Jackson Koivun’s celebration after his first PGA Tour victory required little more than a fishing rod and a quiet pond.
Rather than organize a party after winning the 3M Open on Sunday, the 21-year-old remained at TPC Twin Cities to go fishing after the biggest week of his young career.
“I heard really good things about the ponds on the golf course,” Koivun said before this week’s Rocket Classic. “A couple other players had gone in the previous days and I thought might as well decompress and do some fishing.”
The understated celebration followed a memorable finish. Koivun closed with a bogey-free 66 to reach a tournament-record 25-under 259, holding off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by three strokes in only his third start since turning professional.
The significance of the victory has started to settle in through a steady stream of congratulatory messages. Koivun heard from friends in California and several established professionals he admired while growing up, some of whom praised how he handled the pressure of the final round.
Koivun entered the professional ranks with immediate PGA Tour status after completing a decorated career at Auburn and qualifying through PGA Tour University Accelerated. He credited the program with creating clearer opportunities for elite college players to move directly onto the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour.
“PGA Tour U’s been great,” Koivun said. “It’s given a lot of guys a pathway to the PGA Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour, to kind of go out there and prove themselves. Just in the state of college golf right now it’s gotten very, very competitive, guys are getting better and better. Yeah, I think college guys are more and more ready to come out here and compete.”
The victory moved Koivun to No. 70 in the FedEx Cup standings with two regular-season events remaining. He said he will not change his approach, instead focusing on putting together eight solid rounds at the Rocket Classic and Wyndham Championship to secure a playoff berth.
