Last week PGA Tour veteran Brian Harman put on a show at Royal Liverpool to win his first major, and youngster Akshay Bhatia got his first PGA Tour win at the Barracuda Championship. This week, the PGA Tour shifts to TPC Twin Cities Thursday for the fifth annual 3M Open, just two weeks before the FedEx Cup playoffs. This is an important week for many players, including Justin Thomas, looking to play their way into the first playoff event.
TPC Twin Cities
Built on the site of a former sod farm, Arnold Palmer designed TPC Twin Cities and opened in 2000. It played host to the 3M Championship, a PGA Champions Tour event, from 2001-2018 before switching to the 3M Open in 2019. TPC Twin Cities combines white sand bunkers with long fescue in beautiful countryside, giving it a semi-links feel.
TPC Twin Cities will be playing as a par 71, just north of 7,400 yards. The hardest holes for the field last year were the two longest par-4s on the course, two (468) and nine (502). The par-5 sixth and 12th produced the most birdies, and the signature 18th hole is a long par-5 with a large lake guarding the green. The four winning scores at TPC Twin Cities have been between -15 and -21. Expect the winner to get to -20.
The Field
Take a look at the full field and betting odds here.
Tony Finau, last year’s winner, and Cameron Champ are the only past champions in the field. Finau is the favorite at +1300. Sungjae Im will also be in the field. He finished T2 here last year and currently sits 35th in the FedEx Cup standings. Other notables include Cam Young, Hideki Matsuyama, and Justin Thomas.
The majority of the field will be fighting to crack the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings, granting them a spot in the first playoff event. With only this week and next week’s Wyndham Championship left in the regular season, look for some aggressive approaches from many players sitting right around or below the cut line.
Players to Watch
Justin Thomas has had arguably the worst year of his career and currently sits at 75th in the FedEx Cup standings. His best recent finish is a T9 at the Travelers, but he has missed four out of his last six cuts. One of those cuts was last week’s Open, where he posted an abysmal 82 on Thursday. JT also ranks 159th on tour this year in strokes gained putting. He is safely in the first playoff event as of right now, but the BMW Championship only takes the top 70. This is a big week for JT as he tries to get his game back on track.
Sepp Straka has been playing great golf his past two starts, and he is fresh off of a great week at Royal Liverpool. He played a great round in rainy conditions on Sunday, firing a 69 with multiple missed birdie opportunities. Straka is also coming off his first win of the season at the John Deere Classic a few weeks ago. He heads into this week at 15th in the FedEx Cup standings. Straka should be right in the mix come Sunday.
Emiliano Grillo is also coming off of a great week, finishing T6 at Royal Liverpool. He also finished T2 here last year with a score of -14. Grillo has had a solid season overall, winning at the Charles Schwab Challenge back in May along with a few other top 5 finishes. He currently sits at 23rd in the FedEx Cup standings, inside the Tour Championship cut line. Expect Grillo to make the weekend and continue his solid play.
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