Michael Kim's 59 Takes Over the 2026 3M Open From Scheffler

Michael Kim rolled in a 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th to cap a 12-under 59 in Round 2 of the 2026 3M Open, the 15th score of 59 in PGA Tour history and a new course record at TPC Twin Cities. The 33-year-old with one career Tour win did not make a bogey, ran off seven birdies in his first 10 holes, and birdied each of his last four to reach 14 under for the tournament. What began as Ben Kohles' event after a Thursday 62 is now Kim's to lose, and the world's top-ranked player is the one chasing.

A 59 is the kind of number that reorders a leaderboard and a betting board at the same time. Kim went from the pack into a three-shot lead in a single afternoon, and he did it at a course where the winning total historically runs deep. The story of the weekend just changed, and so did the math on every outright ticket in the field.

A 59 That Belongs in Rare Company

Only one player has ever posted a lower single round on the PGA Tour, Jim Furyk's 58 at the 2016 Travelers. Kim's 59 joins a list that started with Al Geiberger in 1977 and has been reached just 15 times across the Tour's history. He needed a birdie on the last to get there and delivered it from 24 feet, the cleanest possible finish to a bogey-free round built on 12 birdies.

The front nine did the damage. Kim birdied seven of his first 10 holes to put a 59 in play with plenty of golf left, then steadied himself and closed with four straight birdies when the number was on the line. At a venue that rewards aggression, he pressed the advantage all day and never gave a shot back.

Where the Leaderboard Stands After 36 Holes

Kim sits at 14 under, three clear of a group at 11 under that includes Kohles, Emiliano Grillo and Chandler Phillips. Kohles led after an opening 62 and played well enough to stay near the top, but Kim's 59 turned a one-shot race into a genuine cushion heading into the weekend.

The bigger name in the rearview is Scottie Scheffler. The world No. 1 was 9 under and in range before his approach at the 14th found the water for a double bogey, and a bogey at the 17th pushed his round to a 70. He starts the weekend at 7 under, seven shots back of Kim, needing the kind of low number he just failed to produce to reenter the picture.

The FedEx Cup Backdrop Still Matters

The 3M Open runs July 23 to 26 in Blaine, Minnesota, one of three regular-season events left before the FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the Rocket Classic and the Wyndham Championship to follow. The top 70 in the standings advance to the opening playoff event, and for a large slice of this field the weekend is a live chance to jump inside that number.

That is why a leaderboard without the sport's deepest field still carries real stakes. A win here can be worth a season for a bubble player, and even a high finish can be the difference between a playoff run and an early offseason. Kim, chasing his second career title, has more riding on his lead than the trophy alone.

Betting and Outright Impact

A three-shot 36-hole lead at a birdie-fest is a strong position, not a decisive one, because TPC Twin Cities gives up low numbers in bunches and 54 holes is a long time to protect a margin. Kim shifted from a longshot to the clear favorite the moment his putt dropped on 18, and the honest read is that his price now carries the weight of a player trying to close out a career-best week under pressure for the first time.

Scheffler is the live overlay. Seven back sounds like a lot, but at a course where 20-plus under can win, one bogey-free 62 or 63 puts the world No. 1 right back into a Sunday conversation, and his floor remains the highest in the field. The middle of the board, the 11-under trio, is where matchup and top-five markets get interesting, since those players offer price without Kim's newfound chalk or Scheffler's deficit. Watch the Round 3 wave times and any weather shift, because a scoring split can quietly reprice the outrights before the leaders tee off.

What to Watch Next

Kim's Saturday is the whole story. If he backs up the 59 with another low round, the tournament tilts hard toward a wire-to-weekend finish, and the market will follow. If he cools and the chasing trio hangs around, the door opens for exactly the kind of Sunday charge Scheffler specializes in.

Chad AI tracks every outright, matchup and made-cut market on this slate inside the StatSniper app, feeding the PGA daily picks, the AI sports picks hub and the Chad picks hub. For how Thursday set this up, read our Round 1 recap from TPC Twin Cities, and for the postseason stakes underneath it all, see our FedEx Cup bubble breakdown. Full leaderboard coverage is at the PGA Tour.

FAQ

Who leads the 2026 3M Open after Round 2? Michael Kim leads at 14 under after a second-round 59, three shots clear of Ben Kohles, Emiliano Grillo and Chandler Phillips at 11 under.

How rare is a 59 on the PGA Tour? Kim's 59 was the 15th in PGA Tour history and the lowest round of his career. Only Jim Furyk has gone lower, with a 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.

Where is Scottie Scheffler at the 3M Open? Scheffler shot a second-round 70 and sits at 7 under, seven shots back of Kim, after a double bogey at the 14th when his approach found the water.

When is the 2026 3M Open played? The 3M Open runs July 23 to 26, 2026 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, one of the final regular-season events before the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

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