3M Open 2026 Preview: Scottie Scheffler a Massive Favorite as Kurt Kitayama Defends at TPC Twin Cities

The PGA Tour makes its lone stop in Minnesota this week as the 3M Open tees off Thursday at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. The par-71, 7,431-yard layout has produced some of the tour’s most under-par leaderboards in recent years, and this year’s field is headlined by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who’s making his first start in Minnesota since the event’s inception.

Defending champion Kurt Kitayama returns to defend his title after closing out a one-stroke win over Sam Stevens last summer, and he’ll have to hold off not just Scheffler but a deep group of contenders looking to cash in on a birdie-friendly course that rewards aggressive iron play.

Scheffler Enters as a Runaway Favorite

Scottie Scheffler is priced at roughly +260 to +275 across most sportsbooks, an enormous gap over the rest of the field just days after his T-4 finish at Royal Birkdale. It’s the shortest number anyone will see all season outside of a major, and it reflects a level of dominance that’s left oddsmakers with few obvious counters. Kitayama sits as the second choice at anywhere from +2200 to +2500, followed by Maverick McNealy (+2350 to +2700) and Hideki Matsuyama (+2800 to +3000).

Beyond the top of the board, Tom Kim, Keith Mitchell, Jake Knapp and rising amateur-turned-pro standout Jackson Koivun round out the group of players oddsmakers view as having a realistic path to the trophy. History suggests scoring will be low — recent winners have finished anywhere from -17 to -24 — so the players who can avoid mistakes on a course that punishes indecision will be the ones playing on the weekend.

What to Watch at TPC Twin Cities

TPC Twin Cities plays as one of the more birdie-friendly venues on tour, and with a 144-man field and a purse of $8 million on the line, the door is open for someone outside the top of the board to make a run. Kitayama’s title defense is a clear storyline, but so is whether anyone can slow down Scheffler, who has been the most consistent player in golf for over a year now.

• Scottie Scheffler’s first-ever start at the 3M Open, fresh off a top-five finish at the Open Championship
• Kurt Kitayama defending his title after last year’s one-shot win over Sam Stevens
• A wide-open second tier — McNealy, Matsuyama, Kim, Koivun and Mitchell all have realistic outright shots
• A birdie-fest course history — the last five winners have all finished at -17 or better

How to Follow Along

Round 1 tees off Thursday morning with tee times split off Nos. 1 and 10, and coverage runs all four days through Sunday’s Blaze Championship finish. We’ll be updating this article throughout the tournament with round-by-round leaderboard movement, contender storylines and betting angles as they develop.

Round 1 Update: 12:30 PM ET

Scottie Scheffler is off to a solid start in his 3M Open debut, sitting third in strokes gained: putting through 12 holes after teeing off at 8:29 a.m. alongside Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. The putter that occasionally betrays him in big spots looks sharp early at TPC Twin Cities, a course that’s traditionally rewarded exactly that kind of precision. Jake Knapp, meanwhile, nearly delivered the shot of the morning, watching a tee shot lip out for what would have been an ace.

Defending champion Kurt Kitayama hasn’t teed off yet — he’s part of the marquee 1:33 p.m. group alongside Billy Horschel and Jackson Koivun off No. 1, with Maverick McNealy following 11 minutes later in a group with Gary Woodland and Tony Finau. Tom Kim tees off at 1:55 p.m. Weather is a non-issue so far: partly sunny, low humidity, highs near 82 and virtually no chance of rain, giving the afternoon wave a clean look at scoring low.

Round 1 Update: 1:00 PM ET

Emiliano Grillo has quietly built the clubhouse lead at -8, but the number everyone in Blaine is watching belongs to Scottie Scheffler, who has climbed into a tie for second at -6 through his morning wave alongside Matsuyama and Sungjae Im. It’s the kind of early pace that lines up with the — 17-or-better scores this course has produced in each of the last five editions, and Scheffler looks in no hurry to slow down before the turn.

Michael Brennan and Chandler Phillips are also tucked in that -6 group chasing Grillo, while Hideki Matsuyama has cooled to -2 through his round. The afternoon wave is about to get interesting: Kurt Kitayama, Jackson Koivun and Billy Horschel go off No. 1 at 1:33 p.m., with Maverick McNealy, Gary Woodland and Tony Finau following minutes later and Tom Kim teeing off shortly after — all still looking to get a number on the board against a leaderboard that’s already stacked up front.

