3M Open 2026 – Jackson Koivun Wins in Third Pro Start

Jackson Koivun secured his first PGA Tour title in only his third start as a professional, closing with a bogey-free 66 to beat Scottie Scheffler by three strokes at the 3M Open.

The 21-year-old finished at 25-under 259 at TPC Twin Cities, breaking the tournament record of 24-under 260 set by Lee Hodges in 2023. Koivun began Sunday with a three-shot lead and completed three of his four rounds without a bogey.

Scheffler started the final round six strokes behind but applied pressure with an eight-under 63. The world No. 1 played five groups ahead of Koivun, and his charge showed on the leaderboards as Koivun played the closing holes.

“All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, ‘Scottie’s coming. Scottie’s coming,’” Koivun said. “I just tried to tune that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could.”

Koivun answers the back-nine pressure

Koivun’s key moment came at the par-four ninth, where his approach found a bunker and Scheffler’s name had moved closer on the leaderboard. Koivun saved par, preserving a three-shot advantage before turning for home.

“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.”

Koivun maintained his lead and birdied the 16th to reach 25-under. Scheffler’s only substantial missed opportunity came at the 14th, where a five-foot birdie putt caught the lip and stayed out.

Koivun led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green at 9.363 and proximity to the hole at 27 feet, eight inches. He also ranked third in Strokes Gained: Putting and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.

Scheffler finished alone in second at 22-under, his fifth runner-up result of the season. Hideki Matsuyama, Brian Harman, Chandler Phillips and Denny McCarthy shared third at 20 under.

“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.”

A rapid move from Auburn to the PGA Tour

Koivun turned professional last month after helping Auburn win the 2026 NCAA Championship. A former world No. 1 amateur, he spent 56 consecutive weeks at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking and ended his college career with a school-record 11 victories.

He earned PGA Tour membership through PGA Tour University Accelerated after collecting 42 points, more than double the required threshold. Koivun had been eligible to accept membership in June 2025 but returned to Auburn for his junior season.

His transition to professional golf began with a missed cut at the John Deere Classic and a tie for 10th at the ISCO Championship. The victory came in his 13th PGA Tour appearance overall, including 10 starts as an amateur.

At 21 years, two months and three days, Koivun became the Tour’s youngest winner since Aldrich Potgieter won the 2025 Rocket Classic. He is also the youngest American to win a PGA Tour event by multiple strokes since Ralph Guldahl at the 1932 WM Phoenix Open.

The victory earned Koivun $1.584 million and 500 FedExCup points. He climbed from 194th to 70th in the standings, occupying the final projected Playoffs position with two regular-season events remaining.

After the final putt, Koivun hugged his father, George, beside the course and called his mother, Meghan, who had been unable to attend.

“She was crying,” Koivun 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.”

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