Every once in a while, a prodigious player arrives on the PGA TOUR, and the casual fan has never heard of him.
On Sunday at the 3M Open, Jackson Koivun made that player look like him.
The 21-year-old phenom, making just his third professional start, stared down the best player in the world, matched every punch Scottie Scheffler threw, and walked away with his first PGA TOUR victory. The win was worth $1.584 million, a two-year TOUR exemption, a spot in the FedExCup Playoffs, and enough confidence to make the rest of the TOUR who hadn’t already take notice
If you only watched the final nine holes, you probably assumed Scottie was about to do what Scottie always seems to do.
Birdie.
Birdie.
Another birdie.
Cue the trophy presentation.
Instead, Koivun never blinked.
Scheffler posted a dazzling 8-under 63, one of the rounds of his season, but Koivun answered every charge with the poise of a 10-year veteran. He closed with a bogey-free 67, finishing at 25-under par to win by three shots while Scheffler settled for another runner-up finish worth $959,200.
Think about that for a second. Your third professional start. The World No. 1 breathing down your neck. More than $1.5 million on the line.
No panic.
No meltdown.
No “welcome to the PGA TOUR” moment.
Just another day at the office. A star was born yesterday in Minnesota.
Koivun has been on golf insiders’ radar for years. His decorated amateur career and dominance at Auburn suggested this day would eventually come. Few expected it to happen this quickly.
His victory continues a trend that’s becoming impossible to ignore. College stars aren’t spending years learning how to compete on the PGA TOUR anymore. They’re arriving ready to win immediately. (Refer to Ludvig Åberg and Nick Dunlap.)
Now add Jackson Koivun to that growing list.
If Sunday was any indication, this won’t be the last time we see him lifting a trophy.
Winners & Losers from Sunday at the 3M
Winner: Jackson Koivun – the 54 hole leader
Winning your first PGA TOUR event in your third professional start is impressive enough. Doing it while holding off Scottie Scheffler elevates it to one of the season’s best victories. Koivun looked remarkably composed from the opening tee shot to the final putt, especially impressive after his Saturday performance. Most pros who take it deep on Saturday in a tourney take a step back the following day. Kouvin didn’t miss a beat, posting a bogey-free 66 and lifting a beautifully big trophy on the 18th green.
Winner: Jake Knapp
No one played better on Sunday than Jake Knapp. His blistering 9-under 62 tied the low round of the day and vaulted him into a tie for 13th. It was too little to catch Koivun, but it was a timely reminder of just how explosive Knapp’s game can be when healthy. He pocketed $172k and change Sunday afternoon.
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama
While everyone focused on Koivun and Scheffler, Hideki quietly posted a superb 7-under 64 to climb into a tie for third. Vintage Hideki—steady, efficient and suddenly looking dangerous heading into the playoffs. Famous for once winning a tourney and flying Spirit Airlines home. We have a feeling he’s now stretching his feet either in first class or on his own private jet.
Winner: Scottie Scheffler
Yes, he finished second.
Yes, he still belongs on the winners list.
An 8-under 63 and final score of 22-under-par would’ve won most PGA TOUR events. However, this week it earned nearly a million dollars and a front-row seat to the arrival of golf’s newest star.
Loser: Michael Brennan
Brennan entered Sunday within shouting distance of the lead, but a disappointing 3-over 74 dropped him into a tie for 24th. He still picked up a respectable payday, but after putting himself in contention through three rounds, this one had to sting.
Loser: Troy Merritt
Playing in front of a hometown Minnesota crowd, Merritt had a chance to contend deep into Sunday. Instead, a 2-over 73 sent him sliding down the leaderboard. He still earned a six-figure check, but the final round didn’t match the first three days
Loser: Tony Finau
Sometimes the biggest losses happen on Friday.
Finau missed the cut in an event where he desperately needed FedExCup points to keep his playoff hopes alive. Instead of making a late-season charge, he’ll likely be watching the postseason from home.
