There has long been a debate in golf over whether amateurs should earn prize money in professional golf tournaments.
Those in favor believe, despite the player's amateur status, said competitor deserves to pick up the financial reward for their hard work and outstanding ability.
Meanwhile, those against argue that the relative lack of pressure on their shoulders, given they are not relying on success for their livelihood, means they don't deserve the prize for doing well.
In 2025, World No.1 amateur Jackson Koivun has been the latest golfer to test that theory following a series of top-10 results on the PGA Tour, no less.
In fact, his most recent three appearances on the historic US circuit - at the Procore Championship with a host of US Ryder Cup stars involved, at the Wyndham Championship and at the ISCO Championship - have all resulted in extremely high finishes.
However, due to his amateur status, Koivun was not eligible to pick up any prize money from those tournaments - a figure which extended beyond $700,000 in total.
Going back further, a T11th finish at the John Deere Classic would have taken the 20-year-old's theoretical annual tally to almost $900,000 while made cuts in two Signature Events (the Memorial in 2024 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2025) pushed that number up to just short of seven figures.
If Koivun was a pro, and therefore qualified for the $10,000 consolation prize for simply reaching the US Open, then his T56th result at the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this term would have seen his earnings across nine pro starts nudge past the $1 million mark.
JACKSON KOIVUN MISSED PGA TOUR EARNINGS
Result |
Event |
Approximate Prize Money Missed |
|---|---|---|
52nd |
2024 the Memorial Tournament |
$50,000 |
MC |
2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic |
$0 |
T56th |
2025 Farmers Insurance Open |
$21,000 |
T48th |
2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational |
$55,000 |
MC |
2025 US Open |
$10,000 |
T11th |
2025 John Deere Classic |
$168,900 |
T6th |
2025 ISCO Championship |
$140,000 |
T5th |
2025 Wyndham Championship |
$303,400 |
T4th |
2025 Procore Championship |
$270,000 |
TOTAL |
$1,018,300 |
It is quite a remarkable scenario, not only because it shows how well the Auburn University star is playing against the pros, but also due to the fact it highlights how quickly golfers can swell their earnings in the modern day of inflated prize purses.
Nevertheless, Koivun is not the only amateur who has missed out on life-changing money over the past couple of years even. Luke Clanton had effectively claimed over $1.3 million in five starts during 2024 while he was still at Florida State.
However, since he turned pro midway through 2025, the 21-year-old has picked up roughly $235,000 in nine appearances.
Then there was Nick Dunlap's famous victory at the American Express 18 months ago in which he was forced to pass on a check for $1.5 million despite claiming many of the other perks for winning a PGA Tour event.
Dunlap has since earned almost $4 million from 50 events, including his second PGA Tour victory at the 2024 Barracuda Championship.
How well Koivun does once he makes the jump up to the paid ranks remains to be seen, and it will be a matter of when not if after he secured his PGA Tour status through the circuit's PGA Tour U program.
But, for now, the San Jose, California-born pro has chosen to return to Auburn for his Junior year to see if he can build on one of the greatest seasons in college golf history.
During his freshman campaign, Koivun swept all four major college golf awards while winning the SEC Championship and ending as runner-up in the NCCA D1 Men's Individual Golf Championship.
Then, after claiming his 10th amateur title, he moved to World No.1 in June 2025. Meanwhile, he has represented Team USA in the Palmer Cup and the Walker Cup over the past 12 months as well.
Before turning his attention to forging a professional career, Koivun will have one more to go to see if he can win a national championship with the Tigers. Whether he does or not, there won't be any prize money. But after the decision to turn pro arrives, every reward for his subsequent success will be very real.
