Akshay Bhatia, Thorbjørn Olesen at top of crowded leaderboard at 3M Open

More than four hours after Kurt Kitayama posted a record-tying 60, two-time PGA Tour winner Akshay Bhatia and Friday’s leader, Thorbjørn Olesen, moved one shot ahead of him entering Sunday’s final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.

Kitayama started more than four hours ahead of Friday’s leaders and was done before the day’s final pairing of Olesen and Jake Knapp teed off.

Bhatia’s afternoon round of 8-under-par 63 brought him from eight shots back after the second round. He was alone in first place briefly at 18 under par before Olesen struck back, creating a two-man lead that will sleep on it overnight. There are 21 golfers in all within five shots of the lead.

Bhatia had eight birdies and a bogey during a round that included two chip-ins and plenty of body English needed for more than one lip-in birdie putt.

He praised his play out of the rough Saturday and acknowledged he didn’t “particularly hit it great off the tee” but was thankful the greens remained soft.

Bhatia is 23 and a fan favorite who shook 3M Open tournament director Mike Welch’s hand after his round and signed autographs for a mob of young fans.

He has won the 2023 Barracuda Championship and 2024 Valero Texas Open, but he called 2025 a “demoralizing season for most of the year.” He finished tied for third at the Players Championship in March, but he has struggled mostly since then, with zero top-15 finishes.

Denmark’s Olesen on Saturday was right where he was after Friday’s second round: In the lead. His round of 67 Saturday was his worst of the tournament, after he began with a 62 on Thursday and followed with a 66 Friday.

Olesen’s third round included four birdies, a bogey and — wait for it — a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth hole. That shot traveled 209 yards before finding the cup. He said he had two hole-in-ones on the DP World Tour, but never on the PGA Tour before Saturday.

“It was a big bonus to see it go in,” Olesen said. “It has been a long time since I’ve had one, so it’s nice.”

To celebrate with a golf tradition, Olesen sent cold beverages to reporters in the media tent after his round.

Three of the six previous 3M Open champions held at least a share of the lead going into Sunday’s final round.

Gotterup remains in contention, just as he was on Sunday at the Scottish Open that he won two weeks ago, and again last week, when he was third at the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Gotterup’s third round ended with a closing bogey on the watery 18th. With the winds blowing stronger over the former sod farm in Blaine, he hit his final drive into a native area on the left, and then hit his second shot into a bunker.

“I played well,” Gotterup said. “I didn’t like 18, but I liked the other 17. It definitely got windy out there. I gave myself a bunch of looks, and when I made a bogey at 3, I bounced back with a birdie. I felt like I did a lot of good stuff I can carry into tomorrow.”

3M Open leaderboard

Kitayama’s 11-under 60 flirted with that magical score of 59, but a bogey at the 17th hole and a birdie at the eagle-possible 18th sent him to the clubhouse with a three-round score of 17 under par. Kitayama’s round tied the 3M Open record set by Adam Svensson two days earlier.

“Yesterday’s round felt like I didn’t have any control,” said Kitayama, who produced a Friday scorecard with as many bogeys (five) as birdies. “I hit some balls after, talked to my coach and worked through some things on the range. It felt like I found something I could go with, and warming up today felt pretty good. It kind of showed on the course.”