PGA TOUR | 3M Open
Twenty-four days into his professional career, Titleist Brand Ambassador Jackson Koivun closed out his first PGA TOUR victory at the 3M Open with clinical ball-striking and total confidence, setting a new tournament scoring record at 25 under par.
- Koivun, playing a Pro V1 golf ball and 14 Titleist clubs, surged into the lead on Saturday with a 10-under 61, capped by the first back-nine 28 in tournament history, and never looked back.
- He played his final 42 holes without a bogey, posting rounds of 64-68-61-66 to win by three shots.
- “That’s what we train 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. Once you're finally in it, you’ve just got to keep your head down and commit to every single golf shot. Fortunately, it worked out for me today,” he said.
- The 21-year-old, in just his third start as a pro, led the field with over nine (+9.363) strokes gained on approach shots and an average Proximity of 27 feet, 8 inches (T1). (Every player in the top 10 of SG: Approach also played a Titleist golf ball.)
- Koivun hit 85% GIR (T3) and got up-and-down 82% of the time (4th), including each of his three attempts on Sunday.
- Koivun was also lights-out with his Scotty Cameron putter, gaining +6.395 shots (3rd) on the field with over 368 feet of putts made, including his final par putt from 13 feet, 9 inches Sunday to officially become a PGA TOUR champion.
What’s in the Bag? Jackson Koivun
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: GT2 8.0° | Fujikura Speeder 661 TR X
Fairway Metal: NEW GTS 3W 15.0° prototype | Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8 X
Utility Iron: T250 3-iron | Graphite Design Tour AD HY-95 X
Irons: T100 4-iron | True Temper Project X 6.5 and 620 MB prototype 5–9 | True Temper Project X 6.5
Wedges: Vokey Design SM11 46.10F, 50.08F, 54.08M, 60.04T | True Temper Project X 6.5 (46–50), 6.0 (54), IO 6.0 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R tour prototype
15 WINS FOR PRO V1, PRO V1x PLAYERS OVER LAST 15 WEEKS ON PGA TOUR
- Jackson Koivun, who has played a Pro V1 golf ball for most of his life, was one of the 80% of competitors who teed up a Titleist golf ball this week at the 3M Open, topping a leaderboard that featured 13 Pro V1 and Pro V1x players among the top 15 finishers.
- With Koivun’s win, Titleist golf ball players have now captured 15 wins over the last 15 weeks on the PGA TOUR (comprising 18 events dating back to April 19).
- Among those victories are two major championships and five PGA TOUR signature events:
JACKSON KOIVUN ON HIS PRO V1 GOLF BALL
- “To start, it feels great. I think it's the best feeling golf ball out there. I’ve always used a Pro V1 and loved the little softer feel it has, and I've never switched away from it. It's been old trusty for a long time now.”
- “When it comes to my irons, I kind of have two shots. I got my stock one and I got the flighted one to play the wind. Pro V1's always been the best golf ball to manage both of those and it’s been very successful with those flighted shots. And when you get in the wedges, those are so important too because you have to control that spin whether you’re going into softer or firmer greens, or depending on the wind. So Pro V1's always been perfect with that and I never have to think about the golf ball when I'm hitting a shot.”
- “Really my thing with chipping is feel and that’s why I love this golf ball for chipping. I’ve never liked a little harder feeling golf ball so this has been perfect for me. I think that kind of grippiness feel of the Pro V1 off the face just gives you a little more confidence.”
- “I think that the golf ball’s so good I don't have to think about it too much. Consistency is obviously the most important part of golf and I don't have to think about it. I just have full trust in it when I put it down.”
HOW JACKSON KOIVUN MARKS HIS TITLEIST
- “For a while now I've pretty religiously used a Titleist 1 in competition. Titleist 1 has been a big thing for me. I will never use a 4. I'll sometimes go to a 2 if needed, but that's all I do. Black line, no other markings, Titleist 1.”
- “I just do a plain black line on it. I line up pretty much every putt I hit. I'm pretty diligent with this process. This (an Ultra Fine Point) is the only Sharpie I'll use because it makes a pretty straight line. I like to fill in the line, make it as straight as I can. It almost matches the width of the line on my putter. So it lines up really nice visually. I've been doing this for a while now. I know it takes a little longer than some other guys, but I think it's worth it.
- “I mark the balls on the putting green before I putt. I've almost built it into my routine now. Takes about five minutes, mark three golf balls. It's a diligent process and I think it's a perfect line every time.”
