Phenom Delivers Under Pressure
Jackson Koivun took home the first PGA Tour win of his career at the 3M Open and set the tournament record by shooting 25-under par 259. The 21-year-old accomplished this in his third professional start, claiming the $1,584,000 first-place prize. 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 on Saturday gave him a three-shot cushion.
The 21-year-old player who led Auburn to the NCAA championship last month confidently fended off the world's top-ranked player in Scheffler, who surged into contention with a 63 while playing five groups ahead. Scheffler finished solo second at 22-under, with Hideki Matsuyama, Brian Harman, Denny McCarthy, and Chandler Phillips all tied at 20-under. Davis Thompson and Emiliano Grillo rounded out the top seven at 19-under.
The Final Round Showdown
"All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, 'Scottie's coming. Scottie's coming,'" said Koivun, 21. "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.
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. He closed with a 66 on Sunday, maintaining his composure while the crowd rallied for Scheffler's charge. Posting a third-round 61, Koivun played the back nine in a tournament-record 28 with two eagles and four birdies.
Scheffler's Season of Silver
This marked his fifth runner-up finish of the season to go along with his lone victory at the first event of the season, The American Express. Scheffler and Cameron Young in 2022 are the only golfers in the last 40 years on the PGA TOUR to have at least five runner-up finishes in a single season. Despite shooting 64-63 over the weekend, Scheffler couldn't overcome Koivun's steady play.
Michael Kim delivered one of the week's defining performances with a bogey-free, 12 under 59 on Friday. Needing just 21 putts, Kim made 12 birdies, topped off by a 24-foot roll on 18, to become the first player to shoot a sub-60 at the 3M Open and just the 15th player in PGA TOUR history to accomplish the feat. Kim ultimately finished the tournament tied for sixth after cooling off.
Pool Strategy: Backing Young Phenoms on Birdie Fests
Koivun's victory offers a clear lesson for office pool managers running events at TPC Twin Cities and similar scoring-friendly tracks. Koivun finished his celebrated college career at Auburn with 42 points in PGA TOUR University Accelerated, more than twice the number threshold needed to earn a TOUR card. He technically crossed the 20-point threshold in 2025 but opted to return to school for his junior season, where he earned 22 more points in Accelerated.
When tournament conditions favor aggressive play and low scores, highly decorated college players with championship pedigree can compete immediately with established stars. Koivun broke the NCAA career record for per-round stroke average (68.89) and helped lead Auburn to the national championship last month. At golfpools.co, we've seen this pattern emerge repeatedly. Elite amateurs who've dominated at the college level possess the ball-striking and mental fortitude to win early, especially when course setups reward precision iron play and hot putting rather than experience managing treacherous conditions.
The 3M Open's tournament-record scoring (Koivun at 25-under eclipsed Lee Hodges' previous mark of 24-under from 2023) shows how modern equipment and TPC Twin Cities' design create opportunities for younger players to leverage pure skill. When building your picks for similar summer events, don't shy away from recent PGA Tour arrivals with dominant amateur résumés.
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