3M Open Round 2: Thorbjørn Olesen Shrugs Off a Double to Take the Lead

Thursday belonged to a 60. Friday belonged to the grown-up in the room.

Thorbjørn Olesen shot a 5-under 66 at TPC Twin Cities to reach 14-under 128 and take a one-shot lead at the 3M Open heading into the weekend. Jake Knapp (65) is alone in second at 13 under. Pierceson Coody (65) and Sam Stevens (68) are two back at 12 under, and Takumi Kanaya (64), Chris Kirk (67) and Matti Schmid (68) sit three back at 11 under. A pack at 10 under includes Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup, Akshay Bhatia, Joel Dahmen and Alex Noren, and 23 players are within five shots, per CBS Sports.

The Dane Takes the Wheel

Olesen's round was not a clean one, and that is what made it impressive. Starting on the back nine, he hit his tee shot out of bounds on the par-4 15th and made double bogey, according to Field Level Media. On a course giving away birdies, a 6 can feel like a cliff.

He answered right away with birdies on 16 and 17, then added four more on the front side. The last one came at the par-4 ninth, where he worked a shot out of the rough and rolled in a 5-footer to finish.

The fix was his irons. "I think both days, my iron play has been really, really good," Olesen said, per the AP. He admitted a few loose drives cost him on Friday, but he kept giving himself looks, and a 62 and a 66 to open is a strong way to cover for a few bad swings off the tee.

Olesen, 35, is a DP World Tour regular with a long list of international wins but no PGA TOUR title yet. He missed the cut at The Open last week. "I take every week as it comes," he said, per the AP. He began the week 129th in the FedExCup, and CBS Sports noted a win or a top-five finish would likely push him inside the Playoffs line.

Knapp's Clean Sheet

The most quietly scary stat on the board belongs to Knapp. Through 36 holes he has not made a bogey, which is a first in his career, per the PGA TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab). He opened Friday with three straight birdies on Nos. 10 through 12 and never gave anything back.

"I haven't really had to scramble too much," Knapp said, per the AP.

The driver explains a lot of that. CBS Sports had Knapp leading the field off the tee, gaining more than 3.8 strokes in driving through two rounds. TPC Twin Cities rewards length, and Knapp, who shot a 59 at the Cognizant Classic in February, is using every bit of his. He started the week 55th in the FedExCup, and a big weekend could push him into the top 50.

Noren's Leap

The round of the day did not come from the leaders. Alex Noren shot a 9-under 62, with nine birdies, an eagle and two bogeys, and climbed 86 spots into the group at 10 under, per the Minnesota Star Tribune. Noren started the day on the wrong side of the cut line and finished it four shots off the lead. He closed with an eagle and back-to-back birdies before a bogey on his final hole, according to Field Level Media, and afterward said Friday reminded him why he loves the game.

Clark matched the hot pace with a 65 to get to 10 under, Bhatia added a 66, and Kanaya posted a bogey-free 64 to vault into a tie for fifth.

From 60 to the Cut Line

Adam Svensson's Friday was a gut check. One day after a tournament-record 60, he shot a 4-over 75. The card included a double bogey on the par-4 second, three bogeys and only one birdie, at the par-5 18th, per the Star Tribune. He dropped 29 spots but still made the weekend at 7 under, tied with Rickie Fowler (70) and Gary Woodland.

Stevens, who nearly broke 60 on Thursday, settled for a 68 that included a bogey on his last hole, the ninth. He remains in range at 12 under.

The Cut and the Bubble

The cut fell at 5 under, a reflection of how soft and gettable the course has played. That number caught some big names. Tony Finau, the 2022 champion here, shot 77 with back-to-back double bogeys. Haotong Li, Webb Simpson, Keith Mitchell, Zach Johnson, Sahith Theegala, Si Woo Kim, Maverick McNealy and Byeong Hun An are also done for the week.

That hurts most for Mitchell and An, who came in on the right side of the top 70 and, per CBS Sports, slid out in the projected standings. Schmid (68th) and Kirk (77th) did the opposite, putting themselves in position to play their way into the Playoffs. Max Homa shot 68 to sit at 8 under, and Sam Burns posted a 64 to join the group at 7 under. Frankie Capan III withdrew with a wrist injury after an opening 78.

Moving Day Setup

Olesen has the lead and the irons. Knapp has the cleanest card in the field and the longest stick. Coody and Stevens are two back, and the group at 10 under is loaded with players who have already shown they can go deep here. With 23 players within five, Saturday at TPC Twin Cities looks wide open.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab).

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap and leaderboard), AP, Field Level Media, CBS Sports, Minnesota Star Tribune. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.