How Another College Star Could Earn A PGA Tour Card This Week

World Amateur No.2, Jackson Koivun has the chance to join World Amateur No.1, Luke Clanton on the PGA Tour this week with a high finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Clanton became the second player to take advantage of the PGA Tour U Accelerated program - following Vanderbilt senior, Gordon Sargent - when he made the cut and finished inside the top-20 at last week's Cognizant Classic.

The Florida State University man ended in a tie for 18th at PGA National to wrap up his future and set a precedent for top college athletes to follow in the future.

As it turns out, the next man up could well follow immediately. Auburn University star, Koivun has accumulated 18 points through the PGA Tour U Accelerated and needs to make the cut before going on to finish inside the top-10 at the impending Signature Event if he is to reach the 20 points required for full status on the top US circuit.

Koivun finds himself on the edge of this excellent opportunity thanks to winning college golf's Nicklaus, Hogan and Haskins awards - the first freshman ever to do so in the same year - plus reaching the No.2 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The 19-year-old has also twice made the cut at PGA Tour events over the past 12 months, the Memorial and the Farmers Insurance Open, leading him to the precipice of an incredible achievement.

Earlier this week, the lone amateur in the API field said: "It's hard not to think about that, but just trying to put that in the back of my mind and go play like I know I can. If everything falls into place, that's great, but at the end of the day I'm just trying to come out here and have fun."

Koivun is in the API field via the Palmer Cup exemption - a spot which is voted for by all players in the previous year's amateur team competition - and can rely on further call-ups to represent his country if he should fail in his quest this week.

The teenager from San Jose, California would earn another point for representing the US in the upcoming Palmer Cup and two points for being included in the US Walker Cup side - a near-certainty providing he stays healthy.

Nevertheless, Koivun admitted he is looking to wrap up a PGA Tour card as soon as possible and joining Clanton - whose FSU squad he helped to defeat in the final of the 2024 D1 Men's Golf Championship - on tour later this season.

He said: "I know Luke very well, he's a good person and he works his tail off to go compete, and he's been playing really well. It's great for him to get that card, and I'm happy for him.

"Knowing that I'm kind of in that same situation... I have a little more time than he did, and obviously it's going to be weighing on me a little bit. But like I said before, I think if I can just go have fun and try to put that on the back burner I think I'll play a little better."

Koivun's round-one tee time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is at 10:50am ET (3:50pm GMT) on Thursday alongside Isaiah Salinda.