Michael Kim shoots 59 at the 2026 3M Open, joins historic group on PGA Tour with 16th sub-60 round

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, he’s now got a three-shot lead (with the afternoon wave still to play in Minnesota).