The lone amateur in the field this week, Jackson Koivun, shot an impressive even par 72 at Bay Hill for the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He is one of 18 players to sign for an even par or lower round after Day 1.

Bay Hill chewed up players left and right on Thursday, so for him to be in contention is massive.

“Got it rolling a little bit early. The wind was up. Yeah, the course
played tough, but I’m happy with even par,” Koivun said after his round.

Despite the difficult conditions, the No. 5 amateur player in the world made some clutch putts. He sits T5 in strokes gained putting at 2.823 and made 98 feet of putts on the day.

“At Auburn we do a good job of keeping some fast and firm greens, so I think that’s a good preparation for here,” he said. “Obviously with the greens Stimping
at 14, and they were rock hard, it’s a different type of golf. Just trying to play the break and everything like that.”

Koivun is poised to make history this week. He could become the second amateur in 2025 to earn his PGA Tour card.

One player from the Arnold Palmer Cup can play in the Signature Event, and his teammates voted for Koivun to get the spot.

Koivun is the latest college kid to shine while playing with the professionals. He could also join Florida State junior Luke Canton as the next player to earn his PGA Tour card.

The Auburn sophomore is just two points away from reaching that 20-point mark in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program for underclassmen. If he makes the cut, it would give him 19 points, but if he were to finish inside the top-10, he would lock up the 20th point.

“I think I can do it,” Koivun stated. “PGA TOUR U is sitting in the back of my mind, trying not to think about it too much. Making the cut, just inching closer and closer is always good.”

“I feel like a carrot dangling in front of me, I just got to go get it. It adds a little bit of pressure, but the less I think about it the better.”

Of course, this week is a Signature Event and features 45 of the top 50 players on the OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking).

However, the 19-year-old is no stranger to these types of challenges.

He played in The Memorial last year and made the cut in another Signature Event. The Auburn player also got his first start in 2025 at Torrey Pines and made the cut. He finished T56.

Koivun made quite the statement as a freshman in 2024. He won the individual SEC Championship by six shots and helped the Tigers win the national championship.

As a freshman, he also won the Nicklaus Award, the Outstanding Freshman Award, the Haskins Award, and the Hogan Award, which earned him points in the accelerated program.

Could golf see another outstanding youngster earn his PGA Tour card this week? He must make the cut, but Koivun is in a solid spot to make history.

Koivun is playing alongside former No. 2 amateur Isaiah Salinda who had a successful career at Stanford. They tee off Friday at 7:40 a.m. EST for the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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