KOIVUN WINS WITH GT2 DRIVER, NEW GTS 3W PROTOTYPE FAIRWAY
- Among Jackson Koivun's winning metalwood setup was his GT2 driver and NEW GTS 3W prototype fairway:
- GT2 8.0° | D•1 SureFit hosel | Fujikura Speeder 661 TR X
- NEW GTS 3W 15.0° prototype | A•1 SureFit hosel | Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8 X
- It’s the 13th win for Titleist driver players this season — more than any other brand — and the sixth in the last nine weeks:
- This week in Minnesota, the 21-year-old gained over two-and-a-half shots off the tee (+2.598), ranking 16th.
- He hit 79% fairways in regulation (T8), including 13 of 14 on Sunday, and his final birdie of the week came on the 301-yard drivable par-4 16th, where he found the putting surface off the tee for the second straight day.
- Koivun gamed the same GT2 8-degree driver in helping his Auburn Tigers to their second national championship in three years, but his 3-wood was a newer addition to the bag.
- Early in the week at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, his final start before turning professional, Koivun worked with the Titleist tour team to dial in a NEW GTS 3W prototype fairway.
- He immediately saw exceptionally consistent spin rates with improved directional control.
- His gamer 3-wood produced one of the shots of the tournament this week when he called on it to attack his 309-yard approach on the par-5 12th during Saturday’s third round.
- Koivun flushed it, his Pro V1 landing just before the front edge of the green and releasing out to 12 feet, 3 inches.
- He rolled it in for his first of two eagles on the side, coming home in 28 to post 61 and open up a three-shot lead heading into Sunday.
KOIVUN IS CLINICAL WITH BLENDED TITLEIST IRON SETUP
- Jackson Koivun put on a clinic with his approach play all week long, leading the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (+9.363) and finishing T1 in Proximity (27’ 8”).
- Koivun, who also hit 85% GIR (T3) over the 72 holes, is among the approximately 80% of Titleist PGA TOUR pros who play a blended set of multiple iron models:
- T250 3-iron | Graphite Design Tour AD HY-95 X
- T100 4-iron | True Temper Project X 6.5
- 620 MB prototype 5–9 irons | True Temper Project X 6.5
- “I've used blades forever now,” explained Koivun. “I just love the way they look, how they perform. They get my spin right. Some say they may be a little harder to hit, but I think it's worth it for the performance factor of it. And I love these things. You can shape them a little more... and I think that's so worth it to be able to use these things. I think I definitely have a creativity factor. I try to hit the ball pretty straight, but if I need to, I can take out one of these things and hit any shot I need to.”
- After his 620 MB prototype 5-iron, Koivun moves to T100, which unlocks more forgiveness and confidence from distance:
- “I'd been playing a [620] CB 4, but I was just trying to get a little more extra loft on it. It's been nothing but good to me. Very versatile. Get a little more height on it. It's been great. It looks great. It's definitely a little bigger head. The top line's just as thin, but I've got no problem looking down on this and being confident. Obviously a blade's going to be a little smaller, a little harder to hit, but being from 230 yards and knowing you got a little bigger face behind it, it's always good.”
- Similarly, Koivun’s T250 utility 3-iron affords him tremendous versatility and forgiveness, both off the tee and into greens:
- “I think just having that forgiveness from being so far away. I mean, if you're 250 out, you're just trying to hit the green. Obviously you want to be precise, but you’re gaining more swing speed the higher up you go. I mean, and the ball's going to start going a little more offline. And I think having that little extra forgiveness is just kind of like a little blanket of comfort to be able to execute the shot.”
KOIVUN WINS WITH FOUR VOKEY SM11 WEDGES IN THE BAG
- Also in the bag for the former top-ranked amateur were four Vokey SM11 wedges:
- Vokey Design SM11 46.10F, 50.08F, 54.08M (@ 55°), 60.04T wedges | True Temper Project X 6.5 (46°–50°), 6.0 (54°), IO 6.0 (60°)
- Koivun ranked fourth in Scrambling this week, getting up-and-down for par at an 82% clip after converting nine of 11 attempts — including a perfect two-for-two from the sand.
- His wedges also shined with his approach play, as he opened Sunday with a dart from 101 yards to tap-in range for his first birdie of the day.
KOIVUN ROLLING IN 2nd START WITH PHANTOM 9.5R PUTTER
- Gaming his Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R tour prototype putter, Jackson Koivun rolled in his 13-foot, 9-inch par putt on the last to put the finishing touches on a three-shot win and an outstanding putting performance.
- The newly minted pro gained +6.395 shots (3rd) on the field with the flatstick while averaging 92 feet of putts made per round (T9).
