The PGA TOUR is back in the States this week after the final major of the year came to an exciting finish on Sunday. After The Open Championship, the next tournament on the schedule is the 3M Open, which will take place in Blaine, Minnesota, at TPC Twin Cities. The tournament tees off on Thursday, July 23, and will conclude on Sunday, July 26, weather permitting.
Let’s start the week with a look at the format, history, and course for the 3M Open.
The Format of The Open Championship
The format of the 3M Open is a standard full-field event on the PGA TOUR with 156 players in the field and a cut to the top 65 players and ties after Round 2. Scoring is also standard stroke play with the lowest cumulative score after four rounds winning the championship.
Because of where it falls in the schedule, the event is especially important for players looking to make a push in the playoffs. Over the next three weeks, players will look to push into the top 70 to claim a spot at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and secure their status for next season’s big events.
The purse for the 3M Open will be announced later this week, but last year, the total purse was $8.4 million, with $1.51 million going to the winner.
The History of the Tournament
The 3M Open has been a regular stop for the PGA TOUR since 2019. The event has only taken place at TPC Twin Cities throughout its history and is usually a low-scoring event that allows the pros to ease back into the normal flow after a couple of weeks overseas.
Matthew Wolff won the inaugural 3M Open in 2019 with Michael Thompson, Cameron Champ, Tony Finau, Lee Hodges, Jhonattan Vegas and Kurt Kitayama following him to the winner’s circle. All the winning scores have been -15 or lower, with Hodges setting the tournament record with a -24 in 2023.
Last year, Kitayama shot a career-best and tournament-record-tying 60 on Saturday and held on to win by one stroke over Sam Stevens on Sunday. Kitayama claimed the win with his older brother, Daniel, as his caddy. Akshay Bhatia and Thorbjorn Olesen were in the final group with Kitayama but faded on Sunday.
This year, the field is a little stronger due to one huge addition. Scottie Scheffler is in the field coming into the week as he looks to get back on track after plenty of high finishes but no wins since January. Scheffler is the heavy favorite in this week’s full field and opening odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, although there are plenty of other recognizable names in the mix, along with some emerging players looking to get a win and vault up the standings before the Playoffs.
A Closer Look at the Course
TPC Twin Cities is in Blaine, Minnesota, just north of Minneapolis. The course opened in 2000 and hosted the 3M Championship on the PGA Tour Champions from 2001 to 2018. In 2019, the 3M Championship became the 3M Open, and it moved from the Champions Tour to a main PGA TOUR event.
The track itself is a collaboration between Arnold Palmer and Tom Lehman that transformed a sod farm into a great parkland layout. While it typically allows plenty of birdies, it also has some teeth with thick rough and 27 different bodies of water scattered across the property. It has one of the highest birdie rates of the regular stops on the PGA TOUR but also produces one of the highest double-bogey or worse rates. The course presents plenty of risk/reward opportunities down the stretch, where a birdie is definitely a possible score, but a wayward shot can result in dropping multiple shots.
The volatility typically keeps the final stretch on Sunday full of drama, with a wide range of scores possible on most holes. For a closer look at some of the featured holes, check out the official site of TPC Twin Cities.
Overall, the course is a very long layout that favors players who hit the ball a long way off the tee. However, water is in play on nine tee shots, so accuracy is critical as well. Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee is an important stat to target as you make your selections this week, while Strokes Gained: Approach is always important as well, as players look to set up birdie opportunities. Players who can go low and stack up birdies in low-scoring events should be able to push their way to the top of the leaderboard and improve their position in the race to the Playoffs.
As you get ready for this week’s tournament, be sure to get your DFS fantasy golf lineups and betting cards filled out with help from DK Network! We’ll have ongoing coverage throughout the week to help you enjoy this weekend’s tournament.
