Jackson Koivun wins 3M Open in third PGA Tour start

All right, everybody. We'd like to welcome our 2026 3M Open champion, Jackson Coyvan, into the interview room here. Jackson, congratulations. What an exciting tournament. You win your first PGA Tour event and your third professional start. Just what are your emotions right now dealing with all the things that go with winning? I'm just trying to soak it all in. Fully hasn't set in yet, but I'm sure it'll come any second here. What was it like being out there playing? You started with a lead, but you were being pressured by three major champions out there, particularly Scotty's Chef of the World, number one. What was it like for you to be in that situation? And how did you manage that and keep your nose in front? Yeah, I mean, that's what we trained for. That's the position we all strive to be in. Even through college, it's like 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. And fortunately, it worked out for me today. You do train for it. You've been training a long time, but is it still a little surreal to think that just a month or a month and a half ago, you were an amateur and now you're a PGA Tour winner? It's happened pretty quickly. It's gone by quick. It's crazy. It feels like yesterday, we won the National Championship at Auburn, and it's crazy how fast time flies. Yeah. If you have any questions, please raise your hand and we'll get you a microphone, and we'll start right here. Wait for the mic. Go ahead. So you had that clutch par save on hole nine after hitting it in the back bunker. How did that par putt that you made on hole nine, how did you feel that adrenaline and that momentum? And how did that adrenaline help you to the back nine to eventually close this thing out today? Yeah, I think the putt on nine might be the biggest putt I made all week. Scoreboard was right there, and I saw exactly how I stood, and if I missed that, then I only had a two-shot lead, where last time I checked, I had a five-shot lead. So making that was huge for my momentum and just helped me keep it rolling on the back nine. Jackson, on 18, this is probably the first time I've seen you express emotion in the four days you've been here. We talked about how you've been poised and calm and collected and relaxed. What was it like when you made that putt, when you made the putt, and reality set in that you were the champion? Yeah, 18, I had quite a few nerves and just kind of got it down there. And then I knew where I stood and what I had to do to secure the win. But it never really feels like you're going to win until you make the putt, 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 level-headed, but I felt like that was an appropriate time to show some emotions. Did you have those nerves prior to 18, or you just did a better job of kind of keeping everything in? Or did they really just kind of arrive when you got to that finishing hole? I started to feel a little bit of nerves, maybe on 15 or 16, because I started setting in that, OK, you can definitely do this, and you got some tough holes coming down the stretch. But I hadn't particularly played 18 well, except for yesterday, and hadn't hit the best drives. I didn't really hit the best drive of the day, but it worked out. So I think once I got over that drive on 18 and got it down there in the fairway, we definitely felt a little less pressure. You went pro one month ago. Did you expect to be so competitive so quickly coming into the Tour? Yeah. I mean, I know the PGA Tour is hard, and it's very competitive. And fortunately enough, I was able to get quite a few sponsors' exemptions last summer to kind of get acquainted with the feeling of playing on the PGA Tour. So these last three events have been definitely a little bit of a wake-up call, getting back into the swing of things on the PGA Tour. But I'm just excited with the way I played this week. And playing with Scottie against Scottie, does it make it more significant for you to have this win, and knowing there was some real competition there? There's a lot, but... For sure. I mean, it was a great field this week regardless. And obviously having the world number one in the field just makes it even sweeter. Yeah. Scottie told us yesterday that when he was younger coming up, he asked a lot of older guys for advice. Did you ask... Do you ask the other players for tips or tricks, or do you just hone in? Yeah. There's definitely a couple of guys I lean on out here on Tour that are the veterans, and I feel like I can call them and pick their brain whenever I need to. But they're definitely super helpful and nice. Yeah. Jackson, 7, you missed... It was your first fairway you missed, I think it was the first green you missed. Take me through the shot out of the bunker and that little delicate chip you had to make behind the green on 7. Yeah. I was just a little uncomfortable over that tee shot for some reason, and I thought I hit a really good shot out of the bunker. It actually kind of popped into that rough, but