Out of the Rough: 3M Open (2026)

With the 2026 majors behind us, the PGA Tour looks to put the final charge into the impending FedEx Cup Playoffs, first with this week’s 3M Open.

This event was established in 2019 and has been held at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota in each of its installments.

Although the majority of the world’s best will use this week as a natural bye-week instead of taking the ten-hour flight from England, that doesn't mean there isn’t much to play for this week.

There are just three events remaining on the PGA TOUR schedule (3M Open, Rocket Classic and Wyndham Championship) before the kick-off of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The Field

Although this week annually serves as a bye week for most golfers, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be teeing it up in Blaine, Minnesota this week.

Beyond Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama (No. 31) is the highest ranked golfer within the Official World Golf Rankings to be playing this week.

Tom Kim (No. 33,) Kurt Kitayama (No. 36,) Maverick McNealy (No. 39,) Gary Woodland (No. 43,) Jake Knapp (No.45) and Sam Stevens (No. 47) are the other golfers within the top 50 of the OWGR to be playing this week. 

Kitayama comes in as the defending champion, winning by a single stroke over Stevens a season ago.

Other former winners of this event teeing it up this week include Lee Hodges (2023,) Tony Finau (2022) and Cameron Champ (2021.) 

The Course

TPC Twin Cities can best be described as the quintessential TPC course layout.

It was designed by Arnold Palmer in 2000 and prior to the last seven installments of the 3M Open, hosted the 3M Championship between 2001 and 2018.

Prior to its addition to the PGA Tour schedule in 2019, the course had undergone a renovation behind Tom Lehman.

The purpose of the renovation was to adapt the course to more of a challenge for modern Tour players.

Tees were pushed back in the renovation, adding nearly 300 yards in total length to the course. Additionally, water hazards were expanded to pose more of a persistent threat on tee shots and approaches.

In the end, the renovation proved to reward the best total drivers who can control their misses, avoid hazards and position themselves in a way to attack the large and receptive greens this course offers.

Now, the course offers both “birdies and trainwrecks” which helps offer some exciting golf.

It plays as a par-71 at 7,431 yards.

There are plenty of short par-fours, a reachable par-five and a stadium style par-tree to keep the crowds engaged. Essentially, what we see at most TPC courses on the TOUR schedule.

Off-the-tee, golfers are faced with tree-lined fairways. The rough is also grown out and as previously mentioned, there are ample water hazards.

The water hazards offer the biggest form of defense to this course, which was evident in the expansion of them in the somewhat recent renovation.

The greens are rather large in terms of Tour standards and are bentgrass. 

The past five seasons have seen winning scores of -23, -17, -24, -17 and -15 respectively, making TPC Twin Cities less than a strict birdie-fest. Hodge’s and Kitayama’s domination of their wins are outliers.

In all, it’s a standard parkland course that does offer its fair share of defenses along the way.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday and Friday both currently call for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation. Saturday is calling for a 25-percent chance of precipitation and Sunday a 20-percent chance. Temperatures will be the lowest on Thursday at 85-degrees before bumping up to 86-degrees on Friday. From there, temperatures will leap to 89-degrees before peaking at 90-degrees on Sunday. Winds are set at nine miles-per-hour from Thursday through Saturday. Winds will shift to 11 miles-per-hour on Sunday.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Accuracy

• Bogey Avoidance

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Scrambling

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Par Five Average Scoring

• Proximity to the Hole From 175-plus Yards

Betting Card

Tom Kim (+3500)

I know Tom Kim won two starts ago at the Genesis Scottish Open and followed that up with a missed but at The Open Championship, but he’s been in too good of form to ignore. He also placed third at the U.S. Open and 15th at the RBC Canadian Open as of late. He placed 28th here a season ago and 26th in 2022. Kim is currently fifth on Tour in both SG: APP and scrambling, eighth in bogey avoidance, 33rd in both ball striking and GIR%, 35th in driving accuracy, 39th in par-five average scoring, 40th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 59th in birdie-or-better percentage, 66th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass and 101st in SG: OTT. 

