Jackson Koivun secured his first PGA Tour victory on Sunday at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota, beating world No 1 Scottie Scheffler. The 21-year-old San Jose native and former Auburn college star shot a final-round 66 to finish at 25-under-par, setting a 72-hole tournament record and earning the $1.6 million first prize.
Koivun took a three-shot lead into the final day at TPC Twin Cities, where 12 players sat within six strokes of the top. He made five birdies on Sunday to stay ahead of the chasing pack. He celebrated after making a birdie on the fourth hole during his winning round.
The win comes less than a month after Koivun turned professional, earning him $1.584 million to add to his previous career earnings of $93,000. It was just his third PGA Tour start as a professional, following a tie for 23rd at the US Open in June and his pro debut on July 3 at the John Deere Classic. Just 23 days after that debut, he claimed his first tour trophy.
Course Record and Weekend Comeback
Koivun had entered the weekend well back in the field before firing a 10-under-par 61 in the third round. That round featured a tournament-record back-nine score of 28 to vault him into the lead.
Speaking after that third round, Koivun said: "Obviously 61 is great. Just excited to be able to go out there and shoot my personal best."
Scheffler tried to chase down Koivun on Sunday but could only get within three shots of the leader. Overall, Koivun was playing in his 13th PGA Tour event, having previously made 10 appearances as an amateur.
Before his victory in Minnesota, Koivun's best PGA Tour finish was a tie for fourth at the Procore Championship in September. Because he was still an amateur at that time, he did not receive any prize money for that performance.
Collegiate Success and Historic Sweep
Koivun arrived on the professional circuit as the former No 1 amateur player in the world. He decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility at Auburn to join the PGA Tour early, drawing comparisons to players such as Tiger Woods, who burst onto the scene in a similar manner in 1991.
During his time at Auburn, Koivun became the first player in college golf history to sweep all four major collegiate awards in the same year. He won the Haskins Award, the Jack Nicklaus Award, the Ben Hogan Award, and the Phil Mickelson Award.