2026 3M Open prize money payouts
| Pos. | Player | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | Jackson Koivun | -25 | $1,584,000 |
| 2 | Scottie Scheffler | -22 | $959,200 |
| T3 | Hideki Matsuyama | -20 | $429,550 |
| T3 | Brian Harman | -20 | $429,550 |
| T3 | Denny McCarthy | -20 | $429,550 |
| T3 | Chandler Phillips | -20 | $429,550 |
| T7 | Davis Thompson | -19 | $286,000 |
| T7 | Emiliano Grillo | -19 | $286,000 |
| 9 | Ben Kohles | -18 | $257,400 |
| T10 | Gary Woodland | -17 | $222,200 |
| T10 | Seamus Power | -17 | $222,200 |
| T10 | Michael Kim | -17 | $222,200 |
| T13 | Jake Knapp | -16 | $172,333 |
| T13 | Zac Blair | -16 | $172,333 |
| T13 | Billy Horschel | -16 | $172,333 |
| T16 | Patrick Fishburn | -15 | $138,600 |
| T16 | Zecheng Dou | -15 | $138,600 |
| T16 | Davis Chatfield | -15 | $138,600 |
| T16 | Kevin Yu | -15 | $138,600 |
| T20 | Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | -14 | $103,840 |
| T20 | Tom Kim | -14 | $103,840 |
| T20 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | -14 | $103,840 |
| T20 | Lee Hodges | -14 | $103,840 |
| T24 | John Parry | -13 | $70,086 |
| T24 | Kevin Streelman | -13 | $70,086 |
| T24 | Hank Lebioda | -13 | $70,086 |
| T24 | Kurt Kitayama | -13 | $70,086 |
| T24 | Austin Smotherman | -13 | $70,086 |
| T24 | Chandler Blanchet | -13 | $70,086 |
| T24 | Michael Brennan | -13 | $70,086 |
| T31 | Max Greyserman | -12 | $55,000 |
| T31 | Chris Kirk | -12 | $55,000 |
| T31 | Kevin Roy | -12 | $55,000 |
| T34 | Maverick McNealy | -11 | $45,848 |
| T34 | Muzzy Donohue | -11 | $45,848 |
| T34 | Joel Dahmen | -11 | $45,848 |
| T34 | Mark Hubbard | -11 | $45,848 |
| T34 | Vince Whaley | -11 | $45,848 |
| T39 | Pontus Nyholm | -10 | $36,520 |
| T39 | Jordan Smith | -10 | $36,520 |
| T39 | Corey Conners | -10 | $36,520 |
| T39 | John VanDerLaan | -10 | $36,520 |
| T39 | Troy Merritt | -10 | $36,520 |
| T44 | Matti Schmid | -9 | $26,413 |
| T44 | Mackenzie Hughes | -9 | $26,413 |
| T44 | Neal Shipley | -9 | $26,413 |
| T44 | Zach Bauchou | -9 | $26,413 |
| T44 | Ricky Castillo | -9 | $26,413 |
| T44 | Keith Mitchell | -9 | $26,413 |
| T44 | Jesper Svensson | -9 | $26,413 |
| T51 | Camilo Villegas | -8 | $21,428 |
| T51 | Jimmy Stanger | -8 | $21,428 |
| T51 | Kristoffer Ventura | -8 | $21,428 |
| T51 | Casey Jarvis | -8 | $21,428 |
| 55 | A.J. Ewart | -7 | $20,680 |
| 56 | Beau Hossler | -6 | $20,504 |
| T57 | Haotong Li | -5 | $20,152 |
| T57 | Austin Eckroat | -5 | $20,152 |
| T57 | Lucas Glover | -5 | $20,152 |
| T60 | Will Gordon | -4 | $19,712 |
| T60 | Sam Stevens | -4 | $19,712 |
| T62 | Rico Hoey | -3 | $19,360 |
| T62 | Trace Crowe | -3 | $19,360 |
| T64 | Lanto Griffin | -2 | $19,008 |
| T64 | Jeffrey Kang | -2 | $19,008 |
| 66 | Fabian Gomez | 1 | $18,744 |
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