Michael Kim delivered an unforgettable performance on Friday at the 3M Open, posting a 12‑under‑par 59 that marks only the sixteenth sub‑60 round ever recorded on the PGA Tour. The 33‑year‑old American surged to the top of the leaderboard with a flawless 18‑hole display that featured a string of birdies from the third through the seventh holes, followed by a strong finish that saw him card four under on his final four holes.
By the end of his round, Kim had moved to 14‑under‑par for the tournament, establishing a three‑stroke cushion over the field and positioning himself as the clear leader heading into the weekend at TPC Twin Cities. Kim's round was a masterclass in precision putting. He sank eight putts from distances of ten feet or more, a statistic that underscores how hot his short game was on the day.
The climax came on the 18th hole, where he holed a dramatic 24‑foot birdie putt to seal his historic score. While the PGA Tour’s all‑time low round remains Jim Furyk’s 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship, Kim’s 59 ties him for second‑best ever, a remarkable achievement that places him among an elite group of golfers. The rest of the field trailed behind Kim’s spectacular effort.
A trio of players shared second place: Ben Kohles, who entered the day with a two‑stroke lead, posted a 69 and fell into a tie with Chandler Phillips (65) and Emiliano Grillo (67). Despite the strong performances from these competitors, the day belonged unequivocally to Kim.
Kim’s success was not limited to his putting. Throughout the round he displayed a balanced game, hitting accurate tee shots and approach shots that set up his birdie opportunities.
He reflected on his performance, saying, "I putted awesome. I feel that I got just about everything I could out of that round.
Some shots I didn't feel supremely confident over, 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 kind of envisioned before you hit it, it's an awesome feeling. Felt like that all day out there." His candid remarks reveal both confidence and humility, acknowledging the moments of doubt that are part of any golfer's journey.
Kim’s 59 also represents his personal best on the PGA Tour, surpassing his previous low round at the 2023 Wyndham Championship. He described the experience as "pretty cool" to be part of history, yet he cautioned that maintaining composure will be essential as the tournament progresses. "It will be important for me not to compare tomorrow to today’s round, even if I get off to a poor start or just an OK start, to not be so disappointed that 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.
Nowhere near done," Kim said, underscoring his focus on the long‑term goal rather than a single spectacular day. World number one Scottie Scheffler, who was tied for 13th after a disappointing 70, exemplified the challenges that even top players face on a score‑friendly course. Scheffler began the tournament strongly, climbing to nine‑under‑par, but a mis‑hit approach on the 14th landed in the water, resulting in a double‑bogey six. A subsequent poor tee shot on the 17th led to another bogey, and a tricky second shot from a low lie in the rough saw the ball skid 34 feet past the hole.
"Just got a bad break, but that happens," he remarked, acknowledging the role of luck in golf. He finished with a birdie on 18, ending on a positive note, but he knows he must produce an outstanding weekend if he hopes to capture his first victory since the Desert Classic in January. The 2026 PGA Tour season has already seen a flurry of low‑score performances, with five players—Blades Brown, Wyndham Clark, Si Woo Kim, Andrew Putnam, and Scottie Scheffler—having posted rounds of 60. However, Kim’s 59 stands out as the lowest round of the year, cementing his place in the record books and adding a new chapter to the ongoing narrative of sub‑60 achievements.
Looking ahead, the 3M Open promises to be a compelling contest. Fans can follow live coverage on Sky Sports Golf starting at 7 p.m.
on Saturday, and the tournament schedule continues to offer opportunities for other players to challenge Kim’s lead. The event also highlights the broader accessibility of golf, with streaming options available without a contract and resources for booking tee times at over 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland.
In summary, Michael Kim’s 59 is a milestone that not only showcases his skill but also adds excitement to the 3M Open and the PGA Tour season as a whole. While the record of 58 remains untouched, Kim’s achievement places him in elite company and sets the stage for an intriguing final stretch of the tournament, where consistency, mental fortitude, and a bit of luck will determine who lifts the trophy at the end of the weekend.