3M Open Round 3: Kitayama Fires 60 as Bhatia and Olesen Share a Crowded Lead

Moving Day at TPC Twin Cities had everything: a hole-in-one, two chip-ins, a run at 59 and a leaderboard so crowded it needs a bouncer.

Akshay Bhatia shot an 8-under 63 and Thorbjørn Olesen, aided by an ace, shot 67 to share the 3M Open lead at 18-under 195 after 54 holes. One shot back at 17 under is a four-player group of Kurt Kitayama, who tied the course record with a 60, Takumi Kanaya (65), Jake Knapp (67) and Sam Stevens (66). Chris Gotterup, Alex Noren and Pierceson Coody are two back at 16 under, and 21 players sit within five shots of the lead, per the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Kitayama Goes Nuclear

Nobody saw this one coming. Kitayama started Saturday tied for 44th, eight shots off the pace, per CBS Sports. By the time the leaders teed off, more than four hours after he finished, he had changed the entire tournament.

The front nine was absurd. Kitayama made five straight birdies on Nos. 3 through 7 and turned in 7-under 28. He kept going with birdies on 15 and 16, and suddenly 59 was in play. That chance ended at the par-3 17th, where he could not get up and down from the sand and made bogey, according to GOLF.com. At the par-5 18th he nearly holed his approach for eagle, which would have meant 59, and tapped in for birdie instead.

The final line: 12 birdies, one bogey, an 11-under 60. It matched the tournament record Adam Svensson set on Thursday and the TPC Twin Cities course record Paul Goydos posted on PGA TOUR Champions in 2017, per the PGA TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab). CBS Sports had him gaining 4.4 strokes on the field with his irons alone.

"I don't think you really have a number going out into any round, just kind of take what you can get," Kitayama said, per the AP.

The turnaround came fast. Kitayama said afterward, per GOLF.com, that Friday's round felt out of control, and that a conversation with his coach, Chris Como, gave him something to lean on. It worked.

Bhatia Finds Some Magic

Bhatia's season has been a grind. The 23-year-old with two TOUR wins had no top-15 finish since The PLAYERS in March and described 2025 to the Star Tribune as a demoralizing year. Saturday felt like a release.

He made eight birdies against one bogey, and two of them came from off the green. He chipped in from 42 feet at the fifth and from 55 feet at the 11th, then posted 195 and waited.

"I chipped in twice, made a lot of putts," Bhatia said, per the AP.

Bhatia started the day four back at 10 under. He ends it holding a share of the lead and a spot in Sunday's final group.

The Ace

Olesen did not have his best stuff, and he still found a way to be in front. The highlight came at the 209-yard, par-3 eighth, where he took a 6-iron to a back pin and holed it.

"It was a back pin. It just felt like I couldn't get there with a 7, so we went for a soft 6-iron," Olesen said, per the AP.

It was his first ace on the PGA TOUR, according to the Star Tribune. The rest of the round was a bumpy ride. He bogeyed the ninth right after the ace, birdied 13 and 14, three-putted the 15th for bogey, birdied the short par-4 16th and parred in. His 67 was his highest score of the week, and it still kept his name on top.

The Logjam

Knapp's bogey-free run ended at the 17th, his first dropped shot of the week, but a 67 kept him one back. Stevens, who flirted with 59 on Thursday, shot 66 and is right there again. Kanaya went 65 and has quietly been one of the steadiest players in the field.

Gotterup was 7 under on his round at one point and tied for the lead before a bogey at the windy, watery 18th left him at 65 and two back. Noren followed his Friday 62 with a 65, and Coody shot 67. Jesper Svensson (63) and William Mouw (66) are three back, and Wyndham Clark is four back at 14 under. Michael La Sasso, the NCAA champion from Ole Miss who made the cut on the number, shot 63 to jump into a tie for 16th at 13 under.

Sunday Stakes

Bhatia is chasing his third TOUR win. Olesen, an eight-time DP World Tour winner, is chasing his first in America, and he started the week 129th in the FedExCup with the Playoffs on the line. He knows exactly what that means.

"I'm not going to lie, there's going to be a lot of pressure," Olesen said, per the AP.

History offers mild comfort for the leaders. Three of the six previous 3M Open champions held at least a share of the 54-hole lead, per the Star Tribune. The other half of that stat is the warning. With nine players within two shots, a soft course and a wind that kicked up on Saturday, the final round sets up as a sprint.

Catch up on Round 1 and Round 2. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab).

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap and leaderboard), AP, CBS Sports, GOLF.com, Minnesota Star Tribune, Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.