If there was ever a moment that Jackson Koivun might crack under pressure, it was on No. 9 during the final round of the 3M Open on Sunday. The best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, was making a charge, and Koivun’s lead had narrowed to three shots.
The 21-year-old rookie overshot the green on his approach shot, landing in the bunker. His first bogey of the round, and Scheffler being within two shots, was staring him in the face. Many players had bowed to the pressure of trying to outrace the 30-year-old Scheffler. This was Koivun’s third event as a pro.
No problem, the Auburn product said. He got out of the sand with his ball finishing 10 to 12 feet from the hole. Koivun stepped up and drained the par putt.
“Yeah, I think the putt on nine might be the biggest putt I made all week,” he said afterward. “Scoreboard was right there, and I saw exactly how I stood. And 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 and just helped me keep it rolling on the back nine.”
A few moments later, Scheffler missed an easy birdie putt.
The match was pretty much over by then, even though the rookie had nine holes to play. It didn’t matter. His swing, putting and, most importantly, mental strength weren’t going to hold him back.
Jackson Koivun quickly becomes a household name
It was the introduction many had been expecting from Koivun after his illustrious career at Auburn, where he won almost every trophy possible, including two team national titles. But for someone looking to win their first PGA Tour event, it seemed almost too easy, with very little sweat after nailing that vital putt on the ninth hole.
For people who followed Auburn and college golf, it was reminiscent of what we had seen from the San Jose native for three years in the orange and blue. Never arrogant or cocky, Koivun always knew he was the best player on the course. Somehow, that same attitude was prevalent in Blaine, Minnesota, all weekend, especially on the back nine on Saturday when he broke a course record by shooting an eye-opening 28.
It wasn’t until after he sank the final par putt on No. 18 to clinch the tournament that any emotion showed on the face of Koivun. And, even he admits that the moments building up to it might have had him a bit tense.
“I had quite a few nerves and just kind of got it down there,” Koivun said. “And then I knew where I stood and what I had to do to secure the win. But 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. And I think I did a really good job this week of staying levelheaded, but I felt like that was an appropriate time to show some emotions.”
Understandable, and commendable.
Hours later, after all the media responsibilities were done, the new young face of the PGA Tour was captured taking some time by himself on a lake on the golf course with a fishing rod in hand, one of his hobbies to take his mind off of the rocket ship his life will be in the weeks and years ahead.
No one knows if Koivun caught any fish, but he did catch one massive thing this weekend: the attention of the golf world. It’s a name you will be hearing for years.
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