The first-ever 3M Open golf tournament will be hosted at TPC Twin Cities, located in Blaine, Minnesota. The 3M Open replaces the previous 3M Championship, an event that was hosted at TPC Twin Cities every year since 2001. Unlike the 3M Championship, the 3M Open has a significant prize pool of $6.4 million, compared to just $1.75 million from the 3M Championship last year.
The 3M Championship has been won by Kenny Perry in 3 of the last 5 years, including the final year of the event, 2018. Unfortunately, Perry has had a disastrous season, missing the cut in 7 of his 8 PGA Tour events this year. He withdrew from the 8th and last, in which he would have missed the cut yet again. Perry hasn’t played in a PGA Tour even in over a month and isn’t scheduled to play at the 3M Open, meaning this year will decide a brand new champion.
TPC Twin Cities is an absolutely-breathtaking golf course located just north of Minneapolis. The course was actually designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer, helping make it an annual destination for the PGA Tour. The 18-hole course spans more than 200 acres of country, resulting in a par 72 of just over 7150 yards. Making things a little tricky are the water hazards, of which 14 of the 18 total holes have one.
This week’s field is a little better than the lineup shown at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but it seems many players are still resting in preparation for the British Open later this month. Notably, Tiger Woods continues to rest and sit out of events to prepare for the event. There are still a few big names teeing off in Blaine this week, including Brooks Koepka, Hidek Matsuyama, Tony Finau, Jason Day, and Phil Mickelson.
Brooks Koepka is certainly the most talented golfer scheduled to play at the 3M Open, and for that he is the betting favorite at 8:1 odds. However, Koepka has finished 50th or worse in 2 of his last 3 events. The other event he did finish in 2nd place, and he did win the PGA Championship in May. Brooks has two PGA Tour wins this year, with another 3 second-place finishes. Unfortunately he seems to be slumping lately, meaning he might not be a great pick despite being the betting favorite.
Just below Koepka in betting odds are Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama. Much like Brooks, Day is also struggling with his consistency as of late. While he did finish 8th at the Travelers Championship a couple weeks ago, he didn’t finish better than 21st in 3 of his last 4 events prior, and missed the cut altogether on the 4th. Day definitely had a better start to the year, but you can’t ignore his 6 top 10 finishes this year.
Matsuyama has good odds this week because he’s been incredibly consistent, unlike the other two favorites for the tournament. Matsuyama has made the cut in every event that he has played in this year, finishing worse than 33rd only once. He has 4 top 10 finishes this year, including a recent 6th place finish at the Memorial. He did play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, finishing 13th overall. Simply put, Hideki is going to make the cut no matter what.
Great Picks
Rory Sabbatini, 30:1 – Sabbatini is probably your best choice this week thanks to fantastic showings in the last couple months. He did just finish in 3rd at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week, but finished 43rd and 27th in his two prior events. Fortunately, he has a grand total of 5 top 10 finishes in his last 8 starts. Sabbatini is on an absolute roll and has excellent striking ability to go with stellar use of irons, making him a great choice with decent odds.
Joaquin Niemann, 30:1 – Another great pick here is youngster Joaquin Niemann. Niemann has also been quite good lately, finishing in 5th place in both the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week and the Travelers Championship just a week prior. His last top 10 finish was in November of last year, but he’s red-hot right now. At just 20 years old, Niemann is filled with talent and potential. Right now he seems to be realizing his potential, making it the perfect time to bet on him.
Sung Kang, 100:1 – Kang is the longest shot on this list, but he’s absolutely capable of leaving with a win. He won the AT&T Byron Nelson in May with a cool 23 strokes under par. After that win, he finished an impressive 7th at the PGA Championship, but has missed the cut in two of his last three events. His ability to strike the ball will suit him well in Minnesota, giving him a great chance to win with long odds.
Betting Odds
- Brooks Koepka – 8:1
- Jason Day – 10:1
- Hideki Matsuyama – 10:1
- Bryson DeChambeau – 14:1
- Patrick Reed – 25:1
- Tony Finau – 30:1
- Joaquin Niemann – 30:1
- Viktor Hovland –30:1
- Keegan Bradley – 30:1
- Rory Sabbatini – 30:1
- Sungjae Im – 40:1
- Charles Howell III – 40:1
- Kevin Streelman – 40:1
- Phil Mickelson – 40:1
- Ryan Moore – 40:1
- Kevin Na – 40:1
- Scott Piercy – 50:1
- Adam Hadwin – 50:1
- Lucas Glover – 60:1
- Daniel Berger – 60:1
- Jimmy Walker – 60:1
- Collin Morikawa – 60:1
- Nate Lashley – 80:1
