted that he’s really struggling with something, and it’s keeping him out of contention this week.
Jackson Koivun admits he’s ‘struggling’ emotionally
Off the back of the highs of the Presidents Cup at Medinah, where Koivun introduced himself on the world stage, this week in Utah must be a big comedown. It’s a far smaller event with so much less on the line, and an “exhausted” Koivun is struggling to manage it mentally.
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Speaking to the media after his second round, Koivun said, “This week it seems like I’ve been mentally pretty exhausted. Just been struggling with some emotions these past two days.
“But there’s a lot of birdies to be made out on this golf course and I feel like I’m hitting it great and hitting it well enough to go out there and execute and make some of those birdies. I’m really proud of the way I fought back on those last nine holes.”
Despite his exhaustion, Koivun is still making a good go of it this week. He made three birdies in his final five holes to make the cut on the number, shooting a second-round score of 67.
He’s still 11 shots back of the lead, so it would take a Herculean effort for Koivun to get in contention, but showing a willingness to dig deep and fight to make the cut is a fantastic sign for his future as a potential superstar of the sport.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
