What’s On Tap: 3M Open

Major Letdown

Four majors in the books, and this last one was immediately a bittttt of a snoozer. The week started with Brian Harman running and hiding from the rest of the field, and it ENDED with Brain Harman running away to a cake walk victory Now we collectively release our breath and head back stateside for the 3M Open in Minnesota. I know, don’t get too excited at the event itself, get excited to hit a big winner to fuel your football season betting. We need all the bankroll we can get this time of year.

The Open card was all over the board, but alas no true outright winner. We ended up hitting on two of the four major champions this year, and now we turn our attention to the Fedex Cup playoff race, and an upcoming Ruser Cup that 24 players are desperate to punch their ticket for.

Twin City Tribute

TPC Twin Cities has been an annual fixture in pro golf, but is fairly new to PGA Tour fans. The PGA Tour Champions aka the senior circuit held an event there for 25+ years until it was disbanded, and the big tour quickly stopped in to fill the gap. Much like the Travelers Championship or the Rocket Mortgage Classic, this is one of those down-homey second tier city host events that gives off a local feel and a welcoming vibe for some great golf. With the track being a fairly flat and benign TPC style layout at a modest 7400 yards, it doesn’t play very lengthy and the winner has always been -15 or lower for the week. IUt’s highlighted by the par three 17th and par five eighteenth which add to the drama on any player’s scorecard. Matthew Wolff won his first PGA Tour event with a walkoff eagle at 18 and there figures to be a new story to tell this week.

The field for this week’s event in the Twin Cities is decisively lacking, which we can’t be surprised by the week after he year’s final major. While most of the world’s best are hitting the couch hard to rest before the Fedex Cup and Ryder Cup season, you go to give credit to guys defending champ Tony Finau, Cameron Young and Sepp Straka who all showed their face at The Open and have quickly jetted back to the mainland. They headline the field this week looking to lift a trophy in Minnesota.

Forecasting The 3M Open

The Bombers seem to win out, with names like Finau, Cameron Champ and Matthew Wolff as champions in this event’s short history. I’m going to seek out a few long ball hitters that are improving around the greens, and also harp on who’s played this event well in recent years. This week definitely has a horses for courses type of vibe as the same group of players are playing here the week after a major instead of resting up from The Open.

1. Who’s hot and trending – recent high finishes, top 10 streaks and consistent play are never a bad thing.

2. Horses for courses – players love certain courses and course familiarity and experience are invaluable in a field of the world’s best.

3. What the numbers tell you this week – while I’m far from analytical, there’s always a tournament darling or two scattered across the golf talk stratosphere that stuns on paper.

4. Intangibles – while this allows for theater of the mind, there’s a mysterious optimism surrounding a player that feels “due”  or if the price looks just right for buying.

The Open was headlined by the inevitable Tommy Fleetwood heartbreak, and of course he let us down again. The rest of the card was pedestrian at best so it’s a C overall for the final major of 2023. On to the plays THIS WEEK:

THE PICKS

(Wanna start a Pick-X pool with your friends? Learn more here! Or, if you’re looking to start your own PGA One-and-Done pool, check those out here) (Hint: the main difference between the two is how many players you’ll pick each week)

1: Cameron Young – Played well last week, and this is a cookie cutter TPC track that should play right into his hands

2: Ludvig Aberg – Might be the sneaky best driver of the golf ball on tour as of late, this feels like a good week for him to continue to thrive.

3: Sungjae Im – Don;t love his form lately but he finished second here last year and clearly enjoys playing this track.

4: Nicholai Hojgaard – Back to the well with one half of the best twins in pro golf – Nicolai is fit well for this track analytically.

5: Peter Kuest – Off of ANOTHEr impressive week at the Barracuda, this PGA Tour rook is making moves quickly in the game.

6: Nate Lashley – A bit of a flier on a streaky player that has shown his face on past 3M Open leaderboards.

RYP One and Done Pick: Cameron Young

THE DEETS

Where to watch: The Golf Channel has us covered for over half a day of live golf on Thursday and Friday, with CBS taking over for the weekend…I love shopping for homes along the TPC property as you watch on TV.

Why to watch: The final major is in the rear and it’s a prime opportunity for a young gun or fresh face to get a breakthrough win on Tour.

What to eat: I’ll go with a Walleye Sandwich, the unofficial official fish to eat in the state of Minnesota.

Purse: $7.8 million 

Winner’s Share: $1.4 million