Ben Kohles completed his bogey-free first round with an eagle for a two-stroke lead at 9-under-par 62 on Thursday at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, making his debut in the tournament at TPC Twin Cities, is three shots back, tied for fifth after his bogey-free 65. Scheffler started his round at No. 10 and was 2 under on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 12 and 18, then heated up with birdies at Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 7.
Kohles, 36, is ranked No. 128 in the world and seeking his first win on the PGA Tour. He finished tied for third at the John Deere Classic on July 5.
He birdied Nos. 2, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 15, then made eagle on the par-5 18th hole. Kohles ranked first on Thursday in greens in regulation (17 of 18), tied for third in driving accuracy (12 of 14, 85.7%) and ranked 39th in feet of putts made (82 feet, 7 inches).
Jackson Koivun, Gary Woodland and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo are tied for second after each shot 7-under 64.
Scheffler is tied at 6 under with Lucas Glover, Michael Brennan, Kevin Roy and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson.
Defending champion Kurt Kitayama is tied for 26th at 3-under 68. He opened with the first of his seven birdies, including No. 1 and 18, but was undermined by a bogey at the par-4 No. 3 and a triple bogey at the par-4 No. 9.
