Michael Kim carded a 12-under 59 during the second round of the 3M Open on Friday at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, according to the ESPN. The 33-year-old American recorded 12 birdies and no bogeys, sealing his round by sinking a 24-foot putt on the 18th hole.
Michael Kim Fires Historic 12-Under 59 at 3M Open
Kim’s performance marks the 15th time a player has shot a 59 in Golfweek, representing the 16th sub-60 round overall on the tour. It is the fourth score of 59 on the tour since 2024, following Jake Knapp’s round during the first round of the 2025 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. Jim Furyk holds the tour record with a 58 shot at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
Kim’s bogey-free round set a new course record at TPC Twin Cities and established his career-best round, eclipsing his previous low of 62, as reported by the BBC. The Seoul-born golfer vaulted to 14-under par through 36 holes, taking a three-shot lead over first-round leader Ben Kohles.
Record-Setting Birdie Run and Closing Holes
Kim began his surge early in the round, making five consecutive birdies from the third through the seventh holes, sparked by a 13-foot putt on No. 3. He added birdies on the ninth and 10th holes, another on the 12th, and back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16.
Reaching the demanding closing stretch, where water hazards line both the par-3 17th and par-5 18th holes, Kim chose to aggressively pursue history rather than play defensively. He drained a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 17 before hitting his wedge approach on the 18th hole to the fringe. He then converted the uphill 24-foot birdie putt to secure his 59.
“There’s a lot of water on 17 and 18 and I just kind of told myself like ‘hey, this is the way – this is the moment to get into the history books and let’s go for it, let’s not try to luck our way into it, let’s try to step up and hit some really good shots,'” Kim said, according to the BBC.
Context, Recent Form, and Weekend Outlook
Kim enters the weekend seeking his second career PGA Tour victory, with his lone prior win coming at the 2018 John Deere Classic. After finishing second in the Valero Texas Open in April, Kim struggled in his next 12 tournaments, missing four cuts—including consecutive exits at the British Open, Scottish Open, and John Deere Classic. Having contemplated skipping the Minnesota event after five consecutive weeks of play, he decided to travel to Blaine following a brief rest at home.
Historically, achieving a sub-60 score does not guarantee a tournament victory. Of the 16 sub-60 rounds recorded on the PGA Tour, only five players have gone on to win the event, with three of those players accomplishing the feat during the final round. Kim’s historic round also lifted him from 65th to 38th in the projected FedEx Cup standings.
Today was an awesome day, but still, I'm only halfway there so still need to kind of get focused up for the weekend,
Kim said. Mindful of the competition ahead, he added, We still have a long ways to go and that guy named Scottie Scheffler is probably going to throw up a good score today anyway. Nowhere near done.
