Auburn Golfer Jackson Koivun Loses NCAA Championship On World’s Unluckiest Bounce

Golf is a cruel, cruel sport.

And Auburn University freshman Jackson Koivun learned that firsthand on Sunday in the final round of the NCAA Championship.

Koivun hit perhaps the shot of his life on the final hole, only to hit the flag stick and bounce back into the bunker, eventually missing out on a potential playoff by just one stroke.

Koivun, who is just a freshman, won the Ben Hogan Award as the best player in college golf. He showed why in the biggest moment, dialing in an iron that headed straight for the flagstick on the 9th (his last) hole at the Omni La Costa North Course.

Unfortunately for the North Carolina native, the shot was too good. It careened on the flag and back into the bunker. He eventually got up and down for par, but finished one shot behind eventual champion Hiroshi Tai of Georgia Tech.

Tai qualified for the 2025 Masters as a result of the victory.

Auburn Golfer Jackson Koivun Won Just About Everything As A Freshamn

If there’s any consolation for Koivun, it’s that he’s had an absolutely unbelievable freshman year. His resume already includes the following accolades:

– Jack Nicklaus Award Finalist
– Ben Hogan Award Winner
– SEC Player of the Year
– SEC Freshman of the Year
– First Team All-SEC
– SEC All-Freshman Team
– Palmer Cup Team USA
– SEC Individual Champion

And he’s far from alone.

Just ask Tiger Woods, who was charging up the leaderboard in the second round the 2013 Masters before hitting the flagstick on the 15th hole. Woods went on to make a bogey rather than a birdie on the hole. And he was penalized two strokes for an improper drop, so the flagstick cost him four strokes in total.

Woods went to finish four strokes behind eventual champion Angel Cabrera.

So it happens to the best of ’em. And it can always be worse! But that probably didn’t help Koivun sleep on Sunday night.