Get ready for some serious drama on the first tee, because rookie Jackson Koivun is about to make his professional team match debut at the Presidents Cup, and Justin Thomas is right there to shepherd him through it. It’s a full-circle moment for Thomas, who first walked in Koivun’s shoes nearly a decade ago, making this mentorship crucial for the U.S. team’s success.
Thomas’s Wild Rookie Ride
Thomas knows this pressure cooker intimately. It’s been nine years since he faced his own Presidents Cup debut back in 2017 at Liberty National, where he crushed it with a 3-1-1 record, winning his first two sessions alongside Rickie Fowler. The very next year, he was already hitting the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris, and he remembers it being “very nerve-racking.” Thomas even shared a story with Koivun about that week in France: he and Jordan Spieth were set for the opening fourball. Spieth, cool as a cucumber, told Thomas, “You just let me know come Friday what you want to do.” Thomas didn’t even decide until minutes before tee time. “We were walking to the tee,” Thomas said, “and I’ll never forget walking over that bridge and seeing that horseshoe and the vibration … and I’m just like, ‘I’ll go. I’m going to go.’” Spieth knew exactly what Thomas was feeling, proving himself a great partner. They went on to win that match 1 up against Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton, with Thomas leading the U.S. with a 4-1 record for the event.
The Linchpin Mentality
This isn’t just about showing up, though. Thomas isn’t just a guide, he’s a tested veteran with a massive 19-9-4 record across both Cups, arguably serving as the linchpin for recent U.S. teams. These events have been huge for Thomas personally, too. He really digs the golf side of it with the guys, loving the “amount of sharing and talking through stuff on weeks like this.” He picks the brains of his teammates and captains constantly, even admitting he used to wait for team events to ask Phil questions because he knew Phil would only open up as a teammate. Thomas finds it “really cool” that the 12 best players in the U.S. all approach the game differently but often arrive at similar end results, learning from and pushing each other.
Koivun’s First Tee Challenge
Now it’s Koivun’s turn. Thomas already serves as a mentor of sorts, sharing an agent with the rookie, and has been prepping him. Koivun admits, “once I get my first tee shot out of the way, I’m going to be good,” recognizing the challenge of balancing adrenaline and nerves. But he also acknowledges he doesn’t “really know if anything is going to recreate what I’m going to feel on the first tee tomorrow.” Thomas’s warning hits hard: “you’re going to feel some things you’ve never felt before.” So, all eyes on that first tee. Will Koivun conquer the adrenaline when that “bizarre feeling that’s hard to explain” washes over him? Thomas has given him the tools and the stories, but that first shot is something Koivun has to face head-on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply