The seventh edition of the 3M Open will be played at TPC Twin Cities (par 71, 7,431 yards, bentgrass greens) in Blaine, Minnesota this week, which has been the home of the 3M Open since the event’s inception in 2019. This week’s field consists of 156 golfers and there will be a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Below, I have featured two of my favorite long shot outright bets to win the 3M Open on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Andrew Putnam (+7000)
Putnam hasn’t won since the 2018 Barracuda Championship, but he has been in the mix for his second career PGA TOUR victory as of late. When excluding his withdrawal from the John Deere Classic, Putnam has finished T6th, T8th, MC and T11th in his last four starts, in that order. During that T6, which came at another TPC venue in TPC Toronto for the RBC Canadian Open, Putnam carded a career-low 8-under 62 during the third round.
The 36-year-old has shot under par in 12 of his last 15 rounds and Putnam ranks top-15 in both par four performance and SGP this season, setting him up perfectly for his return to TPC Twin Cities this week. Of the last five winners at this venue, three have finished the event top-five in both par four efficiency and SGP.
Putnam has finished T11th and T19th in his last two starts at TPC Twin Cities and the veteran has a real chance to contend this week.
Matti Schmid (+7500)
Schmid has done very well at TPC Twin Cities in the past, finishing T20th and T12th in his two starts at the par 71. That T12 came just last year and during this outing, the German professional posted a 6-under in the third round. Schmid is gaining 1.78 strokes per round at TPC Twin Cities, which ranks eighth among the players in this week’s field that have teed it up at the track more than once.
Schmid’s current form is also compelling. When excluding his withdrawal from the Travelers Championship, the 27-year-old has made five of his last seven cuts worldwide and three of these finishes have been top-seven results. The highlight of these finishes was a runner-up at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May, when Schmid finished one-stroke shy of the winner in Ben Griffin.
Approach play will be extremely important at TPC Twin Cities this week, especially approach shots from 175-200 yards out. 22.6% of approach shots at TPC Twin Cities over the last five years have come from this distance – compared to the PGA TOUR average of 18.7% – and Schmid leads the entire PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole on approach shots from 175-200 yards out this season.
This obviously bodes extremely well for Schmid’s chances this week and he is worth taking a flier on at this long +7500 price for his first PGA TOUR win.
