Michael Kim shoots tournament record 59 at 3M Open

Mark Craig, Star Tribune on Jul 24, 2026

Published in Golf

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BLAINE, Minn. — A funny thing happened while every eye in the state has been fixed on Scottie Scheffler’s Minnesota debut.

Historically funny.

Not funny, ha-ha. Funny, wow-WOW!

Michael Kim, a 33-year-old with one career victory, became the 15th person to shoot a sub-60 round in a PGA Tour event, carding a tournament record 12-under-par 59 with 12 birdies, including eight in his first 10 holes.

Not bad for a guy who almost pulled out of the tournament because he is tired and had played six consecutive weeks, missing the cut in his last three events, including last week’s British Open.

“My first round in the 50s, even playing casual golf,” Kim said after making a 24-foot, 4-inch birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. “I just hope I don’t wake up in my hotel room and find out I still have to play my second round.”

You’re safe, Michael. Your 14-under score through 36 holes might not be.

“We still have a long ways to go, and that guy named Scottie Scheffler is probably going to throw up a good score [Friday] anyway,” Kim said before the world’s No. 1 golfer, who opened with a 6-under 65, began his second round. “We’re nowhere near done and hopefully I can shoot a couple good ones for the next couple days.”

Kim went to the 18th tee with a chance to match the PGA Tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk at the 2016 Travelers. The 607-yard 18th hole — a dramatic risk-reward opportunity over water on the second shot — surrendered 14 eagles in Round 1.

“I hit driver off the tee, just made the most bailout, ‘don’t-go-right’ [into the water] swing I made all week into the left rough,” Kim said.

That pretty much ended Kim’s hopes of a 58. He hit 8-iron to about 120 yards and then a hard 56-degree wedge that landed pin high but spun hard and left him with that 24-foot, 4-inch uphill putt with not much break.

“And there we go,” he said.

For 14 years, Al Geiberger’s 59 at the 1977 Memphis Classic was the only sub-60 round on tour. Chip Beck had a 59 at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational. Nine of the PGA Tour’s 59s have come in the past decade.

Only five of the golfers who shot 59s won the tournament they were in. Scheffler finished in a tie for fourth after shooting 59 at the 2020 Northern Trust. Furyk was fourth at the Travelers after his 58.

Kim’s first 10 made birdie putts were all shorter than 14 feet, including four inside 6 feet. But his last two, on 17 (17-1) and 18, were met with deserving big-time roars from a crowd that began to gather in size at the 15th hole.

“There’s a lot of water on 17 and 18,” Kim said. “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 smiled when asked if a guy who shoots 59 can think of any opportunities he might have missed.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “Maybe a couple iron shots on maybe like 13 or 14. I feel that I got just about everything I could out of that round. I putted awesome.”

Indeed.

As amazing as the 12 birdies was no par save longer than 8 feet. Four of the six par putts were shorter than 4½ feet.

Kim was born in South Korea, raised in San Diego and was a college standout at Cal, winning the 2013 Haskins Award as the nation’s top collegiate golfer. His only PGA Tour victory came in 2018 at the John Deere Classic, when he shot 27 under and won by eight strokes.

He said he almost pulled out but decided to grind through the week because he wants to secure his place in the playoffs in three weeks. The top 70 in the FedEx standings make it. Kim is 65th.

“Starting at the U.S. Open, I don’t think I’ve taken a week off,” he said. “It’s been a lot of golf. … I felt decent energy-wise, so I went home after missing the cut at the [British] Open and just spent a couple days relaxing and came up here. And I’m really happy I did.”

Win or lose come Sunday, he still has 59 historic reasons to feel that way.