Jackson Koivun just absolutely torched the Biltmore Championship on Saturday, dropping a bogey-free, 8-under 63 to surge up the leaderboard. This Tour rookie, who was facing a pretty significant eight-stroke deficit behind second-round leader Neal Shipley after 36 holes, is now squarely in contention for career victory No. 2.
The Bogey-Free Bomb in Asheville
Talk about a moving day! Koivun’s 63 wasn’t just bogey-free, it was pure fire. He sank four birdies on his front nine, then followed that up with another two circles and an eagle on the back. That kind of run catapulted the 21-year-old into the clubhouse T-5 at 15 under, while Shipley was still out there playing his final three holes. The conditions weren’t even easy, with adjusted tee times because of heavy rains and high temperatures forcing preferred lies all week. And get this: after a single bogey on his third hole Friday, Koivun has now gone completely mistake-free over his last 33 holes in North Carolina. That’s clutch.
A Rookie Star Who Isn’t Slowing Down
This isn’t some flash-in-the-pan performance either. Koivun, the youngest member of the 2026 U.S. Presidents Cup team, entered this tournament as the favorite to win. Why? Because he already bagged his first Tour win earlier this summer in Minneapolis, surging past none other than Scottie Scheffler to capture the 3M Open. That performance was a big reason U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker pegged Koivun for the 12-man team at Medinah next week. This Biltmore Championship was supposed to be a “tune-up” before that international competition, and man, is he tuned up or what? Fellow contender Jacob Bridgeman is also still in the mix, but Justin Thomas withdrew late last week.
So, here we are: Sunday’s final round. Can Koivun close out his second Tour win and really cement his status as one of the game’s rising stars? After a Saturday like that, you just know everyone is going to be glued to the action to see if he can seal the deal in Asheville.
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.
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