BLAINE, Minn. — On Sunday morning, Jackson Koivun woke up with a three-shot lead and prepared for the biggest round of his life.
But first, breakfast.
He sat with his father, George, like they had all week. Jackson knows what everyone is saying — the rising star with all the trophies and all the hype is out in front. He doesn’t like to pay attention to it, but sometimes it’s impossible to avoid.
“I wish people would just tone it down a little,” he told his father, while chomping on a banana and sipping a protein shake. “It’s just another day on the golf course.”
His father, recounting the conversation while watching his son at TPC Twin Cities on Sunday, says Jackson’s comments were more about respect. There’s a lot of good players out on Tour, Jackson thinks. Why should he get all this attention?
George says his son’s humility is his best trait. “He has a little bit of swagger,” George says, “but not too much.” Others might see it differently — a stone-cold killer on the golf course who writes confidence, trust and dominate on his glove.
Golf’s next big thing or rising star or prodigy or whatever kind of superlative you want to throw out there — Koivun probably won’t like any of them — officially introduced himself to the golf world on Sunday, or at least to those who didn’t know him already.
The 21-year-old pro closed with a five-under 66 to finish 25 under and win the 3M Open to secure the first PGA Tour victory of his career, and it came in just his 13th career start and only his third as a professional. Oh, and he staved off a handful of major champions, including the world’s top-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler, who was breathing down his neck all afternoon. Scheffler shot 63 and had to settle for second.
Koivun might not like all of the attention, but he should probably get used to it. The hype just might be real.
THE ONLY CHILD OF GEORGE AND MEGHAN, Jackson got his start on a nine-hole course in California, but he soon became addicted to the game. His parents knew he had a special talent, but his dad realized its full potential when they went to the Future Masters in Dothan, Ala., when Jackson was 14. He was the only California kid entered and won. George remembers the “full rainbow” of SEC coaches following him.
He picked Auburn, where he would go on to have one of the greatest college careers in history.
In his first year on the team, Koivun won the Phil Mickelson Award (top freshman) as well as the three major Player-of-the-Year awards: the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus. Auburn won its first NCAA Championship.
By the end of his sophomore season, Koivun had already earned his PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, where college players earn points toward a Tour membership, but he decided to return for his junior year anyway. This past season he won six times in 13 starts, and a dozen of those were top-10 finishes. Just last month, as the world’s top-ranked amateur, he led the Tigers to their second national title in three years. He won the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus awards again to become the only player to win all three twice. He was ready to turn pro.
“I think Jackson’s mature beyond his years,” said Auburn assistant coach David Johnson, who flew to Minneapolis on Sunday morning to watch the final round. “He’s really built for this lifestyle and built for this game. He knows what he wants out of life and he’s showing it and going to get it.”
He played the 2026 U.S. Open as his final amateur event and tied for 23rd, made his pro debut at the John Deere Classic and missed the cut. It was a rare dud — in his seven PGA Tour starts as an amateur last year, he finished in the top 11 four times, including a T4 at the Procore Championship, where he beat eight of the 10 U.S. Ryder Cup players in the field. Two weeks ago, he tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship. This week he opened with 64-68 but took the lead with a Saturday 61.
He wasted little time on Sunday, too. On the par-4 1st hole, Koivun stuck a wedge 17 inches from the cup and made birdie. He added birdies on 4 and 6, and at one point six players were tied for second. One was Scheffler — the game’s top player chasing down its most promising youngster.
The World No. 1 shot three under on the front nine and rattled off three straight birdies on Nos. 10-12 to get to 20 under, three behind Koivun.
Those who know Koivun best say his top qualities are his positivity, consistency, mental game and fearlessness. But he’s also got all of the shots and is known for a lethal putter, which he started to show off.
With Scheffler racing up the leaderboard, Koivun made his first key save by rolling in a 15-footer for par on 9, keeping the lead three. A couple of holes later, Scheffler lipped out a 5-footer for birdie, and Koivun responded with a birdie on 12.
“I think any time you’re trying to win for the first time, it’s awfully difficult, especially for a young guy coming out of college,” Scheffler said. “I think that shows not only how talented of a player he is, but I think the mental strength he has as well.”
Back and forth they went. Scheffler birdied 16 and 18 to shoot 63 and take the clubhouse lead at 22 under. It looked unlikely anyone besides Koivun would beat it. The 21-year-old pro led by two with four holes left.
IF YOU ASK KOIVUN, he’ll tell you his best trait is different than what his dad might say.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better over the past couple years of being able to beat guys with my mentality,” he said. “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.”
It’s not like Koivun doesn’t know how to win, but how do you prepare for Scottie Scheffler coming after you on a Sunday?
The nerves kicked in on 15, but Koivun found the fairway and had a stress-free two-putt par. On 16, the 301-yard par-4, Koivun drove the green for the second day in a row and made birdie. Seventeen? Easy par.
The lead on 18 was three. All you have to do is avoid the water. Seven shots to win. Then he became human.
He hit the ground behind the ball on his tee shot and hit the shortest drive of the week (249 yards) on the finishing hole. Koivun covered his face with his hands. He laid up and hit a wedge that ran off the back of the green and then hit his chip fat, leaving 14 feet for par. It didn’t look pretty, but he had shots to play with.
“I definitely had some nerves coming down on 18,” Kouvin said. “All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, Scottie’s coming, Scottie’s coming, and I just tried to tone that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could.”
And since he didn’t make a bogey all weekend, he drained that putt too and then transformed. He fist-pumped, ran his hands through his hair and exhaled. The emotion finally poured out. He knelt down and soaked it in. A few minutes later he hugged his dad and then grabbed a phone to say hi to his mom, who wasn’t able to attend but was crying on FaceTime. He called his parents his “rocks.”
“It never really feels like you’re going to win until you make the putt, and that’s kind of when all the emotions come crashing down on you,” he said. “I think I did a really good job this week of staying level-headed, but I felt like that was an appropriate time to show some emotions.”
Do you believe the hype? Koivun could certainly become a star. But for now, he’s just a PGA Tour winner. That’s a great place to start.
You can reach the author at joshua.berhow@golf.com.
