Two-time major winner Justin Thomas remembers his Presidents Cup debut as nothing short of “awesome.” In 2017, fresh off the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Thomas teamed primarily with Rickie Fowler and delivered a dominant 6-and-4 foursomes victory on the opening day before following it up with a 3-and-2 four-ball win the next day. Reflecting on the scheduling, Thomas admitted, “It was quite a bit different,” before offering rookie Jackson Koivun a glimpse of what awaits him in his Presidents Cup debut on Thursday. 

“He’s going to feel… I told him that today, you’re going to feel some things you’ve never felt before,” Thomas said during Wednesday’s press conference. “You’re going to be really nervous. I’m going to be really nervous. Everybody out here this week is going to have a lot of shots, and a couple in particular that you… It’s like a borderline out-of-body experience. I know a lot of other 21-year-olds would kill for that feeling. 

“It’s going to be great. I think it’s just so huge for someone at this age to get this kind of experience, and it’s going to be, I think, helpful. But like I said, I’m excited to watch him in the arena.”

But the former Auburn star, who will be paired with Thomas for the third match of Thursday’s opening four-ball, appears to have learned to handle pressure better than most. The 21-year-old decided to forgo his final season at Auburn University in June 2026 and made his official professional debut at the John Deere Classic in early July 2026. And that very month, Koivun won his first PGA Tour event as a professional at the 3M Open.

Not to mention, he quickly qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, finishing the regular season No. 70. This meteoric rise attracted U.S. Team Captain Brandt Snedeker to select him as his final discretionary captain’s pick. And with that, it made Jackson Koivun the first player to start a year without a Tour card and make the U.S. Presidents Cup team since Jordan Spieth in 2013. Snedeker himself appears very impressed by what Koivun has to offer. 

Snedeker praised Koivun’s maturity, saying the 21-year-old “carries himself” like someone “well beyond his years.” He added that the team is not expecting Koivun to change his approach during the week, but instead wants him to “just go be him.” While the U.S. captain remains helpful and supportive, it hasn’t quite helped the rookie calm his nerves completely with the tournament ahead. 

“Definitely going to feel some nerves on the first tee,” Koivun said. “But we’re all human. I think everyone does. I told Justin, once I get my first tee shot out of the way, I’m going to be good.”

While only time will tell whether Koivun can execute his plan, he and Thomas will face Canada’s Corey Conners and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria on Thursday at No. 3 Course at Medinah Country Club. And even if the 21-year-old falls short in his individual battle, there is some consolation: the odds heavily favor the U.S. team, and Koivun could still find himself on the winning side by the end of the day.

But before the rookie does his job, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns will play in the opening match against Australia’s Min Woo Lee and South Korea’s Sungjae Im, followed by Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele facing Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune in Game 2.

In any case, Koivun isn’t the only one making his Presidents Cup debut this week. 27-year-old Chris Gotterup is also scheduled to make his debut, paired with Patrick Cantlay, to face Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim in Thursday’s final match.

At the end of the day, Jackson Koivun will remember this event for the rest of his career, irrespective of how it ends.