BLAINE, Minn. (AP) 鈥� rookie Jackson Koivun shot a 61 in the third round of the 3M Open on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead at 20-under par, setting a tournament record with a 28 on the back nine at the TPC Twin Cities.
Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles each had a 65 and are tied for second at 17 under. Michael Brennan shot a 63 and shared fourth with Chandler Phillips at 16 under. Denny McCarthy, Billy Horschel and Michael Kim were in sixth at 15 under.
, the world’s top-ranked player, was six strokes behind Koivun in a four-way tie for ninth place with Davis Thompson, Seamus Power and Brian Harman.
The 21-year-old Koivun, who was the top-ranked amateur player after a standout college career at Auburn and turned pro last month , had two eagles and six birdies to separate from the pack on a steamy and still afternoon that was ideal for low scores.
鈥淛ust got to keep the foot on the gas,” Koivun said.
Koivun sank a 12-foot putt on the 12th green and a 14-footer on the 18th to eagle two of the three par-5s on the lake-filled course, which joined the tour schedule in 2019. He confidently hit his second shot from the 18th fairway over the water and landed safely on the green.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be definitely a test tomorrow,鈥� Koivun said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure some of the pins will be tucked and we鈥檝e got a lot of great players behind me, but just going to stick to my game plan and try to smile.鈥�
Koivun, who tied for 10th two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, shot a 64 and a 68 . He tied the 54-hole record (193) set by wire-to-wire 2023 champion Lee Hodges and became the youngest 54-hole leader on tour this season. But don’t assume he’s a stranger to this type of pressure.
鈥淧laying at Auburn was so much fun. We were definitely put in some stressful situations at national championships and just collegiate play,鈥� Koivun said. 鈥淚’m just trying to lean on those experiences.鈥�
Kohles, who shot a 62 for the first-round lead, went bogey-free in pursuit of his first tour victory. Grillo, the 33-year-old Argentine, eagled the 18th to make up for some earlier putting misses.
鈥淭hese kids are playing better every day,鈥� Grillo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to keep up with them. I鈥檝e just got to go and shoot my lowest.鈥�
Scheffler had an eagle and five birdies on the back nine, but his afternoon wasn’t all that special. Three others matched his 64, and four players went lower than that.
Bringing a big gallery with him to watch every shot, with fans packed several rows deep along the ropes, Scheffler had the crowd going wild when he eagled the 16th by sinking a 55-footer on the par-4 hole.
鈥淭he support this week鈥檚 been tremendous. The crowd here has been great not only to myself but to the guys who’ve been playing well,鈥� Scheffler said.
Kim, who took a three-stroke lead into the weekend with a that made him the 15th player in tour history to go below 60, lost his touch with the putter and finished with a 70.
鈥淚鈥檓 really happy with the way I swung it today. I was pleasantly surprised at how calm I was feeling heading to the first tee,鈥� Kim said. 鈥淥verall, I鈥檓 pretty happy with it, but a little disappointed that I鈥檓 five back.鈥�
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