Round 1 Update: 3:00 PM ET

Emiliano Grillo’s lead has shrunk to one as the afternoon wave catches fire at TPC Twin Cities. Grillo sits at -7 through 13 holes, but Lucas Glover and Scottie Scheffler have both climbed into a share of second at -6, with Scheffler grinding his way through 16 holes without a bogey in sight. Chandler Phillips, Michael Brennan and Trace Crowe are bunched at -5, keeping this leaderboard as tightly packed as advertised on a course built to produce exactly this kind of scoring scramble.

Kurt Kitayama’s title defense is finally underway after his 1:33 p.m. tee time alongside Jackson Koivun and Billy Horschel, with Maverick McNealy and Tom Kim also out on the course chasing the pace. None of the afternoon headliners have surfaced on the leaderboard yet, but with morning conditions producing red numbers all over Blaine, the pressure is already on for the late groups to keep pace with a Scheffler-Grillo battle that’s shaping up early.

Round 1 Update: 4:00 PM ET

Jackson Koivun is the first of the afternoon headliners to get on the board, carding a 3-under 67 to sit tied for 24th through his round — a respectable number, but well off the pace being set at the top. The rookie’s tee-time group of Kitayama, Koivun and Billy Horschel has yet to produce a leaderboard threat, leaving Grillo, Glover and Scheffler still holding down the top of the board as the day wears on.

Fan favorites Maverick McNealy and Tom Kim remain out on the course chasing the pace, and with the sun still high over Blaine and scoring conditions unchanged, there’s plenty of time left for someone in the late wave to make a move before darkness settles the first-round picture.

Round 1 Update: 5:00 PM ET

Scottie Scheffler put together the round the leaderboard expected, closing out a bogey-free 6-under 65 that included four birdies on the back nine to move into a share of second. It’s an emphatic answer in his 3M Open debut, and it lines up neatly with the strong SG: putting numbers he was flashing through the front nine hours earlier — the putter that sometimes goes cold on him found its rhythm all day at TPC Twin Cities.

Emiliano Grillo still owns the clubhouse target after stumbling late, opening a three-shot cushion at 8-under through 14 before back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17 trimmed it to a 7-under 64. Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan and Kevin Roy have all joined Scheffler at 6-under from the morning wave, giving Round 1 a five-way logjam at the top with Kitayama, McNealy and Kim still grinding through their rounds late in the day.

Round 1 Update: 6:00 PM ET

Numbers are official for the morning wave, and Scheffler’s putter is the story of the day. He gained more than three strokes on the greens — second-best in the field — while draining 134 feet worth of putts across a card with six birdies and zero bogeys. Grillo’s 7-under 64 still sets the target after his late stumble, with Glover, Brennan and Roy rounding out the group tied with Scheffler one back at 6-under.

Every headline threat still on the course has a chance to reshuffle this board before dark. Kitayama, Koivun and Horschel are working through the back nine of their afternoon loop, while McNealy, Woodland and Finau chase from a similar spot in theirs — Tom Kim’s group not far behind. A clean finish from any of Blaine’s title contenders would immediately vault them into the thick of a leaderboard that’s already produced five rounds of 64 or 65 on a course built for exactly this kind of carnage.

Round 1 Update: 9:00 PM ET

Ben Kohles blew past the entire field in the evening light, carding a bogey-free 9-under 62 to seize the outright Round 1 lead and leave Grillo’s early number in the dust. Jackson Koivun and Gary Woodland joined Grillo in a three-way tie for second at -7, while Scheffler’s 65 now sits in a crowded group at -6 alongside Glover, Brennan, Roy and Jesper Svensson — five players separated by nothing with 36 holes still to play.

The afternoon headliners never found the closing kick this leaderboard demanded. Kitayama finished his title defense at 3-under 68, good for a tie for 26th alongside Tom Kim and Keith Mitchell, while McNealy limped in at even par 71 in a group well outside the top 80. Matsuyama posted a 1-under 70. With the full field now in for Round 1, Kohles owns real breathing room at the top of a leaderboard that’s otherwise packed shoulder to shoulder through the first two tiers.

