21-year-old budding star Jackson Koivun cruised to victory at the 3M Open over the weekend, stunning even the most famed in the golf world, including Jack Nicklaus.
After Koivun’s record-setting first win on the pro tour, Nicklaus penned a message on social media.
“We certainly knew Jackson Koivun was going to make an impression on the @pgatour, but we didn’t know how soon. And not sure we thought this soon!” Nicklaus wrote. “What @jackson_koivun did this week at the @3mopen was simply a great performance. To also have world No. 1 @scottie.scheffler, who starts the day 6 shots back, shoot 63, well, it didn’t even faze Jackson. Scottie shoots 63, which means Jackson—just 21 years old and making his third start as a pro—has to shoot in the 60s to win the golf tournament. And he did! He shoots 65 and wins by 3! That’s pretty darn good for a young guy and pretty good for the game of golf. It’s refreshing to see the young guys come along. I love to see the new blood come in and enjoy success.
“I’m very happy for Jackson—our latest Bear’s Club member and winner! Jackson, you had a great college career (2 @ncaa team titles at @auburnmgolf, 2 Jack Nicklaus Awards) and great amateur career (tied low am at 2026 @usopengolf), and, now, this is just the start of what should be a terrific pro career. Congrats on your first TOUR win, and we wish you well!” Nicklaus continued.
It took Koivun a mere 24 days as a pro to claim his first career win at TPC Twin Cities, where he shot 25-under on the week, a tournament scoring record. It was his third PGA Tour start as a pro. Nicklaus himself took 17 tries to win as a pro, when he defeated Arnold Palmer in the 1962 US Open.
