The two weeks of the PGA Tour at Muirfield Village were quite exciting, as has been the case for almost every tournament since the Tour resumed its season in early June. That will be tested this week at the 3M Open, which is the first event to have a weaker field this year than in 2019. However, there are plenty of stars and even more stories.
Let’s take a closer look at this week’s contest, with odds and bets provided through the William Hill Sportsbook.
Event information
Than: 3M open
When: July 23-26
Where: TPC Twin Cities – Blaine, Minnesota
Three things to know
1. United States Open? Last week, Mackenzie Hughes and Ryan Palmer won positions at the US Open in September as the top two finalists in the Top 10 at the Memorial Tournament. This week, two more places are up for grabs, and they’ll likely be more coveted as more players on the field this week aren’t exempt from Winged Foot yet. Entering the US Open is a big problem, so there could be two parallel games on Sunday: the battle for the 3M Open and the battle to enter this year’s US Open.
2. Fighting stars: Dustin Johnson shot 80-80 last week. Brooks Koepka would not currently be included in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Tony Finau melted over the weekend at Muirfield Village. There are several ways to improve this course, but stars who are going through some professional adversity (to varying degrees) are one of the most interesting as golf unfolds this weekend.
3. Tommy Fleetwood returns: The English star has not been seen on the course since the Players Championship in March, where he shot 78 in Round 1 before the event was canceled. It was also a strange race for him. He took five of the top 11 in six events to the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, but missed the cut there before that 78. I’m fascinated to see where his game is this week at TPC Twin Cities.
Field rating
Not bad, and certainly a course I would have taken any time we didn’t have golf during the three-month break. But when you compare it to some of the courses we’ve had so far (and we’ll have for the next two weeks at the WGC event and the PGA Championship), it doesn’t meet current standards. Still, Johnson, Koepka, Finu, Casey and Fleetwood are a charming little Ryder Cup fifteen-year-old who tops the betting favorites. There are still plenty of narratives to draw from this week, and several of them are at the top of this field. Grade A-
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Two interesting bets.
1. Brooks Koepka will miss the cut (+300): Koepka has been so volatile this year and said late last week that his left knee is still not right. This event will be a scoring festival, and if you are not ready to get up and chase it then you will be watching from your home this weekend. (This means that he will now probably win the tournament.)
2. Russell Henley to the top 10 (+350): Henley is normally a great putter, but he hasn’t done very well this year. Still, T7 finished at the Workday Charity Open a few weeks ago, and I love that number to do it again this week at TPC Twin Cities.
3M Open Picks
Who will win the 3M Open and what long shots will surprise the world of golf? Visit SportsLine now to view the projected leaderboard, all from the model who accomplished six golf runs and was extremely tall with last week’s winner Jon Rahm.
