BLAINE, Minn. — Jackson Koivun felt the nerves however by no means flinched, securing his first PGA Tour win in the face of a powerful end by the world’s top-ranked participant and clear fan favourite in Scottie Scheffler.
Koivun received the 3M Open by three strokes Sunday in solely his third begin as an expert, holding off Scheffler with a closing 5-under 66 for a tournament-record 25-under 259 complete.
“All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, ‘Scottie’s coming. Scottie’s coming,'” stated Koivun, 21. “I just tried to tune that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could.”
Scheffler, who performed 5 teams forward of Koivun, surged into competition with a 63 however settled for his fifth runner-up end this season. His lone win this yr was in his first begin at The American Express in California.
“We’re seeing a lot of really, really good young talent in the game today,” Scheffler stated. “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 below.
Koivun performed a secure and regular recreation on a 97-degree afternoon on the TPC Twin Cities, going bogey-free for the second straight day after a 61 in the third spherical gave him a three-shot cushion following 54 holes. His par-saving putt on the ninth inexperienced after his method landed in the sand gave him an power increase for the again 9.
“Might be the biggest putt I made all week,” Koivun stated. “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 earlier 3M Open report, ending at 24-under 260 in 2023.
Koivun, who grew to become the fourth rookie winner this season, missed the minimize on the John Deere Classic in Illinois and tied for tenth on the ISCO Championship in Kentucky earlier this month. He made 10 begins as an beginner on tour occasions.
Earning $1,584,000 for his win in Minnesota, Koivun additionally jumped 124 spots in the FedEx Cup standings to seventieth, the final place above the minimize for the playoffs with two regular-season occasions 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,” stated Koivun, who broke the NCAA profession report for per-round stroke common (68.89) and helped lead Auburn to the nationwide championship final 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 started the ultimate spherical six pictures again, wanted a collapse by Koivun to catch up. That by no means got here.
Scheffler performed a virtually flawless recreation, save for a 5-foot birdie putt on the 14th gap that lipped in and out. As Scheffler was conducting his postmatch interview, Koivun birdied the sixteenth to go 25 below.
“Anytime you’re trying to win for the first time, it’s awfully difficult, especially for a young guy coming out of college,” Scheffler stated. “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, earlier than shifting to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at age 17, obtained his begin in the sport on a public nine-hole course. After hugging his father, George, on the course, he obtained on a FaceTime name together with his mom, Meghan, who was unable to attend the event.
“She was crying,” Koivu stated. “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.”
