3M Open Round 3: Jackson Koivun Fires 61 With a Record Back-Nine 28

Twenty-four hours after Michael Kim shot 59, the most impressive nine holes of the week belonged to a 21-year-old making his third start as a professional.

Jackson Koivun shot a bogey-free 10-under 61 on Saturday at TPC Twin Cities, powered by a tournament-record 28 on the back nine, to take a three-shot lead into the final round of the 3M Open. At 20-under 193, Koivun leads Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles, who both shot 65 to reach 17 under. Michael Brennan (63) and Chandler Phillips (66) are four back, and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler climbed into a tie for ninth with a 64 that included one of the shots of the season.

Twenty-Eight

Koivun's front nine was fine, a 2-under 33 that kept him in the mix without turning heads. Then he made the turn and played the next nine holes like the course owed him money.

He birdied the 10th. At the par-5 12th, he hit a 3-wood from 305 yards to 12 feet and made the eagle putt. At the par-3 13th, he poured in a 24-footer for birdie. Two more birdies followed coming home, and then the exclamation point: at the 596-yard 18th, he reached the green in two and holed the eagle putt from just inside 15 feet. That is two eagles and four birdies on one side, an 8-under 28 that set the 3M Open record for nine holes.

His 193 ties Lee Hodges' 54-hole tournament record from 2023. It is the first time Koivun has led or co-led after any round on TOUR, and at 21 he is the youngest 54-hole leader on TOUR this season.

The part that stood out was how he handled the middle of that run. Koivun said he saw his name alone at the top after 12 and 13, then made two pars and found himself tied again, which he described as "kind of a mental reset going into 16, 17, 18." He responded by finishing the job.

"I'm feeling great. Excited, ready for tomorrow," Koivun said, per Golf Digest.

Who Is Jackson Koivun?

For anyone who has not followed college golf, here is the short version. Koivun is a former world No. 1 amateur who finished his career at Auburn in June, helped the Tigers win a national title, and earned his TOUR card through the PGA TOUR University Accelerated program. He tied for 23rd at the U.S. Open as an amateur, shared low amateur honors there, then turned pro. In his first two starts, he missed the cut at the John Deere Classic and tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship.

Now he is 18 holes from becoming the fourth rookie to win on TOUR this season.

The Chasers

Grillo and Kohles both shot 65, which on most Saturdays would be enough to grab or hold a share of the lead. Not this one. Grillo is chasing a third TOUR title and has posted three top-10s in six previous trips to Blaine. Kohles, the first-round leader after a career-best 62 (see our Round 1 recap), is still hunting his first TOUR win in his 122nd start.

Brennan shot 63, the lowest of his 88 career TOUR rounds, to jump to 16 under alongside Phillips, who has now shot 66 or better in all three rounds. Denny McCarthy (64) and Billy Horschel (65) are five back.

Kim came back to earth after Friday's history (read our Round 2 recap). He shot 70 and sits five behind. Nobody should complain about a 70 the day after a 59, but the lead is no longer his.

Scheffler's Hole-Out

Scheffler started the day seven back, and an even-par front nine did not suggest a charge. Then he played the back in 7-under 29.

The highlight came at the 16th, which was set up as a drivable par 4 at 296 yards with the tee moved up. Scheffler's drive went long into the rough, roughly 55 feet beyond the green, and he holed the next shot for eagle. He was the only player in the field to make eagle there all day.

That 64 leaves him six back at 14 under, tied with Davis Thompson (63), Seamus Power (63) and Brian Harman (66). Six is a big number, and history says so. Scheffler has never won on TOUR from more than five shots back after 54 holes, though he came from five back to win the 2024 PLAYERS.

Sunday Math

The numbers favor the kid. Four of the seven previous 3M Open winners held at least a share of the 54-hole lead, and the biggest final-round comeback in tournament history is five shots, by Tony Finau in 2022. This season, though, front-runners have not been safe: only 10 of 30 individual stroke-play events have been won by the 54-hole leader or co-leader.

Eleven players are within six shots. Saturday was steamy, with a high in the mid-90s, and the course has shown it will give up low numbers to anyone hitting fairways.

Koivun has the lead, the record-tying total and a calm that does not match his age. Grillo and Kohles have the experience. Scheffler has the best résumé in the sport and a big gap to close. Sunday will show which of those matters most.

Full scores are on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

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

Photo: PGA TOUR.