Jackson Koivun Shoots 61 at the 3M Open and Puts a Rookie in Front of Scottie Scheffler's Chase

Image: Birdie Report

The 3M Open spent Friday belonging to Michael Kim.

Saturday was Jackson Koivun’s turn to grab the whole thing by the throat.

According to the Associated Press report published Saturday, July 25, 2026, and the PGA TOUR’s official round-three coverage, both checked on Sunday, July 26, Koivun shot a 10-under 61 to reach 20-under par, take a three-shot lead into the final round at TPC Twin Cities, and tie the tournament’s 54-hole scoring record of 193.

That is not “nice rookie week” stuff anymore.

That is a real Sunday lead with Scottie Scheffler and a bunch of grown men trying to run him down.

This piece is based on the AP’s July 25 round-three report, the PGA TOUR’s official 3M Open coverage, and the tournament leaderboard information surfaced on those pages, all checked on Sunday, July 26, 2026. No pretending I was standing behind the lake on 18 acting like I called the line on a closing eagle from 250 yards away.

For the earlier turns in this week first, read our Thursday opinion on Koivun’s opening 64, our Friday news piece on Michael Kim’s 59, the companion opinion on why Kim’s number killed the filler-week argument, and our broader column on why this event is where the PGA Tour season starts getting cruel.

Koivun Did Not Just Shoot Low. He Took Control

The AP report says Koivun had:

• two eagles
• six birdies
• and a tournament-record 28 on the back nine

That is the sort of scorecard that stops feeling like a nice Saturday and starts feeling like a problem for everybody else.

AP also reported that he eagled two of the three par 5s, including a 12-footer on 12 and a 14-footer on 18 after safely carrying the water with his second shot.

That matters because this was not some sloppy 61 held together by three chip-ins and an argument with geometry.

This was controlled. Aggressive, sure. But controlled.

The Board Behind Him Still Has Teeth

Koivun is not leading by seven with half the field packing for Detroit already.

The AP report says Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles are tied for second at 17-under after matching 65s, while Michael Brennan and Chandler Phillips sit another shot back at 16-under.

Then you get the next layer:

• Denny McCarthy
• Billy Horschel
• Michael Kim

all at 15-under, according to AP.

That is enough firepower to keep Sunday from turning into some ceremonial rookie-protection exercise.

If Koivun backs up at all, somebody is there.

Scheffler Is Lurking, but This Story Still Belongs to the Kid

AP says Scheffler is six back in a tie for ninth after a 64, helped by an eagle at the par-4 16th where he poured in a 55-foot putt.

So yes, the world’s No. 1 player is still around. No, that does not mean the headline should immediately become “what does this mean for Scottie?”

Not yet.

The more interesting part is that Koivun has forced exactly that question by getting to 20-under in only the third PGA TOUR event of his career since turning pro, a detail AP also highlighted.

If Scheffler catches him, fine, that is a real Sunday story. But the reason Sunday has any star-power tension at all is because Koivun built it.

The Rookie Resume Is Not as Flimsy as “Rookie” Usually Sounds

This is where the story gets better.

AP notes Koivun was the top-ranked amateur after his college run at Auburn, turned pro only last month after the U.S. Open, and already tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship two weeks ago.

The same report says he tied the 54-hole tournament record set by Lee Hodges in 2023 and became the youngest 54-hole leader on TOUR this season.

So this is not random lightning.

It is still early, and early pros can absolutely get weird on Sunday. But this is not some out-of-nowhere journeyman week that showed up, waved, and disappeared. Koivun has had the “next real guy” label on him for a while now. Saturday just made the label impossible to ignore.

Michael Kim’s 59 Did Not Get Wasted

One more thing made Saturday better: Friday’s history round did not vanish into dead air.

Kim’s 59 still matters because it helped shape a final round that now has:

• a rookie leader at 20-under
• a recent sub-60 round still sitting in the top 10
• and Scheffler stalking from six back

That is a much healthier week than the lazy post-major version golf people keep trying to sell.

We already said that after Thursday and Friday. Saturday just gave the argument better evidence.

Bottom Line

Jackson Koivun shot a 10-under 61 on Saturday, July 25, 2026, according to the AP report and PGA TOUR coverage checked on Sunday, July 26, reaching 20-under and taking a three-shot lead into the final round of the 3M Open.

He is leading Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles by three, with Scottie Scheffler six back.

That means Sunday is no longer about whether a quiet late-July event can produce a story.

It already did.