Two months ago, Jackson Koivun was an amateur at Auburn. He went from missing the cut on debut to earning $93,000 in his second tournament, to seeing a 1,603% rise in his earnings. The rookie achieved millionaire status on the back of four top-quality rounds of golf that saw him hold off a charging Scottie Scheffler on the final day at TPC Twin Cities.

In the aftermath, the elated youngster revealed what it took for him to remain in control of his game with the world No 1 looming large. Though the final margin of victory was three strokes, the pressure was insane for Koivun’s final four holes as it was his tournament to lose. 

“I played a great round of golf today,” he said. “Definitely had some nerves coming down on 18. All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, ‘Scottie’s coming, Scottie’s coming.’ I just tried to tone that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could. I was able to find some good putts coming down the stretch.”

Scottie was indeed coming, with his eight-under-par final round closing a start-of-the-day gap of six strokes to just two as he walked off the 18th. At that time, Koivun had four holes to go. He held his nerve with a birdie on the 16th to extend the lead to three, before making par on the 17th.

This left him room to make a double bogey and still finish one stroke ahead of Scheffler. But Koivun did not need that luxury on a hole where he had gone birdie, par, and eagle on each of the first three days, respectively. The 21-year-old had to make a 13-foot par putt to seal the win.

By then, it seemed to have sunk in that all he needed was simple, risk-free golf. He delivered exactly that, closing with a calm putt to finish the round at five under and the event at -25. 

Following his win, Jackson Koivun was asked about Scottie Scheffler breathing down his neck. The 21-year-old described it as “not fun” and referred to a tournament last year in which Scheffler caught him. He concluded by acknowledging that his compatriot is the world number one for a reason. 

Koivun’s early rounds gave him breathing room on the final day

Jackson Koivun was in control from the very first round. The 21-year-old delivered a mistake-free opening round, carding seven birdies to finish at 7-under 64. He followed that up with a 3-under 68 in the second round, overcoming three bogeys with six birdies. Moving Day was even more impressive for the rookie, who carded six birdies and two eagles to shoot a stunning 10-under 61. 

In the final round, Koivun once again avoided any mistakes to keep him out of reach of Scheffler. Koivun’s round on Moving Day, in particular, proved to be decisive.

The World No. 1 had an opening round of 6-under 65, highlighted by six birdies, which saw him a stroke behind Koivun. That grew to three after his second round of 1-under 70.

Scheffler’s third round matched Koivun’s opening-round score. He carded seven birdies, an eagle, and two bogeys to finish 7-under 64, leaving him six behind the youngster. 

Despite their remarkably similar scorecards throughout the tournament, the rookie ultimately had the edge, finishing first solo. And with that, by winning in his third professional start, Koivun became the third fastest to earn a PGA Tour victory.

He now joins Bob Gilder, Seve Ballesteros, Russell Henley, and Matt McCarty as golfers to win their first PGA Tour title in their third event.

The bombastic performance comes after his amateur career ended with a T23 at the U.S. Open, followed by his pro debut at the John Deere Classic, where he failed to make the cut. Earlier this month, he was in the field for the ISCO Championship and secured a T10 finish in the tournament. To secure a professional win this early into his career puts Koivun in an elite club, with Scheffler offering his observations and praise.

“I guess the best way I can say it, my first win was in a playoff,” he said. “So to win for the first time with a big lead, probably a bit easier. But I think anytime you’re trying to win for the first time, it’s awfully difficult, especially for a young guy coming out of college. I think that shows not only how talented a player he is, but I think the mental strength he has as well.”

Scheffler claimed his first professional victory at the Evans Scholars Invitational in May 2019. Now, several years later, he found himself competing against a young player who could potentially follow a similar path and reach the heights he has achieved today.