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Auburn Alum Jackson Koivun Wins First PGA Tour Event, Breaks Tournament Record in Third Start

The three-time SEC champion and two-time national champion didn't take long to win his first event on the PGA Tour this past weekend.
Griffin Barfield|
Jackson Koivun won his first professional tournament after his time at Auburn during the 2026 3M Open in Minnesota.
Jackson Koivun won his first professional tournament after his time at Auburn during the 2026 3M Open in Minnesota. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nearly two months ago, Auburn golfer Jackson Koivun hoisted a national championship with the men’s golf team, his second in three years. On Sunday, the 21-year-old lifted his first trophy from the PGA Tour. 

Koivun took home his first victory as a professional at the 3M Open at the TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, finishing 25-under, setting the tournament record with 259. To break that record, he hit a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole of his final round.

“It’s gone by quick,” Koivun said after the event. “It’s crazy. It feels like yesterday we won the national championship at Auburn, and it’s crazy how fast time flies.”

The Auburn standout carded a 61 in the third round to move into first place going into Sunday. He also had to fend off the likes of plenty of superstars in the sport who have lifted majors in the past. Behind him were world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and former The Open winner Brian Harman. 

“I mean, it was a great field this week regardless,” Koivun said. ‘Obviously, having the world No. 1 in the field just makes it even sweeter.”

Those who watched Koivun shine at Auburn knew it was only a matter of time before he made his mark on Tour. He only played three years on the Plains, but he took home hardware with each season. 

He won an individual SEC championship in his trio of seasons, taking home the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus awards twice, being the first collegiate player to take home player of the year honors twice. 

Koivun took some of that championship experience at the college level to help him pick up his first professional win. He needed it especially with Scheffler, who used a score of 63 to put pressure on the 21-year-old down the stretch. 

But he didn’t look at it as a threat, saying, “that’s what we train for.”

“Even through college, you want to be leading a PGA Tour event, and that’s what you train for, you work for, and once you’re finally in it, you just got to keep your head down and commit to every single golf shot,” Koivun said, “and fortunately worked out for me today.”

The rookie went the last 42 holes without a bogey at TPC Twin Cities to help take home the award, making plenty of par saves over the course of his last two rounds to keep that streak alive. Koivun also had an Auburn golf yardage book in his back pocket, one with the letters of “WDE”.

And it will be only the start for one of the winningest college golfers in modern history, who ended the tournament with a fist pump in the air when he saw his 18th hole putt drop.

“It never really feels like you’re going to win until you make the putt,” Koivun said, “and that’s kind of when all the emotions come crashing down on you, and I think I did a really good job this week of staying levelheaded.”

“But, I felt like that was an appropriate time to show some emotions.”

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Griffin Barfield
GRIFFIN BARFIELD

Griffin is a communications major who was the Sports Editor for The Tiger at Clemson University. He led a team of 20+ reporters after working his way up through the ranks as a staff writer, sideline reporter, and assistant sports editor.

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