The man who has held the world No. 1 ranking for nearly 200 weeks has not been in the winner’s circle for nearly 200 days. The latter’s winning streak could be in jeopardy this weekend, as Scottie Scheffler caught fire en route to opening with a 6-under 65 on the greens at TPC Twin Cities on Thursday at the 2026 3M Open.
Scheffler’s 6-under-par number puts him three shots behind first-round leader Ben Corles, who had a memorable summer with a 9-under 62. He is two strokes behind Jackson Koivan, Gary Woodland and Emiliano Grillo. Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan, Jesper Svensson and Kevin Roy are tied with Scheffler at 6 under.
“I didn’t hit a lot of fairways early on, but I was able to hang in there and get out of some trouble areas without making bogeys,” Scheffler said. “That was important and I was able to keep the momentum going. Once I started hitting the fairways and seeing things go a little bit, (I) was able to start getting some birdies.”
Following a week at the British Open where he made just six putts from outside 10 feet, Scheffler nearly matched that total Thursday with five putts. The 20-time PGA Tour winner missed a birdie from 7 feet on the first hole, but with mallet in hand and more than three strokes over the field, it was the last chance he missed.
Scheffler’s birdie conversions were 15 feet on the 12th (third hole of the morning), 17 feet on the 18th, 15 feet on the first, 30 feet on the fourth, 3 feet on the sixth and 10 feet on the par-4 seventh, his final round of the day. Between all the birdies, he also made an 18-foot leaper save on the 15th to keep his scorecard clean.
“Fresh greens are a little easier to grow than lynx greens,” Scheffler says. “Part of playing links golf is the ball isn’t going to roll the right way every time. Last week I felt like that was wrong. I came out here and made sure I lined up where I wanted it to and made sure I was hitting it on that line and that was it.”
Scheffler will look to keep his foot on the gas for the next 54 holes in a field filled with players looking to move up not just on the leaderboard, but also in the FedEx Cup standings, which is dominated by the No. 1 ranked player in the world.
“Golf is fun,” Scheffler said. “Some days I’m hitting the line and it looks like it’s running toward the hole, and other days it feels like I’m doing the same thing and it’s going around the hole. But today was one of those days where I holed some good putts, so I was able to get some birdies.”
leader
1. Ben Coles (-9): Coles signed at the lowest round of his PGA Tour career, but is in position to move up the FedEx Cup standings, just as he did last month. Coles, who splits his time between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour, was determined to keep moving forward on the circuit after a heartbreaking loss at the John Deere Classic, which moved him to No. 8 in the Korn Ferry Tour standings thanks to a win in June. Ranked 100th in the season-long race on the PGA Tour, he will need an extraordinary effort over the next three weeks to keep his playoff hopes alive. Thursday’s game against TPC Twin Cities was a much-needed start for him as he improved his approach to five-plus shots on the field for his career day.
“After John Deere, I think I was able to talk to the team and put myself in a position to play as much as I can here,” Coles said. “Even if I don’t make the FedExCup Playoffs in the next three weeks, I still have a chance to play in the six remaining Korn Ferry (events). Given the start I got and the way I’m sitting there, I feel confident in myself that I can still make it even if I skip a few weeks. Yeah, my main focus is not worrying about that at all and trying to get into the top 70.”
contestant
T2. Jackson Koibun, Gary Woodland, Emiliano Grillo (-7)
T5. Scotty Scheffler, Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan, Kevin Roy, Jesper Svensson (-6)
Missing the cut in his professional debut may be old history for Koibun. Following a short week at the John Deere Classic and a top-10 finish at the ISCO Championship, the 21-year-old is settling in by the week, helping the cause with 64 points on Thursday. Koibun made a 10-foot birdie conversion on the par-4 first and immediately uncovered the hole. He added makes from 41 feet, 15 feet and 12 feet by the turn, kept the rotation in the second half and maintained an aggressive approach when needed.
“As the scores show, the golf course is definitely up for grabs,” Koibun said. “Just playing smart and trying to score. Just executing at the right times and being aggressive when we can. I felt like we were able to take advantage of that today.”
Updated odds and picks for 2026 3M Open
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
- Scotty Scheffler: +160
- Ben Coles: 6-1
- Jackson Koibun: 9-1
- Gary Woodland: 14-1
- Emiliano Grillo: 17-1
- Michael Brennan: 23-1
- Lucas Glover: 30-1
This tournament goes through Schaeffler. It would be wise to add him now, but let’s go back to the first read instead. At 3 under, Kim didn’t have his best showing on Thursday, but at 50-1 he still remains an attractive value, especially after a quick comeback in the second round.
