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OAKLAND PARK, Fla (Gambling911.com) - There's a new young golfer on the scene who many are hoping will reinvigorate the game the same way Tiger Woods did during his reign of championships.
His name: Jackson Koivun.
As this was going to press, it appeared Koivun was well on his way to winning this weekend's 3M Open.
The payout would be a cool $3300 for every $100 bet ahead of the tournament.
Sportsbooks are looking at the long game however.
Koivun is just 21 and has some of the same superstar qualities of a Tiger Woods. This will almost certainly translate into more wagering on golf.
Nobody really heard of him prior to today as he just turned pro. But the signs were present as to what could be if you knew where to look.
In 2024, he won the SEC Championship, was runner-up at the NCAA Division I Men's Individual Championship, and became the first player ever to sweep all four major collegiate awards in the same season, the Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Phil Mickelson Award. He reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in June 2025.
In June 2026, Koivun announced that he would forgo his senior year at Auburn University and turn professional following the 2026 U.S. Open. He had earned PGA Tour status through the PGA Tour University accelerated program the previous year. By turning pro, he forfeited his exemption to the 2026 Open Championship for winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal.
Koivun made his professional debut at the 2026 John Deere Classic, where he missed the cut.
Born in California, Koivun moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina when he was in high school. Chapel Hill will always be synonymous with the Tar Heels but Koivun could soon give the town something else to celebrate.
"I could have turned pro after my sophomore year, but I wasn't ready," Koivun said.
"I didn't feel ready for the day-to-day life of being a professional golfer." He explained that although he had already secured his PGA TOUR card through PGA TOUR University Accelerated, he wanted another year of college golf and personal development before making the leap.
"I knew it was time." Ahead of the John Deere Classic, Koivun said there came a point where he felt prepared to begin competing as a full-time PGA TOUR professional.
Even Google was caught off guard by his rising stardom it seems. The search engine mistakenly linked Koivun to Tyler Haliburton’s new wife Jade Jones for a surge of search queries about Koivun's relationship status. Those types of queries mean you've made it. Forget for a moment that they turned up wrong results. The issue has since been fixed. He's available but only cares about golf.
During much of Sunday afternoon he led with three shots at TPC Twin Cities after a 10-under 61, with Scottie Scheffler six back.
Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
