Scottie Scheffler quickly shook off the disappointment of his recent putting woes at The Open, delivering a commanding six‑under‑par 65 in his first round back on the PGA Tour at the 3M Open in Minnesota. The four‑time major winner, who had been haunted by missed putts during the British major, opened his round just a few shots behind the overnight leader, Ben Kohles, who posted a dazzling 62 after an eagle on the final hole.
Scheffler’s score placed him three strokes back of Kohles and level with several other contenders, including Emiliano Grillo, Jackson Koivur, and Gary Woodland, who were all sitting at seven under par after the first day. The world‑number‑one entered the tournament with a sense of urgency after a tied‑fourth finish at Royal Birkdale the previous weekend.
He started his round on the back nine of TPC Twin Cities, a course that blends classic links‑style challenges with the more manicured conditions of a modern American layout. Although Scheffler’s start was a touch tentative by his own lofty standards, he managed to carve out a birdie on the 12th hole and followed it up with another on the 18th, even though his approach shot missed the green on the latter. Those early birdies gave him a foothold and set the tone for the rest of his round.
From the 1st tee onward, Scheffler began to find a rhythm. He sank a birdie on the opening hole despite missing the green, then added more birdies on the 4th, 6th, and 7th holes.
While he fell short of an eagle on the 6th and missed a 15‑foot birdie putt on the 14th, his overall putting performance was markedly better than the previous week. In fact, his flat‑stick statistics on Thursday placed him second in the field for strokes‑gained putting, a clear indicator that he had adjusted his technique and confidence on the greens.
"Fresh greens are a little bit easier than links greens," Scheffler explained after his round. "Part of playing links golf is the ball's not going to roll true every single time." He went on to describe the mental shift he made after the Open: "I felt like I was just on the wrong end of that last week.
I got here and made sure I was lined up where I thought it was and made sure I was hitting it on that line and that was about it." Scheffler also admitted that predicting a good putting day is a tricky business. "Golf's funny.
Some days you're hitting your lines and the line seems to be tracking toward the hole and other days it feels like you're doing the same thing and it kind of goes around the hole. But today was a day in which I was able to hole some nice putts and that's why I was able to make some birdies out there," he said.
The round also featured a strong showing from England’s Jordan Smith, who returned to the PGA Tour after a solid tied‑18th finish at Royal Birkdale. Smith’s start was rocky; a three‑putt on the fifth hole resulted in a bogey, which he quickly erased with a birdie on the sixth. However, a wayward tee shot on the seventh landed in a water hazard, costing him a double‑bogey.
Undeterred, Smith rebounded on the back nine, stringing together birdies on the 13th and 17th holes to finish the day at even par. Overall, the first day of the 3M Open set the stage for an exciting tournament.
With Kohles leading at 62, a tightly packed leaderboard, and Scheffler demonstrating that he can overcome a brief slump in his putting, fans can anticipate a competitive battle over the next three rounds. The event will continue to be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf, with streaming options available for viewers who prefer to watch without a contract. As the field progresses, the interplay between the fresh, receptive greens of Minnesota and the traditional links‑style challenges will test the adaptability and skill of the world’s best golfers, making the 3M Open a compelling watch for golf enthusiasts worldwide.