Sleeper Picks: 3M Open

Sam Burns … Three straight solid weeks in the restart has him positioned comfortably at 103rd in the FedExCup. The burst included 11 consecutive red numbers and ended with a T17 at the Workday Charity Open where he entered the final round sitting T4. As one of the longest hitters on the PGA TOUR, he feasts on par 5s. Currently T20 in the stat. Fittingly, he co-led last year’s field on the trio of par 5s at TPC Twin Cities en route to a share of seventh place. Currently 29th overall in Strokes Gained: Putting as well. For a bump, his 24th birthday coincides with the opening round on Thursday.

Ryan Armour … Debuting with a scoring average of 2.96, the par 3s at TPC Twin Cities were the third-easiest of 49 courses in all of 2018-19. It’s rarely a statistical advantage for any golfer, but he’s among the profiles that rush to mind for whom it can be. Sits T33 in par-3 scoring average thanks primarily to laser-like precision off the tee and a better-than-average blend of distance control and accuracy with his irons. During recent top 10s, he ranked T3 in par-3 scoring at the TPC River Highlands and led the field in par-3 scoring in Detroit.

Kristoffer Ventura … With a pair of wins and two third-place finishes in just 11 starts in what was his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, the Oklahoma State University product was poised for a seamless transition to the highest level of the sport. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way. In his first 12 starts on the PGA TOUR in 2019-20, he made just four cuts (two for top 20s) and sat 168th in the FedExCup. Suffice it to say that the time off has paid off as he’s finally landing punches as a terrific putter and dangerous scorer. Since the break, he’s a combined 4-for-4 with a T21 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a pair of top 10s on the KFT.

Ben Martin … Slowed by a back injury early in 2019, he was choosy with his playing time on a medical extension to begin this season. He didn’t meet the terms, but the 32-year-old already had secured conditional status to trigger a handful of starts thereafter. This is just his second on the PGA TOUR post-hiatus, but he sandwiched a missed cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic with top 10s on the Korn Ferry Tour. Currently 153rd in the FedExCup with three top 25s in just 10 starts.

Seamus Power … While just 179th in the FedExCup and with only 26 rounds contributing this season, he presents as one of the most impressive on paper. Those analytics align beautifully with the requirement of this week’s test. The 33-year-old is 61st in greens in regulation, 13th in proximity to the hole, T8 in putts per GIR and eighth in converting his GIR into par breakers. He’s above average in length off the tee and slots T30 in par-5 scoring. In his last start on the PGA TOUR, he finished T12 in Detroit where he started the final round at T4. Sat out last year’s 3M Open in favor of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in his homeland.

NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.