World No.1 Amateur Breaks A Long-Standing Tiger Woods Scoring Record

Jackson Koivun acknowledges the fans at the Procore Championship

Jackson Koivun has broken a record set by Tiger Woods in 1996

(Image credit: Getty Images)

There are some good reasons why Jackson Koivun is touted as one of the stars of the future.

The Californian could had his choice of colleges before opting for Auburn, which he began attending in 2023, and he hasn’t looked back.

In his freshman year in 2024, he won the SEC Championship by six shots and only finished outside the top six once in 13 starts.

Later that year, he became the first player to win all four major collegiate awards, and helped Auburn win the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship.

Among other highlights are making the cut at the 2024 Memorial Tournament on his PGA Tour debut, helping the US win the 2025 Walker Cup and rising to the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Koivun's also guaranteed a PGA Tour career having earned his card last year via the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, with him due to take up membership in 2026 or after his senior term in 2027.

Now, he has another huge accolade. Per the Golf Channel, it has come his way after eclipsing a long-standing record set by Tiger Woods.

Jackson Koivun at the Walker Cup — Jackson Koivun's glittering amateur career included helping the US win the 2025 Walker Cup

While playing in the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii on Friday, Kouvin set the new NCAA record-holder for 36-hole score in relation to par.

The 20-year old produced a brilliant 10 under 62 in the opening round before repeating the trick on Friday, moving to 20 under.

That’s two better than the 18 under Woods managed over 36 holes of the 1996 Pac-10 Championship in California – a record only thought to have been matched once, by Sam Smith in 2013 at the NCAA Pullman Regional. Koivun also becomes the first player to card two rounds of 62 or lower in the same NCAA event.

Koivun went bogey free in both rounds, making 10 birdies on Thursday, with an eagle and another eight birdies on Friday.

However, with a round to play, there is still work to do, with Arizona State’s Michael Mjaaseth having matched the previous record to stand two back of the leader.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.