PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jackson Koivun was added to the U.S. team for the Presidents Cup on Tuesday just three months after leaving Auburn, one of two newcomers to an American team that hasn't lost in 28 years.
Koivun, who won the 3M Open in his third start as a professional and qualified for the PGA Tour postseason in just five tournaments, is the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to start a year without a tour card and play in the Presidents Cup.
“I'm happy took a chance on me. I'm going to give it my all,” Koivun said.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker also took Presidents Cup newcomer Jacob Bridgeman, who won at Riviera this year. Snedeker passed over Ryan Gerard, the No. 22 player in the world who contended at the Tour Championship and finished third.
Snedeker said he and his assistants took a hard look at everyone in the mix before settling on Koivun, a 21-year-old who had such a sterling amateur career that he could have joined the tour through the PGA Tour University ranking system after his sophomore year.
“These decisions are always tough,” Snedeker said. “It comes down to your gut instincts on some of these things. You can look at stats all you want, past performances all you want, but you have to have a feeling. For some reason, I just had a gut feeling. We'll see how that turns out.
“But I have full confidence he's ready for the challenge.”
The six Americans who qualified on points were Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa and Russell Henley. Snedeker's other picks were not surprising — Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Chris Gotterup, who has won three times this year.
International captain Geoff Ogilvy picked a pair of Canadians in Corey Conners and Nick Taylor. He also took Ryo Hisatsune, who turns 23 next week. It will be the first time since 1998 the International team has two Japanese players, with Hideki Matsuyama already earning one of the six automatic spots.
The Presidents Cup is Sept. 24-27 at Medinah, which has been entirely renovated by Ogilvy's Australia-based golf course design company.
Ogilvy didn't have the same depth from which to choose, and two of his options are South Africans who are European tour members — Casey Jarvis and Jayden Schaper, both of whom did their best work early in the season.
He went with Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, who has a 3-1-1 record in his two previous appearances; Cognizant Classic winner Nico Echavarria of Colombia; and Sungjae Im, a staple on the International team since his iron play wowed the International team at Royal Melbourne in 2019.
They join automatic qualifiers Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim of South Korea, Min Woo Lee of Australia and British Open champion Ryan Fox.
See AP’s full golf coverage here
Jacob Bridgeman putts on the second hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
Ryo Hisatsune, of Japan, hits from the fifth tee during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
STUART, Fla. (AP) — Court documents showed Tuesday that Tiger Woods plans to change his not guilty plea in a DUI case stemming from a rollover crash in Florida.
In March, Woods' Land Rover clipped a truck, rolled onto its side and the legendary golfer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, officials said. Woods had pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence in the case in Martin County circuit court, just north of Palm Beach County.
He is expected in court Wednesday morning for a plea conference hearing, according to a notice of the hearing posted Tuesday. No additional details about the nature of the plea change were released.
Woods was traveling at high speeds on a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) speed limit when his Land Rover caused $5,000 in damage to the truck, according to an incident report. He managed to crawl out of the vehicle without any injuries and told a deputy that he was looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.
Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test, authorities said. A sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket, and he showed signs of impairment. The crash was his fourth since 2009.
Woods has traveled outside of the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient treatment facility, according to court records.
In July, Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement in which prosecutors are allowed to review medical records related to Woods’ crash and arrest. The judge signed off on a similar agreement in May that grants prosecutors access to all prescription medication records for Woods at a Palm Beach pharmacy from the start of the year through the end of March.
Woods, 50, is among the most influential figures in golf and is as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.
But his career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car accidents and pain pill dependence.
Woods has been involved in four crashes over the years. In 2021, he survived a crash in Los Angeles that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation. In 2009, his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando, Florida.
He took a leave from the golf tour after the 2009 accident and again after the latest crash and has yet to return to tournament play.
FILE In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, sheriff's deputies holds two pills from a search of golfer Tiger Woods' pants following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Department via AP, File)
FILE - In this image from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
FILE - In this image from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods sits in an unmarked police vehicle as he speaks with law enforcement personnel following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
