In this episode of Malaska Golf News, Mike Malaska examines Jackson Koivun’s breakthrough victory at the 2026 3M Open and the swing characteristics and mental toughness that allowed him to hold off Scottie Scheffler.
Koivun entered professional golf with a reputation as one of the finest putters in college. In only his third start as a professional, he carried a lead into Sunday and closed with a bogey-free 66—even as the world’s top-ranked player charged from behind.
Mike sees Koivun’s performance as the product of a natural, functional motion developed over many years. In the backswing, Koivun keeps the club outside his hands while the clubface continues looking toward the ball. When he changes direction, the club’s momentum naturally shifts its arc and brings it down slightly from the inside.
Koivun also uses what golf commonly calls a strong grip. Mike explains that it is not excessively strong—it is simply matched to how Koivun’s arms, hands and clubface work together. As his lead side moves out of the way, the clubface returns close to square by waist high and rotates very little through impact.
The same directional control appears in Koivun’s putting stroke. His index finger extends down the shaft, which Mike describes as a directional-control finger. Although the putter travels on a slight arc, the face remains square to that arc.
One of Koivun’s greatest strengths is his predictable ball flight. He consistently draws every club, from his wedges through his driver. Because he understands how the ball will start and curve, he can play freely without trying to manufacture a different motion for every shot.
Under pressure, Koivun does not appear to be chasing positions. He creates a motion and reproduces the familiar feel of his swing. That distinction is central to the M-System: golfers perform more consistently when they understand their motion instead of trying to assemble a collection of positions.
Mike sees strong parallels between Koivun’s natural swing and the motion Mike developed as a young player. He also understands the danger of trying to improve a functional swing simply because something about it looks unconventional. His hope is that Koivun continues working with the coach who has known his game since childhood and avoids having his natural strengths dramatically “fixed.”
Koivun does have one unusual movement. His pelvis opens so rapidly during the downswing that it briefly stops, reverses direction and then continues rotating. Mike has seen a similar action in Rory McIlroy’s swing. It demands tremendous flexibility and timing, but it functions as part of Koivun’s complete motion.
The most impressive part of Koivun’s victory, however, was his mindset. He writes three words on his glove: “Confidence. Trust. Dominate.” For Koivun, dominating does not simply mean defeating another player. It means playing as well as he can and producing the lowest score possible.
Even with Scheffler closing behind him, Koivun remained in the moment and trusted the motion he had developed over years of repetition. His mishit tee shot on the 18th hole was also a valuable reminder: even the world’s best players can hit poor shots under pressure. What matters is how they respond.
Koivun’s victory reinforces a central principle of the M-System: build a motion that works naturally, develop a predictable ball flight and trust it when the pressure is greatest.
“He’s just copying the feel of his swing. He’s not trying to hit positions.”
— Mike Malaska
What You’ll Learn in This Video:
Why Jackson Koivun’s swing performs under pressure
How his backswing helps the club naturally approach from the inside
Why his grip matches the way he controls the clubface
How his finger position supports directional control while putting
Why a predictable ball flight creates confidence
The difference between creating a motion and chasing positions
Why golfers should protect the natural elements that already work
What makes Koivun’s hip movement unusual
How confidence, trust and commitment support performance under pressure