Michael Kim shoot 59 in second round of 3M Open, joins historic club

Michael Kim put his name into the PGA Tour record books on Friday at the 3M Open thanks to a 12-under 59 at TPC Twin Cities for the 16th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.

Kim started his round with a pair of pars, but caught fire in the middle of his front nine with five consecutive birdies from No. 3 to No. 7. He added another on the 9th to make the turn in 29. He made just two birdies in his first five holes on the back side, seemingly taking himself off of 59 watch, but Kim then ran the tables on the way in with four consecutive birdies from No. 15 to No. 18 to hit golf’s magic number. 

Despite having a par 5 to close out his round, Kim still needed to hole a 24-foot putt at the last for his closing birdie. He buried it with pace and let out a big fist pump, knowing exactly what he’d just accomplished. 

Kim did his damage in the second round with his iron play, picking up more than 3.7 shots on the field on approach and then had an unbelievable day on the greens — as evidenced by that putt at the last — rolling in more than 145 feet of putts to gain nearly 6.6 strokes on the field with his putter. 

Sub-60 rounds in PGA Tour History

Kim is the first player to shoot a 59 this season and the first to accomplish the feat since Jake Knapp’s 59 at the Cognizant Classic a year ago. While there are a handful of courses that have produced multiple 59s like Greenbrier, TPC Quad Cities and TPC River Highlands, Kim is the first to break 60 at TPC Twin Cities. 

As big as the accomplishment is from a historic perspective, it’s also huge for Kim who entered the event having missed the cut in his last three PGA Tour starts and desperately needed a big week to get off the playoff bubble. Kim began the week 65th in the FedEx Cup standings and would vault to 35th with a win, and after his 59 on Friday put him at 14 under, he’ll take a three-shot lead into the weekend in Minnesota. 

Weekend contenders

T2. Ben Kohles, Emiliano Grillo, Chandler Philips (-11)
T5. Jackson Koivun, Troy Merritt (-10)
T7. Zac Blair, Billy Horschel, Brian Harman (-9)
T10. Denny McCarthy, Michael Brennan, Jesper Svensson (-8)
T13. Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland and eight others (-7)

Kohles began the day with the lead after his 62 on Thursday, and was in the midst of his post-round presser when Kim’s putt dropped on the 18th, eliciting a huge roar from the crowd. Kohles joked his 62 “wasn’t as good” and he has work to do to reel in Kim on the weekend. Koivun, fresh of his first top 10 as a pro at the ISCO Championship, is once again hanging around the lead entering the weekend and will look to notch a new career-best finish, as the highly touted former Auburn star continues to get more comfortable with life as a professional. 

The biggest story coming into the 3M Open was Scottie Scheffler’s pursuit of his second win of the season, and after a 6-under 65 on Thursday, he looked in prime position to steadily take control of this tournament that’s lacking in star power otherwise. However, Scheffler stalled out on his back nine on Friday, dropping from 3 under as he made the turn to just a 1-under 70 by the time he signed his card, falling out of the top 10 and seven shots off Kim’s pace. Scheffler is certainly capable of making up that kind of ground on the weekend, but his season has been plagued by the odd off round that’s kept him out of the winner’s circle since January and Friday’s performance might continue that trend. 

Notables who missed the cut

• Mac Meissner (-2)
• Stephan Jaeger (-2)
• Sungjae Im (-1)
• Steven Fisk (-1)
• Aldrich Potgieter (E)
• Johnny Keefer (E)
• Tony Finau (+1)
• Jackson Suber (+1)
• Sudarshan Yellamaraju (+1)
• Andrew Putnam (+1)
• Tom Hoge (+2)
• Max Homa (+4)
• Patrick Rodgers (+4)
• Pierceson Coody (+6)

The 3M is the start of the closing chase for the playoffs, and this was a disappointing week for all of these players in their quest to make the field in Memphis. Everyone on this list entered this week hoping to either climb closer to the bubble, but instead has an early flight home and even more work to do in the final two weeks of the regular season. Homa will likely slip out of the top 50 with his missed cut, falling from 49th to a projected 51st, but is still safely inside the top 70. Keefer’s missed cut is a tougher pill to swallow, as the reigning Korn Ferry Tour champion falls from 71st to 74th in the projections, creating more ground to make up in the next two weeks. Meissner was on the bubble at No. 70 but will drop to No. 71, adding to his stress going forward.