Jackson Koivun Sets Back-Nine Record with 61 for Three-Shot 3M Open Lead

Jackson Koivun carded a 20-under par total through 54 holes at the 3M Open, highlighted by a tournament-record 28 on the back nine.

Jackson Koivun surged to a three-stroke lead at the 3M Open on Saturday, carding a third-round 61 to reach a 20-under par total of 193. The 21-year-old PGA Tour rookie established a new tournament record at TPC Twin Cities by shooting a 28 on the back nine, featuring two eagles and three birdies in that stretch. His Saturday performance followed an opening 64 and a second-round 68, separating him from the field on a still afternoon in Blaine, Minn., where temperatures hovered near 90 degrees.

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Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles currently occupy a tie for second place at 17 under par after both players signed for rounds of 65. Michael Brennan moved into a share of fourth place at 16 under following a 63, joining Chandler Phillips at that mark. The sixth-place position is held by a trio of golfers at 15 under, consisting of Denny McCarthy, Billy Horschel, and Michael Kim, all of whom remained within five strokes of the summit heading into Sunday’s finale.

Koivun’s historic 28 on the closing nine holes was fueled by clinical execution on the par-5s. On the 593-yard 12th hole, the rookie sank a 12-foot putt for eagle, and he repeated the feat on the 596-yard 18th by draining a 14-footer to close his round. Between those highlights, he converted birdie opportunities at the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes, moving his score from 15 under to 20 under in a span of seven holes.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sits six strokes behind the leader at 14-under par 199. Scheffler is part of a four-way tie for ninth place alongside Davis Thompson, Séamus Power, and Brian Harman. The scoring average for the field dropped significantly during the third round as the lack of wind allowed players to attack pins across the 7,431-yard layout.

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Koivun turned professional last month following the conclusion of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. Before joining the pro ranks, he was the top-ranked amateur player in the world and swept every major collegiate award while at Auburn University. This performance comes just two weeks after he secured a tie for 10th place at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, which served as his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour.

Through 54 holes, the top of the leaderboard remains tightly packed despite the rookie's record-setting pace. Grillo, the 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge winner, hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation to keep pace. Kohles relied on a hot putter, gaining 3.2 strokes on the field on the greens during his bogey-free 65. Brennan’s 63 was the second-lowest score of the day among the top five, allowing him to climb 12 spots on the leaderboard.

Phillips remains steady at 16 under after a round of 67 that included five birdies and a single bogey at the par-4 9th. The group at 15 under remains five shots adrift, with Horschel seeking his second victory of the season following his win at the Corales Puntacana Championship. Scheffler, Harman, Power, and Thompson will begin Sunday facing a six-shot deficit, requiring a low round to catch the leader who has only dropped three shots all week.

Statistical analysis of Koivun’s round shows he led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, picking up 5.42 shots on the average competitor. He successfully navigated the water hazards that define the TPC Twin Cities back nine, avoiding the ponds that flank the 14th and 18th fairways. His 61 ties the lowest round in the history of the event, matching the mark set by Kenny Perry in 2019 and equaled by several others in subsequent editions. The rookie now faces 18 holes to become the youngest winner in the tournament's six-year history.