Michael Kim is celebrating a career milestone after recording a 12-under-par 59 in the second round of the 3M Open in Minnesota. The American golfer's exceptional performance places him among an elite group with one of the lowest rounds ever on the PGA Tour.
Kim achieved the historic score at the TPC Twin Cities course in Blaine, draining a 24-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. The round featured 12 birdies and no bogeys. With this achievement, Kim finished his second round with a three-shot lead over fellow American Ben Kohles. He is now the 15th golfer to achieve a score of 59 on the PGA Tour. The tour's record for the lowest round is 58, set by Jim Furyk in 2016.
Reflecting on his performance, Kim stated, "I kind of remember thinking on 18 that you have to go for it, 60 or 61 doesn't really make too much of a difference." He added, "To shoot 59 was pretty cool and feels like I'm part of the history books."
Kim's notable run included five consecutive birdies from the third through the seventh holes. He further extended his momentum with back-to-back birdies on holes nine and 10, followed by another birdie on the 12th. His closing stretch saw him birdie the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th holes. "There's a lot of water on 17 and 18 and 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 try to step up and hit some really good shots'," Kim said. His previous best round was a 62.