Koivun wins 3M Open in his 3rd pro start, holding off Scheffler
Jackson Koivun felt the nerves but never flinched, securing his first PGA Tour win in the face of a strong finish by the world’s top-ranked player and clear fan favorite in Scottie Scheffler.
Koivun won the 3M Open by three strokes Sunday in only his third start as a professional, holding off Scheffler with a closing 5-under 66 for a tournament-record 25-under 259 total.
“All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, Scottie’s coming. Scottie’s coming,’” the 21-year-old Koivun said. “I just tried to tune that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could.”
Scheffler, who played five groups ahead of Koivun, surged into contention with a 63 but settled for his fifth runner-up finish this season. His lone win this year was in his first start at The American Express in California.
“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.”
Hideki Matsuyama, Brian Harman, Chandler Phillips and Denny McCarthy tied for third at 20 under. Koivun played a safe game on a 97-degree afternoon at the TPC Twin Cities, going bogey-free for the second straight day after a 61 in the third round gave him a three-shot cushion after 54 holes.
