There’s another Wake Forest alumnus in contention for victory entering the final round of a PGA Tour event. And no, Cameron Young and Alex Fitzpatrick aren’t playing this weekend.
Michael Brennan shot a PGA Tour career-best 63 Saturday to move to 16-under-par 197 through 54 holes at the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. Koivun shot 61, including 28 on the back nine.
The 24-year-old Brennan, who won in 2025 at the Bank of Utah Championship, is tied for fourth place, four shots behind 21-year-old Jackson Koivun, who moved to Chapel Hill from California in high school. He will play in the second-to-last twosome at 1:30 p.m. Sunday with Ben Kohles, who is tied for second with Emiliano Grillo at 17-under. Brennan grew up in Leesburg, Virginia.
Brennan was tied for the lead prior to Koivun making two birdies and an eagle on his final four holes.
Koivun ranks No. 71 in the FedEx Cup points standings, two spots ahead of Brennan. With good performances on Sunday both should improve significantly in the rankings in the quest for the playoffs, which begin after the Wyndham Championship, Aug. 6-9 at Sedgefield Country Club.
North Carolina natives Ryan Gerard (18th FedEx Cup) and Alex Smalley (24th) have committed to play at Sedgefield, joining Young (3), Alex Fitzpatrick (19) as Wyndham commitments. Many players wait until the deadline (Aug. 1 this year) before committing to events.
Other top in-state possibilities for Wyndham include Akshay Bhatia (12), J.T. Poston (26) and Ben Griffin (36).
The top 70 qualify for the first round of the playoffs, but only the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup winner will be determined.
