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Summertime rolls along and it’s back to birdies this week as the PGA TOUR returns to TPC Twin Cities for the second edition of the 3M Open. Nothing like another dose of temperatures in the 90s this week but at least the sweat equity will result in low scores in the suburb of Blaine, Minnesota. Matthew Wolff is back and will defend his maiden TOUR victory as he leads a field of 156 looking to grab their share of the $6.4 million purse ($1.152 winner) and add 500 FedExCup points to the ledger.
The 20-year old broke onto the scene last year and pummeled the Par-71, 7,431 yards to the tune of 21-under in just his third start as a professional. The cherry on-top was his off-the-green putt for eagle on the final hole to secure the trophy. In the inaugural event the top 12 players were 16-under and the top 52 were all 10-under or better. There was a round of 62 (-9) posted in all four rounds and 44 bogey-free rounds. The course scoring average of 69.46 for the week suggests all comers are welcome.
The 6,500 square foot Bentgrass greens will provide the largest targets yet since the restart. Prepped to run upwards of 13 feet on the Stimpmeter, those who hit it closest will have an easier time navigating. Although 72 bunkers and 27 water hazards sounds daunting, we’ve seen if the weather cooperates (read: no wind) these guys just fly right by and over. Only three inches or so of Bluegrass/fescue rough is on the menu this week so I’d expect another shootout again this time around.
Tom Lehman and Steve Wenzloff have tuned up the prairie links at TPC Twin Cities after last year’s mid-summer feast. Check Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings linked below for the specific changes.
RELATED: Power Rankings | Sleepers | Expert Picks
2019 3M Open: Top 25 (entered this week)
1 Matthew Wolff
5 Wyndham Clark
5 Carlos Ortiz
7 Sam Burns
7 Lucas Glover
7 Brian Harman
7 Troy Merritt
13 Fabian Gomez
15 Scott Brown
15 Scott Piercy
15 Roger Sloan
15 Shawn Stefani
23 Brice Garnett
23 Denny McCarthy
23 Tom Hoge
23 Arjun Atwal
23 Tony Finau
23 Charles Howell III
23 Johnson Wagner
Recent Winner
2019: Matthew Wolff (-21)
Eagle on the final hole to win as a sponsor’s exemption. … Fired 62 on Sunday to tie the 54-hole lead. … Led the field Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, second Strokes-Gained: Approach, third in Putting: Birdie or Better Percentage and co-led the field in Par-4 scoring. … Seven bogeys (T25) were cancelled out by 26 birdies and the final stroke for eagle. … Led the field in Par Breakers. … Only T62 scrambling. … Won NCAA individual title weeks before.
Notables: Club “62” playing this week: Piercy (Round 1) and Glover (Round 4). … Brown and Burns led the field in Par-5 scoring (-10). … Wolff (-12) and Glover (-10) were the best two in Par-4 scoring. … Brooks Koepka 65th. … 85 players made the cut on 3-under.
Key stat leaders
Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.
Greens in Regulation
4 Aaron Wise
5 Emiliano Grillo
7 Russell Henley
8 Will Gordon
10 Kyle Stanley
11 Harris English
15 Paul Casey
17 Josh Teater
18 Doc Redman
19 George McNeill
21 Matthew NeSmith
23 Cameron Percy
26 Brice Garnett
Proximity
2 Johnson Wagner
5 Doc Redman
7 Jonathan Byrd
9 Vaughn Taylor
9 Tim Wilkinson
11 Russell Henley
13 Seamus Power
14 Emiliano Grillo
18 Chesson Hadley
18 Michael Gellerman
20 Robert Castro
20 Brian Harman
20 Ben Taylor
23 Jason Dufner
24 Ben Martin
24 Josh Teater
Putting: Birdie or Better Percentage
3 Dominic Bozzelli
8 Seamus Power
13 Kristoffer Ventura
15 Tony Finau
16 Dustin Johnson
17 Bronson Burgoon
20 Charley Hoffman
24 Wyndham Clark
25 Chesson Hadley
Rounds in the 60s
3 Harry Higgs
3 Lanto Griffin
3 Doc Redman
6 Carlos Ortiz
6 Patrick Rodgers
6 Henrik Norlander
15 Brian Harman
20 Adam Long
22 Kyoung-Hoon Lee
22 Talor Gooch
30 Adam Schenk
30 Tony Finau
30 Bubba Watson
30 Matthew NeSmith
30 Scott Stallings
30 Sebastian Munoz
37 Lucas Glover
37 Cameron Tringale
37 Harris English
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Source: PGA tour
