The world No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, caught fire on the greens Thursday at the 2026 3M Open, firing off an opening 6-under 65 after struggling with his putter just last week at The Open. This red-hot performance at TPC Twin Cities has him sitting three strokes behind first-round leader Ben Kohles, but after nearly 200 days without a win, Scheffler is making it clear this long streak might finally be over.
Scheffler’s Putter Makes a Stunning Comeback
Just last week at The Open, Scheffler sank a mere six putts from outside of 10 feet. On Thursday, he nearly matched that total, draining five monster putts in Round 1 alone. That’s a huge shift. He missed a 7-foot birdie on his first hole, but after that, it was pure money. Scheffler gained north of three strokes on the field with his putter, proving that whatever was off last week is definitely *on* now. We saw birdie conversions from 15 feet on No. 12, 17 feet on No. 18, another 15 feet on No. 1, a massive 30-footer on No. 4, a short 3-footer on No. 6, and a crucial 10-footer on the par-4 7th. He even saved par with an 18-foot clutch putt on No. 15. Talk about cleaning up the scorecard. Scheffler admitted, “I didn’t hit a bunch of fairways early, but I was able to kind of manage my way around and get out of some trouble areas without making any bogeys.” It sounds like he’s finding his rhythm, and that’s a dangerous sign for everyone else.
Ben Kohles Is Running Wild at the Top
While Scheffler was busy resurrecting his putting game, Ben Kohles was absolutely tearing up the course, delivering a blistering 9-under 62 to grab the Round 1 lead. This guy is having a summer to remember, and he’s two strokes clear of the chasing pack, which includes Jackson Koivun, Gary Woodland, and Emiliano Grillo. Scheffler, along with Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan, Jesper Svensson, and Kevin Roy, are all tied at 6-under, trying to keep pace. It’s a stacked leaderboard, but Kohles definitely set the bar high early. Scheffler pointed out the difference between greens, noting, “Fresh greens are a little bit easier than like links greens… Felt like I was just on the wrong end of that last week.” He focused on his line, and it paid off big time.
What’s next? Scottie Scheffler will be looking to keep that foot on the gas for the next 54 holes. With his putter finally cooperating and him leading the FedEx Cup standings, you know he’s not just playing for the 3M Open trophy. He’s trying to send a message. As he said, “Golf’s funny. Some days, you’re hitting your lines… and other days, it kind of goes around the hole. But today was a day in which I was able to hole some nice putts, and that’s why I was able to make some birdies out there.” Can he keep it rolling and finally break that winless streak? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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