21-Year-Old Jackson Koivun Holds off Scottie Scheffler to Claim Maiden PGA Tour Title

Before turning professional earlier in July, Jackon Koivun won 6 times during his final collegiate season for the Auburn Tigers men's golf team.

21-Year-Old Jackson Koivun Holds off Scottie Scheffler to Claim Maiden PGA Tour Title

Jackson Koivun and Scottie Scheffler (Image via X/@Skratch/PGA Tour)

Jackson Koivun etched his name in the list of PGA Tour winners on Sunday. The 21-year-old secured his maiden victory in just his 3rd professional start after holding off Scottie Scheffler at the 3M Open.

At the U.S. Open in June at Shinnecock Hills, Koivun competed as an amateur. With scores of 72-71-74-68, he finished T23 and was the co-highest-ranked amateur with Ryder Cowan.

Earlier this month, he turned professional and made his 1st professional start at the John Deere Classic. While he missed the cut in that, he finished T10 at the ISCO Championship in his 2nd start. At the 3M Open, the youngster thus made just his 3rd professional start.

At the TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, he fired an opening round score of 64 and followed it with a score of 68 on Friday to make the cut. On Saturday, he went low and jumped into contention with a historic showing on the back nine.

He made 4 birdies and 2 eagles to finish 8-under par on the back nine. His score of 61 saw him become the solo leader and gave him a real shot of winning the title.

The one person who was chasing him was Scottie Scheffler. The World No.1 was seeking his 2nd win of the year following his victory at the American Express Championship.

The 4-time major champion, though, needed a strong performance in the final round and a collapse from Koivun. He carded 8 birdies in the final round and shot 63. However, Koivun held his own and did not slip at all.

The California-born native kept his cool and fired a bogey-free 66 on Sunday to finish 25-under par for the tournament, 3 shots ahead of Scheffler.

Koivun’s 1st win on the tour is faster than some of the top names in the game. In comparison, Scheffler won his 1st PGA Tour title on his 73rd start. It took 18 starts for the current World No.2 Rory McIlroy to earn his 1st win. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who dominated the sport from a young age, needed 19 starts to capture his maiden title.

With the win, Koivun earned the top prize of $1.58 million from the $8.8 million purse. As for Scheffler, he had to settle for a runner-up finish for the 5th time this season.

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Jackson Koivun received praise from Scottie Scheffler following his 1st victory

Jackson Koivun announced his arrival on the PGA Tour with a bang. The 21-year-old saw off the challenge of Scottie Scheffler in the final round of the 3M Open to claim his 1st win. Following the round, the No.1 player in the world would tip his cap.

Jackson Koivun and Scottie Scheffler
Jackson Koivun and Scottie Scheffler (Image via X/@PGAChampionship/X/@TheOpen)

While speaking with Amanda Balionis, Koivun revealed that the crowd kept on chanting, “Scottie’s comin’” and reminded him of the challenge. In the end, he was able to keep his nerves in check and hold off Scheffler.

As Scheffler was speaking with the reporters, Koivun birdied the 16th hole and went 25-under par. The 30-year-old went on to praise Koivun’s mental strength as he inched closer to his first win.

Anytime you’re trying to win for the first time, it’s awfully difficult, especially for a young guy coming out of college. I think that shows not only how talented of a player he is, but the mental strength he has as well.

Scottie Scheffler said regarding Jackson Koivun

Following this win, the young golfer has also found his name in conversation for the U.S. team at the upcoming Presidents Cup. This triumph is surely the first of many for him in his career.

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