07/26/26 07:45:00
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07/26 19:43 CDT Jackson Koivun wins the 3M Open in his 3rd pro start, holding
off Scottie Scheffler by 3 strokes
Jackson Koivun wins the 3M Open in his 3rd pro start, holding off Scottie
Scheffler by 3 strokes
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
BLAINE, Minn. (AP) --- Jackson Koivun felt the nerves but never flinched,
securing his first PGA Tour win in the face of a strong finish by the world's
top-ranked player and clear fan favorite in Scottie Scheffler.
Koivun won the 3M Open by three strokes Sunday in only his third start as a
professional, holding off Scheffler with a closing 5-under 66 for a
tournament-record 25-under 259 total.
"All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, ?Scottie's coming. Scottie's
coming,'" the 21-year-old Koivun said. "I just tried to tune that out and keep
playing the golf I knew I could."
Scheffler, who played five groups ahead of Koivun, surged into contention with
a 63 but settled for his fifth runner-up finish this season. His lone win this
year was in his first start at The American Express in California.
"We're seeing a lot of really, really good young talent in the game today,"
Scheffler said. "When you see the guys come out of college, they're really,
really prepared, even more prepared than we were coming out."
Hideki Matsuyama, Brian Harman, Chandler Phillips and Denny McCarthy tied for
third at 20 under.
Koivun played a safe and steady game on a 97-degree afternoon at the TPC Twin
Cities, going bogey-free for the second straight day after a 61 in the third
round gave him a three-shot cushion after 54 holes. His par-saving putt on the
9th green after his approach landed in the sand gave him an energy boost for
the back nine.
"Might be the biggest putt I made all week," Koivun said. "Scoreboard was right
there, and I saw exactly how I stood. If I missed that, then I only had a
two-shot lead --- where last time I checked I had a five-shot lead. So making
that was huge for my momentum."
Lee Hodges held the previous 3M Open record, finishing at 24-under 260 in 2023.
Koivun, who became the fourth rookie winner this season, missed the cut at the
John Deere Classic in Illinois and tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship in
Kentucky earlier this month. He made 10 starts as an amateur on tour events.
Earning $1,584,000 for his win in Minnesota, Koivun also jumped 124 spots in
the FedEx Cup standings into 70th, the last place above the cut for the
playoffs with two regular season events remaining on the schedule.
"I feel like I've gotten a lot better over the past couple years of being able
to beat guys with my mentality," said Koivun, who broke the NCAA career record
for per-round stroke average (68.89) and helped lead Auburn to the national
championship last month. "Sometimes I watch guys hit on the range and I don't
feel like I'm the most talented out there, but if I can go out there and
believe and use my brain to my advantage, then that's definitely kind of like a
superpower."
Scheffler, who began the final round six shots back, needed a collapse by
Koivun to catch up. That never came.
Scheffler played a nearly flawless game, save for a 5-foot birdie putt on the
14th hole that lipped in and out. As he was conducting his post-match
interview, Koivun birdied the 16th to go 25 under.
"Anytime you're trying to win for the first time, it's awfully difficult,
especially for a young guy coming out of college," Scheffler said. "I think
that shows not only how talented of a player he is, but the mental strength he
has as well."
Koivun, who grew up in San Jose, California, before moving to Chapel Hill,
North Carolina, at age 17, got his start in the game on a public nine-hole
course. After hugging his father, George, on the course, he got on a FaceTime
call with his mother, Meghan, who was unable to attend the tournament.
"She was crying," Koivu said. "I was trying to make out a little bit of what
she said, but she kept saying how proud she was. Those two are just my rocks."
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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