Jackson Koivun arrived on the PGA Tour earlier this month with as much hype as any young player in recent memory. On Saturday, he showed why.
The 21-year-old former Auburn Tiger made two eagles and four birdies on the inward side to post 10-under 61 in the third round of the 2026 3M Open, which included a 28 on the back nine. He finished the day 20 under, three shots clear of a tie for second between Ben Kohles and Emiliano Grillo.
Koivun capped off one of the most decorated college careers in history this past Spring by helping lead Auburn to its second national title in three years. He was a three-time Golfweek First-Team All-American, a three-time SEC Player of the Year, a two-time Haskins Award winner and spent just over a year as the top-ranked
amateur in the world.
But the PGA Tour is a different ballgame, and it took a few loops for Koivun to get his feet under him. He missed the cut in his pro debut at the John Deere Classic but bounced back with a top-10 finish at the ISCO Championship the following week. Now, in just his third start as a pro, it seems Koivun is quite comfortable.
"I'm feeling great," Koivun said. "Excited, ready for tomorrow. It's going to be definitely a test tomorrow. I'm sure some of the pins will be tucked and we've got a lot of great players behind me, but just going to stick to my game plan and try to smile."
Koivun was just 1 under through 8 holes Saturday at TPC Twin Cities before finding his "flow state," making back-to-back birdies at Nos. 9 and 10 before pouring in an eagle at the 12th. After three more birdies on Nos. 13, 16 and 17, he stepped up to the tee on the par-5 18th with a two-shot advantage and walked off the green with a four-stroke lead after making eagle.
The job isn't done yet, though. Koivun will need to hold off several players who will likely be in hot pursuit, including Grillo (17 under), Kohles (17 under), Michael Kim (15 under), Billy Horschel (15 under) and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who surged up the leaderboard with a back-nine 29 on Saturday, finishing the day 14 under and in a tie for ninth.
"He's obviously the best in the world for a reason," Koivun said. "I'm sure he's going to go up there and put a good number and get in contention."
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jackson Koivun fires 28 on back nine Saturday, takes three-shot lead at 2026 3M Open
