Jackson Koivun Beats Scottie Scheffler to Win the 3M Open in His Third Pro Start

The kid did it. One day after we wrote about Jackson Koivun's record 61 setting up a Sunday showdown with Scottie Scheffler, the 21-year-old rookie closed the deal. Koivun shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 on Sunday to win the 3M Open by three shots, finishing at a tournament-record 25-under 259 at TPC Twin Cities. This was his third start as a professional. Third. Scottie Came Charging, and It Didn't Matter Scheffler started the final round six shots back and did exactly what the world No. 1 does. He fired a 63, surged up the board, and put real pressure on a rookie playing five groups behind him. Koivun heard all of it. "All throughout the crowd I kept hearing, 'Scottie's coming. Scottie's coming,'" he said afterward. "I just tried to tune that out and keep playing the golf I knew I could." The moment that decided it wasn't a birdie. It was a par save on the 9th after Koivun's approach found the sand. He called it maybe the biggest putt he made all week, and the scoreboard math backs him up. Make it, and he keeps his cushion. Miss it, and the lead shrinks to two with Scheffler rolling. Koivun made it, then birdied 16 while Scheffler was already doing his runner-up interview. Scheffler now has five runner-up finishes this season against just one win, back in January at The American Express. That's a wild stat for the best player in the world, and it matters for how you price him going forward. What This Means for Bettors Koivun's win pays off a few things we've been tracking all weekend. He broke Lee Hodges' 2023 tournament scoring record of 24-under 260. He became the fourth rookie to win on Tour this season, which tells you how fast the college-to-contender pipeline is moving. And the $1,584,000 winner's check came with a 124-spot jump in the FedEx Cup standings, moving him to 70th. That's the final playoff spot with two regular-season events left, so he went from fringe roster name to playoff bubble story in one week. Here's the forward-looking angle. Rookies with elite college pedigrees keep outperforming their odds. Koivun set the NCAA career scoring average record (68.89) and led Auburn to a national championship last month, and books were still treating Scheffler as a near-lock once he got within range on Sunday. Live bettors who trusted the leader instead of the name got paid. SBA Takeaway Sundays like this are why you don't blindly hammer the favorite in live golf markets. Scheffler was brilliant and it still wasn't enough, because a three-shot 54-hole lead held by a bogey-free player is a real asset, not a formality. Keep Koivun on your radar for the playoffs. Young winners with his ball-striking profile tend to get underpriced for at least a few more starts before the market catches up. --- Related reading: - Jackson Koivun's Record 61 Sets Up a Sunday Showdown With Scheffler - Michael Kim Shoots a 59 at the 3M Open and Flips the Whole Board - Ryan Fox Stuns Royal Birkdale With Clutch 18th Hole Birdie to Win The Open