Updated

Updated · golfchannel.com · Sep 2

Snedeker Completes U.S. Presidents Cup Team With 6 Picks, Leaving Out Griffin and Spaun

Updated

Updated · golfchannel.com · Sep 2

Snedeker Completes U.S. Presidents Cup Team With 6 Picks, Leaving Out Griffin and Spaun

Q: Will the gamble on rookie Jackson Koivun pay off, or will Medinah's pressure crack the young star?

The pick looks more likely to pay off than backfire, though Koivun is still the roster’s biggest volatility play. The case for him is unusually strong for a 21-year-old. Koivun did not just arrive with hype; he won the 3M Open in only his third PGA Tour start and did it by holding off Scottie Scheffler. That week he showed the trait captains value most in team events: he stayed composed when the pressure rose, closing with a bogey-free 66 and a key par putt on 18. His amateur record also points to a player comfortable on big stages, from a No. 1 world amateur run to multiple national player-of-the-year sweeps at Auburn and U.S. team experience in events like the Walker Cup. There are reasons for caution. Match play at Medinah is not a regular Tour stop, and rookies can be exposed by the format, crowd energy and momentum swings. Koivun is also less proven over a long stretch against elite fields than omitted veterans such as Ben Griffin or Ryan Gerard. His playoff run showed some of that learning curve; he admitted the grind of consecutive Tour weeks wore on him, and mistakes under pressure did appear. Still, the American team is built to protect that risk. With Scheffler, Morikawa, Schauffele, Thomas and Cantlay supplying experience, Snedeker does not need Koivun to carry the team. He needs upside, energy and one or two productive sessions. On the evidence so far, Koivun looks mentally advanced enough to deliver that.

3 articles · Updated · golfchannel.com · Sep 2

Six captain’s picks completed the U.S. roster Tuesday, with Brandt Snedeker selecting Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, Jackson Koivun, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Jacob Bridgeman for Medinah later this month.
Koivun, 21, is the youngest and least experienced addition after winning in just his third PGA Tour start; he, Gotterup and Bridgeman will all make their Presidents Cup debuts.
Notable omissions included Ben Griffin, Ryan Gerard and J.J. Spaun. Griffin had spent much of the year inside the top six automatic spots, Gerard finished solo third at the Tour Championship, and Spaun withdrew last week with a sore right shoulder.
The six picks join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa as the U.S. prepares to face the International Team at Medinah on Sept. 24-27.