Jack Nicklaus has message for Koivun after PGA | Golf News

Jack Nicklaus showered Jackson Koivun with acclaim after the rising star secured his maiden PGA Tour victory without delay.

On Sunday, Koivun clinched the 3M Open championship after recording a flawless 66 in the ultimate spherical at TPC Twin Cities. The exceptional efficiency introduced him to 25-under for the match, three strokes clear of World No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

Before the 3M Open, Koivun – who turned skilled earlier this month – had amassed just $93,000 throughout his budding PGA Tour profession. His earnings have now multiplied 17-fold, with the 21-year-old pocketing $1.548 million in prize money for his maiden triumph, although he misplaced a big chunk of prize money from first PGA Tour win

Taking to social media, Nicklaus acknowledged that Koivun’s speedy ascent on the PGA Tour caught him off guard. “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 suggests Jackson-just 21 years previous and making his third start as a pro-has to shoot in the 60s to win the golf match.

“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.”

While Koivun claimed his first skilled triumph on the PGA Tour in just his third start, Nicklaus required 17 makes an attempt to seize victory at the skilled degree, having crushed Arnold Palmer in the 1962 US Open.

“I’m very happy for Jackson-our latest Bear’s Club member and winner,” Nicklaus added. “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!”.

After a stellar three-year tenure at Auburn, Koivun opted to forgo his senior season and earned his PGA Tour card through the college accelerated program, surpassing the 20-point benchmark with a top-10 end at the 2025 NCAA Championship.

“It’s gone by quick, it’s crazy,” he said, reflecting on his path to this level. “It feels like yesterday we won the National Championship at Auburn. And it’s crazy how fast time flies.

“I do know the PGA Tour is difficult and it’s totally aggressive. And thankfully enough, I used to be ready to get fairly a few sponsor exemptions last summer time to form of get acquainted with the sensation of enjoying 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.”