- Said Koivun: “I’ve used a lot of different putters in my time and I love the Phantom because it's obviously got the shape and the forgiveness of a mallet, but the way it strokes and feels, it feels like a blade with the way the weighting is set. And I think especially with short putts, mallets are the way to go. A little biased, but they have a lot of forgiveness with speed control and line control.”
- Koivun made several clutch putts on Sunday to maintain his advantage on the field, including a 14-foot, 6-inch par save on the ninth hole.
- “I think the putt on 9 might be the biggest putt I made all week,” he said. “Scoreboard was right there and I saw exactly how I stood. 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, just helped me keep it rolling on the back nine.”
- This week was just his second start with his new gamer, having first put it in play at the ISCO Championship.
- Early that week, Koivun approached Scotty Cameron tour rep Drew Page looking to test some new options on the greens.
- According to Page, it was clear that Koivun could benefit from more toe flow.
- The first build they tested was the 9.5R — the same setup gamed by Cameron Young and Justin Thomas — which offered a familiar head shape to Koivun, having previously played a Phantom 9R in college.
- Straight away, the 9.5R checked all the boxes for Koivun, immediately delivering more consistent start lines.
- "There was no reason to test any other models,” said Page on the session.
- That week, Koivun finished T10 while gaining over two-and-a-half shots on the greens.
- Four competitive rounds later, he’s a PGA TOUR winner for the first time.
AMATEUR | U.S. Junior Amateur Championship
Gaming his Pro V1 golf ball and equipment setup that included his GT driver and fairway, T-Series irons and Vokey Design wedges, the winner of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship cruised to a 6-and-5 victory in the 36-hole final.
- The champion made six birdies in the morning 18 to take a 1-up lead into the break before carding seven more birdies in the afternoon to secure the title.
- The victory earns him exemptions into next month’s U.S. Amateur and the 2027 U.S. Open.
- Overall, 207 players out of 264 (78%) teed up a Titleist golf ball at Saucon Valley, including seven of the eight quarterfinalists.
- Titleist was also the most played driver (46%), iron (44%) and wedge (57%).
What’s in the Bag? U.S. Junior Amateur Champion
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: GT3 8.0°
Fairway Metal: GT1 15.0°
Utility Iron: T250•U 2
Irons: T150 4–5 and T100 6–PW
Wedges: Vokey Design SM10 50°, 54°, 58°
KORN FERRY TOUR | Evans Scholar Invitational
Gaming a Pro V1 golf ball and Scotty Cameron putter, the Evans Scholar Invitational champion won by three shots to clinch his first Korn Ferry Tour victory in just his fourth career start.
- He closed in style Sunday with an 8-under 63 that featured six birdies and an eagle.
- The champion was in complete control of his Pro V1 golf ball all week long, leading the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (+14.248) while recording 29 birdies (T1) and surrendering only two bogeys (T1).
- He carded four rounds of 65 or lower (65-63-64-63) for the week.
- The winner navigated the Glen Club’s greens expertly with his Scotty Cameron Mid Sur putter, gaining +5.712 shots (4th) while rolling in over 342 feet of putts over the four rounds.
- The champion led a 1-2 finish for Titleist golf ball players. In total, 126 competitors teed up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball (81%), nine times the nearest competitor (14).
PGA TOUR AMERICAS | Osprey Valley Open
Etienne Papineau (Pro V1) made par on the second playoff hole to capture his second career PGA TOUR-sanctioned title in Canada.
- Papineau posted rounds of 70-64-63-64 over four days at TPC Toronto, birdieing three of his final six holes Sunday to force a playoff.
- His week was highlighted by a flawless 7-under 63 on Saturday that included two eagles and three birdies.
AMATEUR | Pacific Coast Amateur
Gaming his Pro V1 golf ball and equipment setup that included his NEW GTS3 driver and GTS2 fairways, T-Series and 620 CB irons and NEW Vokey SM11 wedges, the champion closed in 1-under 69 to clinch a two-shot win and capture back-to-back Pacific Coast Amateur titles.
- His week was highlighted by a 7-under 63 in round 1 that included 7 birdies.
- The champion tallied 20 birdies over rounds of 63-71-65-69 in Northern California.
- Overall, 95 players at Poppy Ridge this week teed up a Titleist golf ball (88%), including nine of the top 10 players on the final leaderboard.
- Titleist was also the most played driver (39%), fairway (41%), iron (55%) and wedge (61%).
What’s in the Bag? Pacific Coast Amateur Champion
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Yellow
Driver: NEW GTS3 8.0°
Fairway Metal: NEW GTS2 15.0°, 18.0°
Irons: T100 4–5 and 620 CB 6–9
Wedges: Vokey Design SM11 50°, 56°, 60°
...
#TeamTitleist