3M Open Round 1: Ben Kohles Eagles the Last for a Career-Best 62

Ben Kohles had waited 354 rounds on the PGA TOUR for a day like this one. When it finally came, he finished it with an exclamation point from 241 yards.

Kohles shot a bogey-free 9-under 62 on Thursday at TPC Twin Cities to take a two-shot lead after the first round of the 3M Open. Emiliano Grillo, Jackson Koivun and Gary Woodland are tied for second at 7-under 64. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, making his first start in Blaine, sits three back at 65 alongside Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan, Kevin Roy and Jesper Svensson. Nine players are within three shots of the lead.

A Career Day, Capped in Style

The 62 is the lowest round of Kohles' TOUR career, one better than his previous best of 63, and it is the first time he has held the 18-hole lead in an individual stroke-play event on TOUR. The 36-year-old has spent this season splitting time between the PGA TOUR and the Korn Ferry Tour, where he has won five times. On TOUR, he is still looking for that first title in his 122nd start.

The middle of his round did the heavy lifting. Starting at No. 6, Kohles birdied every other hole across a nine-hole stretch, then added another at the 15th to reach 7 under and grab a share of the lead. The finish was the best swing of anyone's day. At the par-5 18th, he hit his second shot from 241 yards to about four feet and rolled in the eagle putt to pull two clear. The PGA TOUR named it the Shot of the Day.

The control was real, not lucky. Kohles hit 17 of 18 greens and 12 of 14 fairways, and needed only 28 putts. "I was just in control all day," he said, per the AP.

There is a scar tissue element here too. Three weeks ago at the John Deere Classic, Kohles had a first TOUR win in his hands before a double bogey on the final hole dropped him to third. His takeaway was simple: keep "putting the pedal down" and let the results come. Thursday was a pretty good first answer.

Koivun Keeps Proving the Hype

If Kohles is the veteran story, Koivun is the one everyone in golf is watching. The 21-year-old turned pro in June after a decorated run at Auburn that included a school-record 11 wins, and he earned his TOUR card through the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program. This is his 13th TOUR start but only his third as a professional.

He played like a veteran. Koivun was bogey-free, with four birdies on the front nine and three more coming home. His description of the plan was short and tidy. "Playing smart, playing for a score," Koivun said.

Grillo and Woodland Find Old Magic

Grillo had the hottest start of the day, making five birdies in his first seven holes, and then ran off three straight from the 12th. His nine birdies tied his personal best for a single round, something he has now done seven times. The only blemish was the finish, where he played his last three holes in 1 over to slide out of a share of the top spot.

He still knew exactly who he had beaten. "Any day beating Scottie Scheffler is a good day, so I'll take that," Grillo said.

Woodland, meanwhile, has never gone this low at TPC Twin Cities. His 64 beat his previous best on the course by two.

Scheffler Grinds Out a 65

Scheffler arrived in Minnesota fresh off a fourth-place finish at the British Open and the top spot in the FedExCup standings. He is the first world No. 1 to tee it up at the 3M Open since Brooks Koepka in 2019.

His 65 was not a ball-striking clinic early. He was just 1 under through eight holes, missed a handful of fairways, and kept his card clean by scrambling. "I didn't hit a bunch of fairways early, but I was able to kind of manage my way around," Scheffler said. Once the driver settled down, the birdies followed, five of them in an eight-hole stretch. A bogey-free 65 without his best stuff is a warning to everyone else.

The Rest of the Board

Defending champion Kurt Kitayama, who won here last year by holding off Sam Stevens by one (read our 2025 final-round recap), opened with a 68 despite a triple bogey at the ninth. That leaves him six back with plenty of time.

Glover is chasing a third straight top-five finish, and Roy, who posted a 64 here a year ago, again looks comfortable. Brennan, the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship winner, sits at No. 105 in the FedExCup and has a chance to make a real move with the Playoffs approaching. Svensson and Grillo are the only international players within three shots of the lead.

There was one early casualty. Patton Kizzire withdrew after the round with a back injury.

What Thursday Tells Us

Conditions were friendly, with sunshine, a high around 81 degrees and only a light south wind, and the scoreboard looked like it. Over the previous seven editions of this event, the average winning score has been 19 under, so a 62 is a great start but not a cushion.

Kohles has the lead and a near miss that still stings. Koivun has the talent and nothing to lose. Scheffler has a game that usually sharpens as the week goes on. Friday, with the cut on the line, will tell us who is serious.

Full scores are on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 1 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 1 recap and leaderboard), 3M Open tournament notes, AP. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.