Former Auburn All-American and two-time national champion Jackson Koivun continues to etch his name into the history books.
In just his third professional start, Koivun captured his first PGA Tour victory by winning the 3M Open at the TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, finishing at 25-under par and three strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
“I’m just trying to soak it all in,” Koivun said. “It really never really feels like you’re going to win until you make the putt and that’s when all the emotions come crashing in. I think I did a really good job this week staying levelheaded. I’m just excited the way I played this week.”
Along with his first PGA Tour title in his young career, Koivun also broke the 3M Open tournament scoring record of 24-under by one stroke, which was previously set by Lee Hodges in 2023. He secured the record with a 15-foot putt to par on 18 and finished the final round at 66, prompting a fist pump from a fired-up and newly crowned champion Koivun.
“I played a great round of golf today,” Koivun said after his final par putt to win the tournament. “I definitely had some nerves down 18, but I was able to find some big putts down the stretch.”
However, that wasn’t the only record he managed to shatter this weekend. Koivun also broke the back nine tournament record on Saturday with a 28 that included two eagles en route to a third-round 61. That pushed him to 20-under and gave him a three-stroke advantage after 54 holes.
From there, the 21-year-old prodigy never looked back, shooting five-under on Sunday to cap off 42 holes without a bogey and hold off one of the best golfers in the world.
Scottie Scheffler, currently the world’s No. 1-ranked player by a significant margin, finished at 22-under after shooting eight-under 63 in the final round. But despite a strong push from Scheffler, Koivun managed to fend him off, becoming the second-fastest golfer ever to win an event on the PGA Tour.
The 3M Open marked Koivun’s 13th appearance in a PGA Tour event, but only his third since turning professional after participating in 10 as an amateur. He finished 23rd at the 126th U.S. Open last month.
Koivun’s success is nothing new to him, though, as he's coming off a historic three years at Auburn that saw the Tigers win two national championships.
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina, native racked up countless accolades during his stint on the Plains, including two Ben Hogan Awards (2024, 2026), two Fred Haskins Awards (2024, 2026) and two Jack Nicklaus Awards (2024, 2026).
Koivun also earned SEC Player of the Year honors in 2024, 2025 and 2026 after winning 2024 Freshman of the Year in his inaugural campaign.
Additionally, he won 11 total tournaments, which ties for the most in SEC history and the seventh most in NCAA history. Koivun also claimed individual SEC championships in each of his three seasons at Auburn, making him the first SEC golfer to three-peat in 60 years.
Koivun has garnered a swarming amount of attention from the golf world, as seemingly nearly every post or website that covers the sport is talking about the former Tiger. He's also received numerous acknowledgments from notable Auburn figures on social media, including former football coach Gus Malzahn and former quarterback Jason Campbell.
"Boom! Congrats Jackson Koivun on your first of many PGA Tour victories! You’ve got the Wow factor!" Mazlahn said on X.
"Congratulations to Jackson Koivun! What great poise and composure to hold off one of the best to win his first PGA while breaking the course record! War Eagle," Campbell posted.
With the win, Koivun jumped 124 spots to No. 70 in the FedExCup standings, the final spot above the cut for the playoffs with two regular-season events remaining. As he continues his young career, Koivun is set to participate in the Rocket Classic next week before playing the Wyndham Championship in his home state of North Carolina the following week.
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Gunner Norene, junior in journalism, has been with The Auburn Plainsman since Fall 2024. Norene previously served as a Sports Writer. He is currently serving as the Sports Editor.
