BILTMORE CHAMPIONSHIP

September 16, 2026

Jackson Koivun

The Cliffs at Walnut Cove

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: All right, Jackson, here in Asheville. Just got off the course playing the pro-am. I guess can you talk a little bit about the excitement of being here and how the course was today.

JACKSON KOIVUN: Yeah, golf course, it's going to be a fun test out there. Obviously being at altitude is a little bit different. Then new course for everyone is a good thing.

But just excited to go out there and compete. It's been a couple weeks off since Memphis, and just happy to be back competing.

Q. Big week next week obviously up in Chicago. Anything specifically this week you're trying to work on or kind of get in the groove of before going up to Medinah?

JACKSON KOIVUN: Just being back in competition. It's hard to replicate the feelings of playing a PGA Tour event. The best way to do that is to just get back into it and enjoy being in the competition and having to hit shots under pressure.

There definitely will be pressure added at Medinah, and I think just being back out in competition is going to help a lot.

Q. Jackson, I know you've been asked this a lot, but I know it's sort of early on for us. We just saw you at the Omni LaCosta and you winning a national championship. How has the transition been from the college game to the pro?

JACKSON KOIVUN: It's been great. It's been really exciting. Obviously professional golf is very different than college golf, but I think nowadays college golf has gotten so good it's helped us so much, these young guys, including myself, prepare for what's to come.

It's just definitely different but exciting.

Q. Are you jonesing for it a little bit? Are you checking in on the boys and Coach Clinard and seeing how things are going early on?

JACKSON KOIVUN: Of course. I mean, I know they just won their first event up in Inverness. It's such a great golf course. It's a hard test for those guys. It's good to see they're doing well.

Q. You got so many young kids looking up to you right now. I know you have gotten this question a ton, but for the baby grand audience, like what would that advice be to the junior golfer trying to make it to college, and the college guy trying to be where you're at today?

JACKSON KOIVUN: Honestly, just be yourself and work hard, because there will be a lot of kids that are working hard. And just keep your passion for the game, because at the end of the day, if you don't love it and you don't want to be out here and you're not enjoying playing golf, it's going to be really hard to put up a good score.

Just do whatever you can to enjoy and love it and just gradually get better every day.

Q. Your former teammate Brendan Valdes is out here this week. What's it like seeing him in the field?

JACKSON KOIVUN: It's great. Obviously what he went through was tough and terrible to hear. He stayed in Auburn a little bit when I was still there and would go over every so often is say hi.

It was weird seeing someone that young and that in shape and active as a professional to have something happen to him. Now seeing him back, I know he's so excited to come out here and compete.

It's just really good to see and I'm super excited for him.

Q. And T-minus eight days to the Presidents Cup. I guess my main question is: Have you been added to the main group chat and what's that like so far?

JACKSON KOIVUN: Yeah, we do have a group chat, and it's all fun and exciting to be able to talk and chat with those boys. It's just a cool experience for sure.

Q. Any rookie hazing going on? Got to get them doughnuts?

JACKSON KOIVUN: Not quite just yet. Maybe next week.

Q. Similar to that, youngest guy on the team obviously by far. Only been on Tour for a couple months now. Are there any players specifically that you've kind of grown a friendship with or maybe a mentorship?

JACKSON KOIVUN: Yeah, I mean, they've all been so nice to me. They're all -- like we all pull for each other in those team events. I know we're all super excited.

Getting down into Jupiter, we been playing a decent amount of golf together. I've known JT for a while now and he's been someone I've looked up to and kind of picked his brain, along with Russell Henley would come to Auburn a good bit being from that area and we would play a lot of golf together.

Those two I've just been pretty close to and they've been nothing but open arms.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Jackson.

JACKSON KOIVUN: Thank you.