Michael Kim Cards Historic 59 at 3M Open

What happened:

Watch the highlights:

BBC Sport reports that Michael Kim carded a historic 59 at the 3M Open in Minnesota, shooting a superb 12-under-par round. Kim said he was thrilled to be part of the history books and described the feeling as pretty cool after producing one of golf's rarest scoring milestones.

Tournament impact:

A 59 changes the shape of any tournament week. Even without the supplied source giving Kim's exact leaderboard position, round number, course setup, or starting score, a 12-under round of 59 is the kind of score that can move a player from chasing to contending, or from contending to controlling the event. At minimum, it forces the rest of the field to respond to a number that is historically difficult to match.

Why it matters:

Sub-60 rounds are treated differently in golf because they combine technical execution, putting streaks, and mistake avoidance across a full competitive round. This was not simply a low number; the source identifies it as historic. That distinction matters for tournament interpretation. A 63 can be a great day. A 59 becomes part of the event record and the player's career profile, regardless of how the final leaderboard eventually settles.

What changed:

Kim's tournament now has two tracks. The first is the immediate competitive track: whether the 59 sets him up to win or substantially improves his position at the 3M Open. The second is the historical track: his round will be remembered even if the tournament still has holes or rounds left to decide the winner. That is the unusual power of a 59. It can stand alone as a headline while also reshaping the event around it.

What to watch:

The next question is whether Kim can convert the round into a tournament result. Extremely low rounds can create a new kind of pressure, especially once a player moves from chasing a score to being chased by the field. The source does not say whether he leads, trails, or sits in a specific position, so the practical follow-up is leaderboard context: where the 59 places him, how much golf remains, and whether the course continues to allow scoring.

Confidence:

Confirmed by the source: Michael Kim shot 59, the round was 12 under par, it came at the 3M Open in Minnesota, and Kim reacted by saying he was thrilled to be part of the history books. Still needing follow-up: his exact leaderboard position, the round of the tournament in which it happened, course conditions, and whether the score led directly to a lead or win.