Auburn’s Nick Clinard considers Jackson Koivun to be the most positive player he’s ever coached.
“He really expects good things to happen to him,” Clinard said.
So, when Koivun grabbed the first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour just three starts into his professional career, there was no thought of giving it back – not even to the world’s best player, Scottie Scheffler. Koivun instead backed up Saturday’s 10-under 61 with a bogey-free 66 Sunday to win the 3M Open by three shots for his first career Tour title.
Koivun’s victory comes seven years after Matthew Wolff, then a can’t-miss talent in his own right, captured his maiden PGA Tour victory at TPC Twin Cities in his third start as a pro by edging Bryson DeChambeau and fellow rookie Collin Morikawa. Koivun’s task was holding off a trio of major champions – Brian Harman, Hideki Matsuyama and Scheffler, who shot 64-63 on the weekend but could never get within two shots of the cool, calm and collected Koivun.
“All throughout the crowd, I kept hearing, ‘Scottie’s comin’, Scottie’s comin’,’” Koivun said. “I just tried to tone that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could and was able to fund some good putts coming down the stretch.”
After leading Auburn to a second NCAA title in three years in early June, Koivun waited a few extra weeks to turn pro this summer, wanting to use his amateur exemption into the U.S. Open, where he shared low-amateur honors with a T-23 showing. While he missed the cut in his Tour debut at the John Deere Classic, Koivun bounced back with a T-10 at the Isco Championship two weeks ago.
A two-eagle, back-nine 28 gave Koivun a three-shot cushion entering Sunday, and he wasted no time in pushing four strokes clear of the field after spinning back a 100-yard wedge shot to a foot and a half and tapping in for birdie on his opening hole.
The lead grew to five with an 11-foot birdie make at the par-3 fourth. Koivun’s up-and-down birdie two holes later, from just behind the par-5 sixth green, moved his advantage back to five shots.
Staring at both a 15-footer for par at the ninth and Scheffler’s name climbing the leaderboard to within three shots of the lead, Koivun walked in the par save.
Scheffler birdied five of seven holes to get within three, but he lipped out a 6-footer for birdie at No. 14 that would’ve cut Koivun’s lead to two. Koivun returned to four ahead with an 11-foot make at the par-5 12th, but Scheffler kept pace with 5-foot birdie at the short, par-4 16th.
From 73 feet, Koivun left his eagle try at No. 16 about 6 feet short. No problem, though, as Koivun rolled in his fifth birdie of the round to move three clear of Scheffler.
Koivun chunked his drive on the par-5 finishing hole, the ball traveling just 249 yards. But it still found the fairway – Koivun hit all but one on Sunday – and Koivun laid up to 122 yards before safely wedging over the water and just over the back of the green.
Koivun went 51 for 51 on putts inside 5 feet this week. He had 14 feet for par on the last, which he converted to play his last 36 holes without a bogey.
Before Koivun competed in last fall’s Procore Championship, he told short-game coach Josh Gregory that his goal was to beat eight of the 10 U.S. Ryder Cuppers in the field. Gregory then reminded Koivun that meant the best he could finish was third. Koivun ended up besting all but Scheffler that week and tying for fourth, one of his four top-11s last year on Tour.
Now, he’s beaten Scheffler, too.
Clinard’s message to Koivun on Saturday night: “Go be you … and you’ll come out on top.”
Koivun, of course, already believed it.