NAPA, Calif. — Four days ago, Jackson Koivun was lifting the Walker Cup trophy at Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, California, after leading a dominant U.S. Team to a blowout victory. The Auburn Tiger and top-ranked amateur played every session and earned a team high of three points.

Today? Koivun carded a first-round, 5-under 67 in Napa, good enough for fifth place in the morning wave at the Procore Championship.

The 20-year-old Koivun has played Silverado Resort before, when he competed in the Silverado Amateur, albeit with a much different course setup. Due to the post-Walker Cup madness, he only played 15 holes in his practice round this week, skipping Nos. 6-8. Despite the truncated preparations, Koivun recorded eight birdies, tied for the second-most in the field. He ranked fifth in Strokes Gained: Total of the morning wave and hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation. A three-putt on No. 14 and a few wayward drives on the front nine led to the three bogeys on his card.

"I'm pretty tired right now ... I was pretty happy with my putting and my iron game was pretty solid," Koivun said after his round on Thursday.

Koivun, who is a California native, earned his spot in the field via a T5 — his highest TOUR finish — at the Wyndham Championship. He's already clinched his PGA TOUR card via PGA TOUR University Accelerated by finishing T4 in stroke play at the NCAA Championship to earn his 20th and final point needed.

It marked the next step and natural progression in a standout collegiate career. Koivun was the first player to win the Fred Haskins, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and NCAA D-I Outstanding Freshman awards all in the same season. He led the Tigers to a team national championship in 2024. Ultimately, Koivun chose to defer his PGA TOUR membership for another year of team golf at Auburn as a junior.

"It's just a completely flipped mindset," Koivun said, on adjusting from team events to PGA TOUR events. "You can gain a lot of momentum from teammates in these team events, where this is very solo."

The Procore Championship is Koivun's ninth PGA TOUR start. Through six starts in 2025, he's recorded three top-15 finishes and missed one cut, at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

"I feel like I've gotten to that point where it's become easier to play golf on the PGA TOUR," he said. "The more you put yourself in these situations the easier it is to get comfortable quicker."

Koivun's fall schedule looks a little different than most of the field. He'll be competing in college events and is excited to get the season started. His main goal for the season? "Try to get as many wins as I can."

If Thursday’s play is any indication, Koivun’s on the right track.