Newcomer Jackson Koivun holds off Scheffler
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BLAINE, Minn. -- 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 fourth 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 and steady 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. His par-saving putt on the 9th green after his approach landed in the sand gave him an energy boost for the back nine.
"Might be the biggest putt I made all week," Koivun said. "Scoreboard was right there, and I saw exactly how I stood. If I missed that, then I only had a two-shot lead -- where last time I checked I had a five-shot lead. So making that was huge for my momentum."
Lee Hodges held the previous 3M Open record, finishing at 24-under 260 in 2023.
Koivun, who became the fourth rookie winner this season, missed the cut at the John Deere Classic in Illinois and tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky earlier this month. He made 10 starts as an amateur on tour events.
Earning $1,584,000 for his win in Minnesota, Koivun also jumped 124 spots in the FedEx Cup standings into 70th, the last place above the cut for the playoffs with two regular season events remaining on the schedule.
Elsewhere:
n Lucas Herbert had the lowest 72-hole score in LIV Golf history, finishing LIV Golf United Kingdom at 30 under to lead Ripper GC to the team title. Herbert led wire-to-wire for his second victory of the season, closing with a 10-under 62. He opened with a 61 to break the course record at JCB Golf & Country Club.
n Jerry Kelly won the Senior British Open by two shots for his third senior major title, shooting a 2-under 68 on the Kings course at Gleneagles to finish at 10-under 270.
n Jenny Shin of South Korea won the Women's Scottish Open for her first LPGA Tour victory in more than 10 years. The 33-year-old Shin shot a 3-over 75 on the Dundonald Links to finish at 9 under.