Round 2 Update: 11:30 AM ET

Ben Kohles is pulling away. His front-nine 65 has turned into a 3-under start to Round 2, pushing him to -12 and opening real separation atop a leaderboard that was packed just 15 holes ago. Jackson Koivun has quietly kept pace on the back of his own Friday charge, climbing to -8 and into solo second, with Michael Kim joining him there after a bogey-free 69 in the first round.

Scottie Scheffler is grinding through his second round alongside a stacked group at -6 that includes Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan, Kevin Roy and Jesper Svensson, none of whom have separated from the pack yet Friday morning. Kurt Kitayama has climbed to -3 in the group behind, still working to erase Thursday’s flat finish, while Gary Woodland and Emiliano Grillo sit at -7 in the tightly bunched chase group just off Kohles’ heels.

Round 2 Update: 1:00 PM ET

Ben Kohles has stretched his advantage into a genuine runaway, climbing to -12 through the front nine and putting real daylight between himself and the rest of the field. Jackson Koivun has moved into a share of second at -8 alongside Michael Kim, while Gary Woodland has slipped back into a four-way tie for fourth at -7 with Austin Smotherman, Troy Merritt and Emiliano Grillo as the morning wave presses through the middle holes.

Scottie Scheffler remains parked in a crowded group at -6, now tied for eighth with Lucas Glover, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Jesper Svensson, Michael Brennan and Kevin Roy — six players separated by nothing through the back half of the second round. Kurt Kitayama has cooled further, sliding to -3 and tied for 34th alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a rough follow-up to Thursday’s stumble that’s putting his title defense squarely on the cut-line watch as Kohles keeps piling on red numbers up front.

Round 2 Update: 3:00 PM ET

The sportsbooks have seen enough. Scottie Scheffler, who opened as a runaway +260 favorite before a ball was struck, has been bet down to +160 after two clean rounds that have him lodged in the tie-for-eighth logjam at -6. Ben Kohles, still the outright leader at -12 through Friday’s front nine, sits at a modest +650 by comparison — the market clearly betting that Scheffler’s closing kick is coming, regardless of who’s steering the board right now.

Jackson Koivun has emerged as the sharpest secondary play at +800, up near the top of the board in a share of second at -8 alongside Michael Kim, while Gary Woodland (+1200) and Emiliano Grillo (+2000) round out the group oddsmakers still trust to close. Kurt Kitayama’s title defense, meanwhile, hasn’t moved the number in his favor — he’s nowhere near the outright market after Thursday’s flat finish left him searching for red numbers on moving day.

Round 2 Update: 3:30 PM ET

History just got made at TPC Twin Cities. Michael Kim closed with four straight birdies — including a nervy 24-foot putt on the par-5 18th — to card a bogey-free 12-under 59, the 15th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history and a new course record. Kim opened the day in a tie for 43rd, made 12 birdies against zero bogeys, and turned in 6-under 29 before running the table on the back nine to vault to -14 and a three-shot lead over Ben Kohles, who added a 2-under 69 to reach -11.

The round completely reshuffles a leaderboard that had been Kohles’ to lose all morning. Jackson Koivun and Gary Woodland now share third, well back of Kim’s number, while Scottie Scheffler took a step backward with a 1-over 73 that has him sliding outside the top tier after his sharp opening 65. Kitayama’s title defense remains buried in the mid-30s, leaving Kim’s record-setting round as the story of moving day with two rounds still to play.

Round 2 Update: 6:30 PM ET

The cut line settled in at 2-under par as Friday’s second round wrapped up at TPC Twin Cities, right in line with the DataGolf projections that had been floating between -2 and -3 all afternoon. Kurt Kitayama’s title defense survives another scare — a 1-over 68 left him at 3-under and comfortably inside the number, a full week after opening with a flat finish that put his weekend in question just 24 hours earlier.

Michael Kim’s record-setting 59 still stands as the headline moment of the tournament, but Ben Kohles’ 11-under total through 36 holes keeps him firmly in the mix a few groups back. Scottie Scheffler’s bogey-free run from Thursday cooled with Friday’s 73, dropping the betting favorite off the pace but nowhere near cut trouble, while Hideki Matsuyama’s rocky finish to Round 1 left him needing every inch of Friday’s card just to see the weekend.

