Michael Kim delivered a remarkable performance at the 3M Open on Friday, posting a 12‑under‑par 59, which marks only the 16th sub‑60 round ever recorded on the PGA Tour. The 33‑year‑old American surged to the top of the leaderboard after a flawless front nine, stringing together a run of birdies from the third through the seventh holes. He capped his round with a strong finish, carding four under par over his final four holes to finish at 14‑under for the tournament and establish a three‑stroke lead after two rounds. Kim's round was defined by an extraordinary putting display.
He sank eight putts from ten feet or farther, a statistic that underscores how hot his short game was on Friday. The climax came on the 18th hole, where he holed a dramatic 24‑foot birdie putt to seal his historic score. While the 2026 season has already seen five players shoot 60 – Blades Brown, Wyndham Clark, Si Woo Kim, Andrew Putnam and Scottie Scheffler – Kim’s 59 moves him into a tie for second‑best 18‑hole total in PGA Tour history, trailing only Jim Furyk’s 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
The American’s achievement comes on the heels of his lone PGA Tour victory at the 2018 John Deere Classic, and he expressed a mixture of pride and humility after the round. "I putted awesome," Kim said. "I feel that I got just about everything I could out of that round. Some shots I wasn't super‑confident on, but that's golf.
I was happy I got away with par on 13. Other parts of my game, like my putting, felt fantastic.
When you hit a putt and it does exactly what you envisioned, it's an amazing feeling. It felt like that all day out there." Kim also reflected on the broader context of his performance. His previous best round on tour came at the 2023 Wyndham Championship, so breaking that barrier was "pretty cool" for him.
Yet he cautioned against getting complacent, noting the need to stay grounded as the tournament progresses. "It will be important for me not to compare tomorrow to today's round, even if I start poorly or just okay.
I don’t want to be disappointed if I’m not playing as well as I did today. There's a long way to go and that guy named Scottie Scheffler is probably going to throw up a good score today anyway.
I'm nowhere near done," Kim added. Behind Kim, a trio of players shared second place. Ben Kohles, who entered the day with a two‑stroke lead, shot a 69 and fell into a tie with Chandler Phillips (65) and Emiliano Grillo (67).
Despite the tight competition, the day belonged unequivocally to Kim. World number one Scottie Scheffler, who had been a strong contender early in the tournament, slipped to a tie for 13th after a disappointing 70 on a course that was playing relatively easy. Scheffler’s round unraveled on the 14th when an approach landed in the water, resulting in a double‑bogey six.
A subsequent poor tee shot on the par‑3 17th added another bogey, and a tricky second shot from a low lie in the rough on the 18th saw the ball roll 34 feet past the hole. "Just got a bad break, but that happens," Scheffler remarked.
He finished with a birdie on the 18th, ending on a positive note, but will need a strong weekend to chase his first victory since the Desert Classic in January. Kim’s 59 not only propels him to the top of the 3M Open leaderboard but also places him in elite company. While Furyk’s 58 remains the all‑time PGA Tour record, Kim’s achievement is a testament to his skill, especially his putting, and highlights the rarity of sub‑60 rounds in modern golf. The performance has generated excitement among fans and analysts, who will be watching closely to see if he can maintain his momentum over the final rounds.
For viewers, live coverage of the 3M Open continues on Sky Sports Golf starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, with streaming options available without a contract.
Golf enthusiasts can also explore booking a round at any of the 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland via the provided search tool. The tournament remains wide open, and with Kim’s historic round setting a high bar, the remaining days promise compelling drama as the field battles for the title.