Blaine (USA), July 27 (IANS) Rookie Jackson Koivun held his nerve to secure his first PGA Tour title at the 3M Open in only his third start as a pro and held at bay the world’s top-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler.
Koivun won the 3M Open by three strokes, holding off Scheffler with a closing 5-under 66 for a tournament-record 25-under 259 total.
Indian-origin Sudarshan Yellamaraju missed the cut, while Hero-backed Akshay Bhatia and Sahith Theegala did not start this week.
“All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, ‘Scottie’s coming. Scottie’s coming,’” the 21-year-old Koivun said. “I just tried to tune that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could.”
Scheffler, who played five groups ahead of Koivun, surged into contention with a 63 but settled for his fifth runner-up finish this season. His lone win this year was in his first start at The American Express in California.
Four players, Hideki Matsuyama, Brian Harman, Chandler Phillips and Denny McCarthy, tied for third at 20 under.
Koivun played a safe and steady game on a hot afternoon at the TPC Twin Cities. He was bogey-free for the second straight day after a 61 in the third round gave him a three-shot cushion after 54 holes. His par-saving putt on the 9th green after his approach landed in the sand gave him a boost for the back nine. It was his biggest putt, he admitted.
Lee Hodges held the previous 3M Open record, finishing at 24-under 260 in 2023.
Koivun became the fourth rookie winner this season. He missed the cut at the John Deere Classic in Illinois and tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky earlier this month. He made 10 starts as an amateur in TOUR events.
He earned $1,584,000 for his win in Minnesota. Koivun also jumped 124 spots in the FedExCup into 70th, the last place above the cut for the Playoffs with two regular season events remaining on the schedule.
–IANS
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