Jackson Suber (+5000)

On the Tour, Suber is the best when it comes to proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards. He is also fifth in GIR%, eighth in par-five average scoring, 20th in SG: APP, 27th in birde-or-better percentage, 47th in ball striking, 51st in SG: PUTT, 63rd in bogey avoidance, 68th in SG: OTT, 87th in driving accuracy percentage and 93rd in scrambling. Suber impressed last week at The Open Championship, finishing 28th. Prior to that he was sixth at the John Deere Classic. He placed 30th at the Travelers Championship, missed the cut at the U.S. Open but was fourth at the RBC Canadian Open. He also placed 67th at the Charles Schwab Challenge but placed fourth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. He missed the cut here a season ago. 

Jordan Smith (+5500)

Smith has been rather good as of late. He placed 18th at The Open Championship and 21st at the Genesis Scottish Open. He missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open but placed 13th at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He is currently second on Tour in ball striking, tenth in GIR%, 17th in SG: OTT, 29th in driving accuracy percentage, 34th in par-five average scoring, 36th in SG: APP, 47th in bogey avoidance, 79th in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 86th in birdie-or-better percentage and 141st in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. The putter has and will always be the problem for Smith. He did gain with the putter at the Genesis Scottish Open, although slightly. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week.

Michael Brennan (+6000)

Brennan hasn’t been in the best of form as of late but he has shown some flashes. He placed 53rd at The Open Championship, 52nd at the Genesis Scottish Open, 33rd at the John Deere Classic, 43rd at the U.S. Open, missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open and placed sixth at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He is currently second on Tour in SG: OTT, ninth in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 24th in ball striking, 34th in par-five average scoring, 51st in birdie-or-better percentage, 58th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 60th in GIR%, 76th in SG: APP, 79th in driving accuracy percentage, 145th in bogey avoidance and 147th in scrambling. He too will be making his tournament debut this week. 

William Mouw (+10000)

Mouw placed seventh here a season ago and comes into this week on good form. He placed tenth in his latest outing at the ISCO Championship. He also placed 26th at the John Deere Classic, 65th at the U.S. Open and 20th at the RBC Canadian Open. Mouw is currently eighth on Tour in par-five average scoring, 11th in ball striking, 37th in both SG: APP and GIR%, 41st in driving accuracy percentage, 54th in SG: OTT, 62nd in both SG: PUTT Bentgrass and proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, 87th in bogey avoidance, 110th in birdie-or-better percentage and 125th in scrambling. 

Keita Nakajima (+11000)

This was one of my first clicks this week. Nakajima is currently second on Tour in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, fourth in GIR%, eighth in proximity to the hole from 175-plus yards, tenth in ball striking, 25th in bogey avoidance, 50th in SG: APP, 75th in birdie-or-better percentage, 77th in par-five average scoring, 84th in driving accuracy percentage, 87th in scrambling and 92nd in SG: OTT. Nakajima missed the cut at The Open Championship but was third at the Genesis Scottish Open. He also placed 46th at the John Deere Classic, 20th at the RBC Canadian Open, 28th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, missed the cut at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and placed 13th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He’ll also be making his tournament debut this week.

2025 Betting Card

• Taylor Pendrith (+3000) - T68th

• Michael Thorbjorsen (+4000) - MC

• Kevin Yu (+5500) - MC

• Kevin Roy (+8000) - T28th

• Andrew Putnam (+13000) - MC

• Thomas Rosenmuller (+30000) - T25th

2024 Betting Card

• Keith Mitchell (+3300) - T46th

• Sam Stevens (+5500) - T64th

• Chan Kim (+6600) - MC

• Rico Hoey (+8000) - T67th

• Kevin Yu (+9000) - T73rd

• Zac Blair (+25000) - MC

2023 Betting Card

• Sungjae Im (+1600) - MC

• Emiliano Grillo (+2200) - T10th

• Adam Hadwin (+4500) - MC

• Aaron Rai (+5000) - T20th

• Lucas Glover (+5000) - MC

• Kevin Yu (+11000) - T37th