Jackson Koivun, the 21-year-old golf phenom who won the P.G.A. Tour’s 3M Open last week in Minneapolis — just 24 days after forgoing his final year at Auburn University — is one very cool cucumber.
He also picked up an equally cool $1.6 million paycheck, as he held off Scottie Scheffler, the number-one ranked golfer in the world, in the final round. Not bad, eh?
I watched Koivun and his unorthodox yet successful golf swing while he was on the driving range at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June. It was his final tournament as an amateur.
Koivun seamlessly fit right in, taking his swings next to Rory McIlroy, the winner of six majors and 30 P.G.A. Tour events. He did not look out of place at all. Koivun ultimately finished a very impressive 23rd.
What also struck me were the three inspirational words he writes on his golf glove: “Confidence,” “Trust,” and “Dominate.” Looks like he already has those attributes for lengthy success on the links.
He should also probably add the word “Calm” to that glove, however. At the conclusion of the press conference after his victory, a reporter asked Koivun how he planned to celebrate, to which he responded, “Not quite sure yet, but I’m sure we’ll find something to do.” And he did just that.
Koivun loves to fish in his spare time. And shortly after his presser and skipping a typical celebration, he walked quietly by himself as the sun was setting to the lake that fronts the 18th green.
In his hand was a rod and reel. Koivun calmly began to cast a lure, trying to entice a fish or two. It was certainly a unique post-win celebration.
He spent over 30 minutes by himself as darkness grew. He was not even dissuaded by a nearby sign that said fishing was not permitted. I doubt the authorities were called to hand out a ticket or check him for a fishing license. And no, he did not catch a fish.
Koivun will likely return to our area again when the U.S. Golf Open returns to Shinnecock in 2036. If he sees this, there’s an open invitation for him to go fishing on Rock Water with me.
If Koivun was here now, he’d certainly enjoy the great porgy bite that’s going on. I took Rock Water out on a beautiful Friday morning, and the fishing was again fantastic near the Cedar Island Lighthouse.
I fished for only about an hour, but that’s all that was required to secure a few dinners. The size of the fish was impressive too, reaching upward of three pounds. Skimmer clams were the bait of choice.
Over at Tight Lines Bait and Tackle in Southampton and at 53 Bay Street in Sag Harbor, Ken Morse confirmed the excellent porgy bite.
“The porgies finally showed up in the Peconics after a dismal spring season,” he said. “It’s as good as it gets, and some really big ones are in the mix too.”
Otherwise, Morse noted that fishing has entered full summer mode. “Catching keeper fluke has been a challenge, but there are many shorts around. Striped bass have slowed down and the tuna bite has been erratic. Still, a few bluefin’s have been taken on jigs as close as three miles from shore.”
Offshore, where larger fish lurk, the action has been good, but a bit inconsistent at times.
“It’s been an incredibly busy summer on the water, and the offshore scene has delivered plenty of memorable days,” said Jeff Ragovin of Bounty Uncharted out of Montauk. The hard-core fisherman chronicles his ocean-to-table adventures with some truly amazing footage and aerial cinematography that can be viewed at bountyuncharted.com.
“The canyons have been the real standout, producing excellent yellowfin tuna action, along with some impressive bigeyes and bluefins,” he said. “When the weather windows have opened up, the long runs have been well worth it, with consistent opportunities and plenty of life offshore.”
Ragovin added that closer to home, the mid-shore bite is just beginning to heat up. “Giant bluefin have started making appearances, along with a ton of sharks. Mako and brown sharks feel as if they are everywhere these days, and recreational-size bluefin have been showing sporadically throughout many of the usual haunts.”
“Perhaps most impressive has been the sheer amount of life on the mid-shore grounds,” he added. “Massive schools of sand eels have filled the water column, attracting finback, minke, and humpback whales, along with large pods of dolphins. On certain days, there is so much activity surrounding the boat that it feels less like a fishing trip and more like filming an episode of National Geographic. . . . It’s been an extraordinary summer so far, and the best may still be ahead.”
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