Thorbjørn Olesen has been riding momentum all week, following up a blistering opening 62 at the 3M Open with a 66 on Friday to take a one-shot lead into the weekend in Minnesota.

But on Saturday, that momentum stalled. With just a single birdie through his first seven holes, the 35-year-old Dane was slipping down a leaderboard crowded with players capitalizing on the generous, scorable conditions at TPC Twin Cities.

All of that changed at the par-3 eighth. Standing on the 209-yard hole, Olesen struck an iron that landed softly, tracked toward the flag and disappeared. The roars confirmed it: the first ace of the tournament and the veteran TOUR pro’s first career ace. The moment reignited his round and vaulted him up to 17-under, in a tie with Kurt Kitayama, who shot an 11-under 60 to set the early pace in Minnesota.

"We were between 7 (iron) and 6 (iron)," Olesen said after his round. "It just felt like I couldn't get there with a 7 so we went for a soft 6-iron. Obviously took the slope perfectly, a big bonus to see it go in. It's been a long time since I've had one so it was nice, it was nice."

Olesen, who entered the week sat 129th in the FedExCup, now has momentum on his side again as he seeks his first career PGA TOUR victory, hoping to rewrite a season that has him outside of the window for retaining full PGA TOUR status and well outside the top-70 threshold for the upcoming FedExCup Playoffs. He hopes to change both of those come Sunday, entering the final round tied for the lead alongside Akshay Bhatia after a third-round 67.

If this week in Minnesota is any indication, Olesen’s story isn’t finished yet.