Round 2 Update: 8:30 PM ET

The second round is officially in the books, and Michael Kim’s 59 holds up as more than just a flash — he’s carded a three-shot cushion at -14 heading into the weekend. Ben Kohles finished his 69 to sit alone in second at -11, with Troy Merritt and Jackson Koivun tied for third at -10 after matching 66 and 68 respectively. Scottie Scheffler’s Friday 73 leaves him stuck in a massive logjam at -7, tied for 10th with seven other players including Hideki Matsuyama, Gary Woodland and Michael Brennan.

The cut fell at 2-under, and Kurt Kitayama’s title defense survived by two shots — he closed at -5 in a tie for 28th alongside Tom Kim and Sam Stevens, a rough follow-up to Thursday’s flat finish but enough to see the weekend. Maverick McNealy also made the number comfortably at -5. With Kim holding a three-shot lead and a full field of contenders bunched from -10 down to -7, moving day at TPC Twin Cities is shaping up as a shootout for anyone hoping to run down the record-setting leader.

Round 3 Update: 11:00 PM ET

The number is official at TPC Twin Cities: the 36-hole cut fell at 3-under par, sending 66 players through to the weekend and ending several bigger names’ weeks in the process. Kurt Kitayama and Maverick McNealy both survived comfortably inside the line, keeping alive the two storylines — a title defense and a hometown-adjacent run — that shaped this week’s buildup before a shot was struck.

Saturday’s pairings are set, and the final group says it all: record-setter Michael Kim and first-round leader Ben Kohles go off at 1:35 p.m. ET carrying a three-shot gap into moving day. Scottie Scheffler tees off at noon alongside Hideki Matsuyama, while Jackson Koivun and Troy Merritt follow directly ahead of the final pairing — a stacked stretch of golf lined up for CBS’s afternoon window as the chase for Kim’s 59 intensifies.

Round 3 Update: 8:00 AM ET

Moving day is officially underway at TPC Twin Cities. Michael Kim tees off in the final group at 1:35 p.m. ET carrying a three-shot cushion over Ben Kohles into Saturday, with record-tying 59 still the talk of the tournament as the record-setter tries to hold his position for a full 54 holes.

Scottie Scheffler’s morning tee time alongside Hideki Matsuyama gives him a full round to make up ground from seven back, while Kurt Kitayama and Maverick McNealy start their weekend rounds well down the board after surviving the cut on the number. Expect the leaderboard to start shifting quickly once approach shots start finding trouble on TPC Twin Cities’ back nine.

Round 3 Update: 12:35 PM ET

The bettors have already picked a new favorite. With Michael Kim and Ben Kohles still an hour from teeing off in the anchor group, sportsbooks have flipped Kim to +200 off the strength of his 59, while Scheffler — seven shots back to start the day — is still drawing plenty of action at +600 as the biggest threat to run him down. Koivun (+800), Grillo (+900) and Chandler Phillips (+1600) round out the group oddsmakers see as having a real path if the final pairing stumbles.

On the course, Scheffler is already through his front nine alongside Matsuyama in the marquee noon tee time, looking to erase seven shots of separation over 18 holes. Jackson Koivun and Troy Merritt are out in the group right ahead of the leaders, and Kitayama and McNealy remain deep in the pack after surviving the cut on the number Friday. All eyes shift to 1:35 p.m. ET, when Kim tries to prove Friday’s 59 wasn’t a one-round mirage with Kohles chasing three back.

Round 3 Update: 2:35 PM ET

Davis Thompson has crashed the leaderboard in a hurry, turning in 6-under 29 on the front nine before an eagle at the par-5 12th vaulted him into a share of the lead with Michael Kim at 14 under. Hideki Matsuyama is right behind him, ripping off four birdies in his first five holes to reach 12 under and a tie for second, while his playing partner Scottie Scheffler has gone the opposite direction — an even-par front nine has him stuck at 7 under and tumbled all the way down to a tie for 43rd.

