With the major season now out of the way, the focus on the PGA Tour now turns to accumulating FedEx Cup points ahead of the the playoffs and the Tour Championship at the end of August.
While the players towards the top of the rankings have already done enough to secure their place in the playoffs, there are plenty of players who are still battling it out to ensure they are inside the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings.
This week, points are on offer at the 3M Open in Minnesota. The event is relatively new, with the first edition of the tournament taking place in 2019. The tournament is held at TPC Twin Cities, a par-71 course designed by Arnold Palmer.
Last year, the winning score was -24 so we should expect a return to low scoring and plenty of birdie/eagle opportunities after a bruising weekend at Royal Troon at the Open Championship.
With plenty of big names sitting this one out ahead of the Olympics next week, the field is very open which always adds to the occasion. Ahead of the event starting tomorrow, here our 3M Open betting tips.
3M Open betting tips
Looking at the stats guide for previous winners of this tournament, the two most important stats this week will be strokes gained on approach shots and greens hit in regulation.
Last year's winner, Lee Hodges, ranked first for strokes gained on approach shots while the 2022 winner, Tony Finau, ranked third for both strokes gained on approach shots and greens hit in regulation. The inaugural winner, Matthew Wolf, ranked sixth for strokes gained on approach shots and second for greens in regulation.
Therefore, to pick a winner next week, it's important to focus on players who are performing well with irons and wedges over those who excel off the tee or on the greens.
Tony Finau E/W (Ten places) – 17/2
It's no surprise that Tony Finau is playing in the 3M Open again this year considering how well TPC Twin Cities is set up for him. Finau has played in all five editions of the tournament and has never finished lower than 28th so it's fair to assume he's going to be in contention once again this week.
His best finish came in 2022 when he won the tournament and he also has a t7 and t3 finish to his name at the event. Finau has opened up this week on how much he enjoys the tournament and how good he believes it has been to him.
Finau is ranking as well as ever this season in terms of iron play. On the PGA Tour this season, he is ranked third on strokes gained on approach shots and should be considered as the man to beat this week.
Tom Hoge E/W (Ten places) – 25/1
Tom Hoge is having a rollercoaster of a season on the PGA Tour as he searches for his second-ever win and this could just be the place for him to do it. Last year, he finished inside the top 20 at the 3M Open while the year before, he was in contention for the title, finishing in a tie for fourth.
Hoge is another player whose game is suited to the setup at TPC Twin Cities. He ranks second on the PGA Tour this season for strokes gained on approach shots with Scottie Scheffler the only man above him. The world number one isn't involved this week, which makes Hoge statistically the best approach player in the field.
Kevin Yu top 20 finish – 3/1
Kevin Yu may be ranked outside the world's top 100 but he has an iron game that is the envy of several players on the PGA Tour. Yu is having a solid season, with four top-ten finishes to his name including a sixth-placed finish at the Farmers Insurance Open.
On the season, Yu is ranked fourth for greens in regulation percentage. Of the three men who are superior to him on this stat, only two are in the field this week. On strokes gained on approaches to the green, Yu ranks in 14th place for the season.
3M Open singles
- Tony Finau E/W (Ten places) – 17/2 @ Betfred
- Tom Hoge E/W (Ten places) – 25/1 @ Betfred
- Kevin Yu top 20 finish – 3/1 @ Betfred
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
