Michael Kim etched his name into the PGA Tour record books on Friday, firing a 16-under-par 59 during the second round of the 3M Open. The remarkable performance marked just the 16th time a player has broken 60 in tour history. Kim secured his historic round with a dramatic 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, capping off a day of exceptional golf.
"I just kind of told myself like, ‘Hey, this is the way, this is the moment to get into the history books and let’s go for it, let’s not try to luck our way into it, let’s try to step up and hit some really good shots,’" Kim said after his round. He added a punctuation mark to his achievement with a series of strong shots on the closing holes.
Kim's round featured multiple hot streaks, including five consecutive birdies starting on the third hole. He continued to build momentum by birdieing three of the next four holes and then finished with four straight birdies. His putting was a key component of the historic score, with 11 birdies on the scorecard, eight of which were from over 10 feet away.
"When you hit a putt and it does exactly what you kind of envisioned before you hit it, it’s an awesome feeling. Felt like that all day out there," Kim remarked. His performance on the greens was a testament to his strategy and execution throughout the round.
The historic 59 propelled Kim into a three-shot lead over Ben Kohles heading into the weekend. Despite the significant achievement, Kim remained focused on the remainder of the tournament. "Today was an awesome day, but still, I’m only halfway there so still need to kind of get focused up for the weekend," he stated.
Kim's 59 is the fourth sub-60 round recorded on the PGA Tour since 2024. Jake Knapp was the most recent player to achieve this feat, doing so in the first round of the 2025 Cognizant Classic. The PGA Tour's all-time record for lowest score is 58, set by Jim Furyk at the 2016 Travelers Championship.