Brandt Snedeker has revealed that the US team went crazy when they learned that Jackson Koivun would be going up against Si-woo Kim on Sunday at the Presidents Cup.
Koivun lived up to the hype on his Presidents Cup debut having received a captain’s pick from Snedeker. The 21-year-old was the only player on either side to go unbeaten at Medinah as Team USA continued their dominance.
Koivun looked nervous in the opening session alongside Justin Thomas. However, when Thomas was miles off the pace on Saturday, it was Koivun who stepped up as the Americans clinched half a point.
Snedeker made a statement by putting Koivun up against Si-woo Kim in the singles. Kim had won three of his four matches up until that point, and had arguably been the Internationals’ best player.
How the US team reacted to Jackson Koivun being drawn with Si-woo Kim at the Presidents Cup
It was a huge task given how important every single point was going to be for the Americans. But it seems that the team sensed what was to come ahead of Koivun’s dramatic victory.
Speaking to the media after Team USA’s win, Snedeker spoke about Koivun’s impact and how the team room reacted when they learned that the boy wonder would be taking on Kim.
“I thought he brought everything and more. He’s obviously a great player, but he’s a great kid. Super locked into what he’s doing. He’s an unbelievable competitor. I had a feeling about him. I don’t know what it was, just being around him, talking to people, knowing what he accomplished, I felt like he was ready for the stage,” he said.
“I put him in a big spot today, a really big spot. That was a massive match. If we were going to have any chance today, he had to win that match. The guys were cheering in the room last night when we made that decision to put him in that spot. The whole team went crazy because they knew they wanted the kid to go up against Si Woo, and he delivered today in a big way. I’m super proud of him.”
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley praise Jackson Koivun after the Presidents Cup
Thomas had the best seat in the house to see how Koivun improved as the week went on. And he revealed just how exceptional he thought the youngster’s performance in Illinois was.
“I was extremely impressed. Obviously I know these guys on the team better than Jackson, but I feel like I probably knew him the best just in terms of being around him and just the last couple years and whatnot,” he said.
“Yeah, I hate to give him as much credit as I am, but he is really good at golf. He gets it; he’s very mature. It just was really cool to kind of just watch him do his thing. I’ll never in my life forget the smile he had on his face when he put the tee in the ground on Thursday morning and he was about to hit. I think he kind of blacked out and went to pick up the tee, didn’t pick up the tee. It was just laying right there when I went to go put my tee in the ground. It’s kind of cool to get to experience those moments with someone. Yeah, it was cool to watch.”
Snedeker avoided the embarrassment of becoming only the second American captain to lose the Presidents Cup, and the first to fail to win on home soil.
The result will have come as a relief to his backroom team, too. Keegan Bradley was part of the Ryder Cup team that lost at Medinah in 2012, while he also oversaw defeat at Bethpage last year.
And Bradley explained how special it was to be a part of the team having spent much of the day with Koivun’s match.
“Today was a much-needed day for me personally. Just like what Jim said, I really care for everybody in this room. Last year was a tough year for what happened at the Ryder Cup, but to be able to come here and experience this day, I told Webb and Brandt on the mic, and Jim, we experienced a really horrible moment on that 14th green in 2012, and today we got to experience one of the happiest moments of my golf career,” he said.
“I’m so proud of all the guys. I’m so happy that Brandt gets to be a winning Presidents Cup captain. I really enjoyed watching Jackson Koivun play golf. I really had a fun time today being out there with him and watching these guys battle.
“The thing about this team is they are such incredible people, and it doesn’t matter how many points they’re down, they’re going to fight till the very end. We knew this was going to get close, and I’m just extremely proud of them.”
Team USA cannot afford to ignore a number of mistakes made this week if they hope to win the Ryder Cup in 12 months. But Koivun’s contribution to the victory is undoubtedly one of the biggest positives they can take away with them.
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