After a tense final round at the Wyndham Championship, 21-year-old Jackson Koivun secured his position on the bubble of the FedEx Cup Playoffs by the slimmest of margins, to conclude the PGA Tour regular season on the bubble at Sledgeham County Club.
Koivun, who just accelerated to professional status a few weeks ago, and already has a win at the 3M Open to his name, entered Sunday within striking distance of the No. 70 cutoff that allows players to proceed to the postseason and those whose seasons come to an end. Several days of shuffling above and below that point had made him have a slight buffer into the final 18 holes, but there was a solid Saturday round which made him short of the limit.
Wyndham Championship Bubble Snapshot
Jackson Koivun FedExCup Playoffs Push Gets Tense on the Back Nine
It was not a nice day on Sunday. His putting failed him conspicuously, and a bogey at the 14th hole demoted him to a stage where he might lose any further dropped stroke altogether and be knocked out of the top 70 altogether. By adding pressure, the fact that the performance of another player in the final round was actively pushing opponents down the leader board in real time was exerting pressure on those who had not yet played, and one player who had been cut was also dropping behind him. That was equivalent to the fading margin per hole.
Koivun termed the day as being a variant of mental testing that entailed playing well when already, instead of going out there to grind pars under pressure like it was done in hot rounds instead of being carried along by the wave of a good round.
Holding the Line on 18
Needing pars to survive, Koivun took an aggressive line off the tee on the closing hole, landing a long drive that left him a short wedge into the green. He followed it with a solid approach and two putts for a closing par, enough to lock in his spot among the players advancing to the playoffs.
Had he faltered on that final stretch, he would have fallen into a large tie for the position just below the cutoff and missed out entirely. Instead, he finished comfortably clear of the closest challenger for the last spot.
What's Next for Koivun After Clinching the FedExCup Playoffs
With his playoff position secured, Koivun said his focus now shifts to the opening playoff event in Memphis, where he hopes a clear head and solid preparation could even put him in the conversation for a Presidents Cup captain's pick. It's a long-shot goal, but one he's not ruling out.
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