Moving Day is delivering exactly the chaos TPC Twin Cities promised. Chris Kirk climbed 49 spots into the top 10 with a bogey-free 7-under 64, and Davis Chatfield turned in 5-under 30 to reach 10 under and put himself in range of a run at the 59 club. Kim and Kohles have yet to tee off in the anchor pairing, meaning the board at the top is still very much in motion with Thompson’s eagle serving as the biggest jolt of the afternoon.

Round 3 Update: 3:35 PM ET

Scottie Scheffler is quietly climbing back into the picture. After sitting stuck at even par through his front nine and buried in a tie for 43rd, the world No. 1 has clawed his way to 7 under through 15 holes, pulling back into a share of the top-10 logjam alongside Hideki Matsuyama and Michael Brennan. It’s the kind of late move that’s become his signature all year, and with three holes left to play, he’s putting himself in position for a real run at Sunday.

Up front, the final pairing is now underway, with Michael Kim protecting his three-shot cushion over Ben Kohles in the marquee 1:35 p.m. tee time. Jackson Koivun and Troy Merritt, both within four shots of Kim’s 14-under total, are out just ahead of the leaders looking to force the issue before the group reaches the closing stretch. Chandler Phillips and Emiliano Grillo remain in the mix a few shots back as well, keeping Moving Day’s leaderboard as crowded as advertised.

Round 3 Update: 6:00 PM ET

Scheffler didn’t just claw back — he finished the job. Three straight birdies on Nos. 10-12 pushed him to 10 under, and while he’s still shy of the lead, the world No. 1 is squarely back in the mix after Saturday’s front-nine stumble threatened to bury him. Hideki Matsuyama made the turn in 5-under 31 to reach 12 under, tucking into a tie for second just two back of the top of the board — a far cry from the group’s rough finish to Round 1.

Up front, Davis Thompson and Seamus Power have taken over the clubhouse lead at 14 under, both carding 8-under 63s to match Michael Kim’s total from Friday. Thompson’s round included a front-nine 29 and an eagle at the par-5 12th, briefly putting him on 59 watch before he settled for the tie. With Kim and Kohles still working through their round in the marquee final pairing, the leaderboard remains unsettled heading into the closing stretch of moving day.

Round 3 Update: 6:35 PM ET

Scheffler didn’t stop at the turn back into contention — he kept going. A birdie at 15 and a holed-out eagle from 55 feet in the rough at the par-4 16th turned a quiet comeback into a genuine statement, and the world No. 1 signed for a 7-under 64 to reach 13 under, one shot off the clubhouse pace set by Davis Thompson and Seamus Power. He walked off 18 having shot the best round of anyone in the field not named Kim, and he’ll be the outright betting favorite for Sunday no matter where the final pairing finishes.

That final pairing is still out working through the back nine, with Michael Kim protecting his 36-hole cushion over Ben Kohles as both try to hold off a leaderboard that has bunched right back up around them. Jackson Koivun’s solo lead earlier in the day has since been swallowed by the pileup at the top, and with darkness closing in on Blaine, the last group’s finish will decide exactly how many players start Sunday within a shot of the lead.

Round 3 Update: 7:30 PM ET

Jackson Koivun ended moving day the way nobody saw coming a few hours earlier. The 21-year-old rookie played his final 10 holes in 9-under, capped by a tournament-record 28 on the back nine that included two eagles, and rolled in a 14-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole to sign for a 10-under 61. That gives Koivun, in just his third start as a pro, a three-shot cushion over Ben Kohles and Emiliano Grillo heading into Sunday’s final round.

Scottie Scheffler’s Saturday surge held up as advertised — his 7-under 64 puts him at 14 under, tied for a share of first when he walked off the 18th green before Koivun’s finish reshuffled the board. Michael Kim couldn’t back up Friday’s 59, managing just one birdie until No. 16 en route to a 70 that leaves him at 15 under alongside Denny McCarthy and Billy Horschel, while defending champion Kurt Kitayama’s 66 moved him to 10 under. With Koivun out front and Scheffler lurking, Sunday’s Blaze Championship final round is shaping up as a heavyweight duel.