definitely wasn't trying to be that aggressive with the line. I'm just trying to leave it out there 20 feet right. But when it landed, I thought it was perfect, and then I get up there, and it's... Like you said, it's a soft, delicate chip, and I played pretty much perfect golf from there on. There was a little bit of adversity I faced, and I was able to kind of overcome that. I asked a couple people close to you today what your best trait is as a golfer. What would you say the answer is? My best trait? I would say my mentality. I feel like I've gotten a lot better over the past couple years of being able to beat guys with my mentality. Sometimes, you know, I watch guys hit on the range, and I don't feel like I'm the most talented out there, but if I can go out there and believe and use my brain to my advantage, then that's definitely kind of like a super power. Jackson, what do you think you're going to remember the most from this weekend? Just speak up a little bit. Yeah, yeah. What do you think you're going to remember the most from this whole weekend, like down the road? Remember most of this week? I'll be forever indebted to the 3M Open for helping me get my first PGA Tour win. So you talked earlier about how the putt on nine was the biggest putt that you've made all week. How would you compare the shot from 12 yesterday to the putt that you made on nine today, and how do those two shots signify your week? Yeah, I mean, those two were probably two of the best shots I hit this week for sure. Just different situations, because the one on 12 I hit yesterday, I knew I was playing well and attacking, and it kind of was the perfect off shot to keep the train rolling, whereas the putt on nine today was huge for momentum, because those are the ones that keep the train on the tracks. Kind of on that same line, that shot, your approach into 12 yesterday and your approach into 18, how are they different, and how did you hit them so well, and what did you see on each of those yesterday? Yeah, I mean, the one on 12, I kind of just told myself I'm going to swing as hard as I can. I didn't quite think I could carry that bunker, but from the broadcast, I guess I barely did, and it just trickled up there nicely, and that just kind of started a birdie train. That one into 18, I knew I was hitting the ball really well. I'd hit some really good shots and just really committed to a good line and executed a great shot to leave myself a nice look at Eagle. And from all your starts in amateur and all your starts in college, your dad's been with you on your journey. What's your relationship like with your dad, and how special is that to now have him here with you, and how do you contextualize being in college and seeing him, seeing he watch you play as an amateur, and now you're a tour winner? Yeah, I mean, I've got so much thanks for my parents for everything they've done for me, and over these 21 years, I really wish my mom could be here today, but she's still back in North Carolina, and I'm sure I'll see her soon. I think she's coming next week, but having my dad there and giving him a hug at the end of the day was probably the best feeling. Right after you gave your dad a hug, your mom was on FaceTime. What did she say to you, and what did you say to her? She was crying. I was trying to make out a little bit what she said, but she just kept saying how proud she was, and those two are just, they're my rocks. Did you ever consider, when you got to 18T, having a different strategy there, maybe perhaps hitting something different from the T than what you did? We talked about it a little bit, but I hadn't missed a fairway with Driver all day. I'd been hitting it really well, and looking back, I mean, I probably could have hit three iron, but he told me I was going to make par. I don't really care how it looked. The win obviously gives you a two-year exemption, and it sets you up for the next few seasons, but you just moved to number 70 in the FedExCup standings, which is an important number. The top 70 reach the playoffs, which is just in two weeks. What's your plans the next couple of weeks headed into the playoffs? Yeah, I'm going to try to cherish this tonight, and then mental reset, heading over to the Rocket Classic tomorrow, and playing the Women's Championship, so there's still work to do to hopefully make that FedExCup. All right. Do we have anything further? I just want to ask you, before you go, how did you sleep last night, having the lead? It's a pretty, one of the first times you've been in that situation in a PGA Tour event. I actually slept well. My heart rate was definitely up for a little bit, but I slept all the way through. I wasn't too nervous, and I just tried to take my mind off it. And how will you celebrate this evening, or the next week, perhaps? Not quite sure yet, but I'm sure we'll find something to do. Well, Jackson, the 3M Opens are very proud to have you as their champions, your first PGA Tour victory, as we said, and congratulations. Enjoy it. Thank you.