3M Open: Expert Picks

Tournament Information

3M Open
Date: July 22^nd – 25^th
Course: TPC Twin Cities
Purse: $6.6 MM ($1.2 MM to winner)
2020 Winner: Michael Thompson (-19)
OWGR Points: 40

Course

TPC Twin Cities opened in 2000 as an Arnold Palmer design (in conjunction with Tom Lehman). It is a long course registering at 7,468 yards, a par 71 with a course rating of 75.4 and a slope rating of 143. This former farmland is layered with water (27 bodies) and plenty of mature trees. The fairways and greens feature bentgrass, and elsewhere there is a native prairie grass. The target hole will be the 7^th hole which has large beach bunkers and greens that are raised. This course should produce a hefty amount of birdies.

Photo by Chris Condon/PGA

My Starting 4

Matthew Wolff (second selection this year) – The winner here in 2019, he followed up his championship performance with a 12^th place finish last year.

Denny McCarthy (first selection this year) — Denny landed among the top 35 the last two years at TPC Twin Cities. Denny struggles a bit with distance both off the tee and with his irons, but he makes up for it with putting and accuracy with his drives and fairway shots.

Hank Lebioda (first selection this year) – Hank was 34^th here two years ago and then 26^th last year, so on that progression he will be 18^th this year. He’s 42^nd in total strokes gained driving, largely by excellent putting (24^th in strokes gained).

Cameron Tringale (first selection this year) — Cameron vaulted from a 42^nd place finish in 2019 to third place last year. Cameron has four top 35 finishes in his last six tournaments. Hes currently 39^th in FedEx Ranking.

My Bench 2

Dylan Frittelli (second selection this year) — Dylan was 42^nd here in 2019 and then 18^th last year. He comes in strong, having finished fifth last week in England playing at St. George’s.

Brice Garnett (third selection this year) — Brice was a top 30 finisher here both of the last two years. It’s been a bit up and down for Brice lately, who finished 5^th at Travelers Championship and followed that up with a 118^th place finish at Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Fun Fact: Hole 10 features a 500+ yard par 4 with the greens navigating around some rolling hills, bunkers and a lake.

2020-2021 Stats

(1^st percent would be the top golfer picked every week)

Starting 4: Average finish 40^th (30^th percent)
Bench 2: Average finish 50^th (38^th percent)