Svensson sizzles with 60 to lead 3M Open

Stimpmeter · July 25, 2025, 7:15am

Adam Svensson drained a 48-foot eagle putt on the final hole to cap a flawless 11-under-par 60 and seize a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the 3M Open on Thursday.

The Canadian rolled in nine birdies and did not drop a shot in what was the lowest round in the tournament’s seven-year history. His 60 also tied the TPC Twin Cities course record set by Paul Goydos during the 2017 3M Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.

Svensson, whose lone PGA Tour victory came at the RSM Classic in 2022, needed just 25 putts in a career-best round that featured a 40-foot birdie at the 11th and a 34-footer at the 4th.

“It was probably my best putting round I’ve ever had,” said the 31-year-old. “I had a great range session and just really putted amazing.”

His 60 is the second-lowest round on the PGA Tour this season, trailing only Jake Knapp’s 59 at the Cognizant Classic earlier in the year.

Sam Stevens and Thorbjørn Olesen both carded nine-under-par 62s to share second. Stevens had a chance to join the 59 club but found the water with his second on the par-five 18th and settled for bogey – his only dropped shot of the day.

“I had to hit a 3-iron perfect to even cover the water,” said Stevens. “I figured that was my best chance to shoot 59, so I gave it a go.”

Chris Gotterup, fresh off a third-place finish at The Open and a win at the Genesis Scottish Open the week before, is among a group three shots back on eight under, alongside Chad Ramey and Matti Schmid.

Zac Blair, Chris Kirk, Jake Knapp and Brendan Valdes opened with rounds of 64, while Rickie Fowler and Emiliano Grillo are among those on six under.

Fowler and Grillo are part of a congested group of players ranked between 60th and 80th in the FedExCup standings, all looking to cement their places in the 70-man Playoffs field in two weeks. Fowler, currently 63rd, summed it up: “At the end of the day, good golf solves a lot of things.”

Gary Woodland (78th) and Patrick Rodgers (66th) both posted 67s. Cam Davis, who started the week ranked 65th, opened with a 71. No 70-ranked Keith Mitchell signed for a 68.

Defending champion Jhonattan Vegas also opened with a 68, while Haotong Li, who played in the final pairing with Scottie Scheffler at Royal Troon, carded a 70.

South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence began his week with a composed 67 to sit inside the top 25. The 27-year-old fired five birdies and one bogey in a tidy round that kept him within striking distance.

Photo: Raj Mehta/Getty Images

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