Round 3 Update: 9:30 PM ET

The final Round 3 numbers are locked in, and Koivun’s rewritten record sits at 20 under after his 61, three clear of Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles at 17 under. Michael Brennan and Chandler Phillips linger at 16 under, while Denny McCarthy, Billy Horschel and Michael Kim are bunched at 15 \u2014 Kim’s failure to back up Friday’s 59 has dropped him from co-leader to fringe contender overnight. Scottie Scheffler’s 64 leaves him at 14 under, six back of Koivun but very much alive given his track record of closing.

Sunday’s Blaze Championship pairings are set, and the tee sheet tells its own story: Scheffler goes off at 11:50 a.m. local alongside Brian Harman, well ahead of the anchor pairing, while Koivun and Grillo \u2014 the two co-leaders in the clubhouse \u2014 close out the day together at 12:40 p.m. Kurt Kitayama’s title defense continues from well down the board in a 10:45 a.m. tee time, needing a career round to make a run. With Koivun chasing his own piece of history at just 21 years old and three starts into his pro career, Sunday shapes up as a two-man race with Scheffler lurking as the wild card.

Round 4 Update: 1:35 PM ET

Sunday’s Blaze Championship is officially in motion at TPC Twin Cities, and the betting market has crowned Jackson Koivun the overwhelming choice to close it out at -150, with Ben Kohles (+750) and Emiliano Grillo (+800) next in line. Scottie Scheffler, despite sitting six shots back to start the day, still commands +1200 given his track record of finishing tournaments off — he’s already through several holes after teeing off at 12:50 p.m. alongside Brian Harman.

The anchor pairing of Koivun and Grillo just went off at 1:40 p.m., putting the tournament’s co-leaders in the same twosome for the walk down the stretch. Kohles and Michael Brennan, the two players sandwiched between them at 17 and 16 under respectively, teed off ten minutes earlier and will be playing their round in full view of the leaders behind them. Defending champion Kurt Kitayama, who needed a career round just to get in the mix, is already well into his back nine from a 10:45 a.m. start with ground to make up.

Round 4 Update: 4:05 PM ET

Scottie Scheffler has spent the back nine making this interesting, ripping off three birdies in a four-hole stretch to climb to 20 under and pull within three of Jackson Koivun’s pace at 23 under. The world No. 1 got a chance to cut it to two on the par-4 14th, but his six-foot birdie try caught the lip and spun away, keeping his deficit at three with five holes to play.

Koivun answered the pressure with the poise that’s defined his week, rolling in a 15-foot par save on the ninth after Scheffler’s surge to protect his cushion. The 21-year-old has now hit 20 straight greens in regulation dating back to Saturday, and with Emiliano Grillo grouped alongside him in the final pairing, the rookie’s command of his ball-striking is the biggest reason this still feels like his tournament to lose down the stretch.

Round 4 Update: 5:00 PM ET

Jackson Koivun’s par save on nine has held up as the turning point of the back nine. Scottie Scheffler couldn’t find another gear after his three-birdie burst, playing the stretch since in par-bogey golf that’s stalled his charge at 20 under, still three back with the group now working through the closing holes. Emiliano Grillo, paired alongside the leader all day, hasn’t been able to apply any pressure of his own and remains outside the top two.

Koivun’s 20 consecutive greens in regulation streak is the number defining this tournament. A 21-year-old making just his third professional start has answered every push from the world No. 1 without blinking, and the door that briefly cracked open on the back nine looks to be closing again as the group nears the clubhouse. Barring a late collapse, this is shaping up as a wire-to-wire coronation.

Round 4 Update: 6:00 PM ET

Jackson Koivun closed the door for good. The 21-year-old carded a bogey-free 6-under 66 in the final round to finish at 25-under for the tournament, setting a new 3M Open scoring record and holding off Scottie Scheffler by three shots. It’s his first career PGA Tour victory, coming in just his third start as a professional, and it’s worth a $1.584 million payday.

Scheffler’s back-nine surge earlier in the round proved to be as close as he’d get, unable to find the closing kick needed to run down a rookie who simply didn’t blink. Koivun’s 20-plus consecutive greens in regulation streak held up all the way to the 18th, capping a wire-to-wire performance built on ball-striking precision that never wavered under the pressure of chasing his first win against the World No. 1. The 3M Open is in the books, and college golf’s biggest recent star is now a PGA Tour champion.