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(CBS Minnesota) — This year’s 3M Open astatine TPC Twin Cities is sandwiched betwixt the Open Championship successful England and the men’s Olympic play contention successful Japan. Yet galore of the PGA Tour’s champion are making the travel to Blaine, Minnesota for the 3rd lawsuit of the tournament. That includes second-ranked Dustin Johnson and ninth-ranked Louis Oosthuizen. The 2019 and 2020 3M Open were birdie-fests, and this year’s has the imaginable to beryllium arsenic well.
Michael Thompson is the defending champion, shooting a 19-under 265 past twelvemonth to bushed retired Adam Long by 2 strokes. Matthew Wolff, who was the defending champion past year, was besides successful striking region earlier his six-stroke bogey connected the last hole. Wolff won the inaugural 3M Open successful 2019 with a blazing 21-under 263, edging retired Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa. Both Thompson and Wolff, who returns to the PGA Tour aft a two-month break, volition look to adhd different rubric to their resume.
Johnson was the world’s apical subordinate arsenic precocious arsenic past week. While helium tied for eighth astatine the Open Championship, Jon Rahm tied for third. That was each it took for the 2 to power places. It was besides lone his 2nd top-10 decorativeness since February, erstwhile helium tied for eighth astatine the Genesis Invitational. Johnson hasn’t won since the November Masters. A back injury forced him to retreat from past year’s 3M Open aft 1 round.
“He did not play good present past year,” according CBS Sports on-course newsman Dottie Pepper. “But I deliberation having fixed immoderate him immoderate acquisition and not seeing it for the archetypal clip volition help. He does person immoderate momentum aft past week, yet breaking done the apical 10.”
Oosthuizen has played exceptionally good the past fewer months. He’s placed successful the apical 10 successful 5 of his past six events, dating backmost to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. That tally has included a necktie for 2nd astatine the PGA Championship, 2nd spot astatine the U.S. Open and a necktie for 3rd astatine the Open Championship.
“He is starting to putt better,” Pepper observed. “He’s ever been a phenomenal ball-striker, bully operator of the play ball. But things started to crook astir for him erstwhile we were successful New Orleans astatine the Zurich Classic. Granted, helium had a partner. But things truly started to crook successful the close absorption for him. The putter has been the big, large difference.”
Johnson, Oosthuizen, and the remainder of the 156-man tract volition look a TPC Twin Cities people that erstwhile was a sod farm. The par-71, 7,431-yard links course, framed by expansive oaks, spruce and pines, flows done the prairie and hilly terrain of the Minnesota countryside. Small lakes dot the layout, wherever water is simply a factor connected astir holes. The 3 par-5s each attack 600 yards successful length. Despite the h2o and the length, TPC Twin Cities has allowed its just stock of birdies the archetypal 2 years.
“I deliberation it was brushed and gave up astir of the scores due to the fact that of the conditions,” Pepper said. “We had a batch of rainfall successful the archetypal mates of times around. The play people was highly soft. This is simply a hot, adust forecast for the week, truthful I deliberation we’re going to spot a antithetic TPC Twin Cities. Going retired determination shooting darts the mode they did successful the past 2 years is not going to needfully beryllium the case.”
Half of Minnesota is experiencing a drought, and dry conditions tin marque for a firmer course. But the course’s groundskeepers person assured that the TPC Twin Cities volition beryllium successful premier condition, acknowledgment to a mild winter, a adust spring, and a caller interaction of rain.
The course eases players successful with a comparatively abbreviated par-4 that offers plentifulness of birdie chances. At 593 yards, the par-5 sixth spread is simply a treble dogleg starring to a wide putting green. The seventh hole, nicknamed “Tom’s Thumb,” is simply a 372-yard par-4, that could spot immoderate eagles, contempt the caller pushed-back tee. The ninth spread is simply a agelong par-4 astatine 489 yards, but tends to not play up to that region acknowledgment to the wind. The treacherous greenish slopes toward a water connected the right. The par-4 14th hole, measuring 415 yards, doglegs near astir Cavner’s Cove.
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“The TPC Twin Cities had the second-most attack shots deed by the tract from 175 to 200 yards of immoderate people connected Tour successful 2019 and 2020,” Pepper pointed out. “It’s not an casual play course. They person to laic up successful immoderate spots to debar wherever the bunkers pinch in. And there’s a decent magnitude of h2o connected the play people arsenic well. So, if that’s the concern again this year, with longer shots coming successful arsenic hard and fast, I don’t deliberation you’re going to spot these super-low scores [like] the archetypal 2 times this lawsuit was played.”
The country is expecting partially cloudy skies and temperatures successful the mid to precocious 90s for the tournament. Rain is not successful the forecast.
Here are the favorites:
Dustin Johnson (7-1)
Johnson isn’t turning successful top-10 finishes week successful and week out, but helium has played amended of late. He has 4 consecutive top-25 showings, including a necktie for eighth astatine the Open Championship. Eight strokes disconnected the pb was astir apt not the redemption helium was seeking. But a triumph astatine the 3M Open could reconstruct him to fig one. Johnson withdrew from his lone quality astatine TPC Twin Cities owed to a backmost injury.
Tony Finau (14-1)
Finau, ranked 19th successful the world, came successful 3rd successful past year’s 3M Open, arsenic portion of a radical that was 3 strokes disconnected the pace. He’s recovered constricted occurrence this season, including top-10 finishes astatine the Masters and PGA Championship, but has besides missed 2 of his past 3 cuts. Finau hasn’t won successful 5 years, but this TPC Twin Cities people suits his game.
Louis Oosthuizen (14-1)
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Oosthuizen has climbed 13 spots successful the rankings since the commencement of the year. He’s been connected occurrence since precocious April, making the apical 3 successful 3 antithetic majors. But his occurrence hasn’t led to different PGA Tour win. Oosthuizen has conscionable lone 1 Tour victory, which came 11 years agone astatine the Open Championship. He has ne'er played astatine TPC Twin Cities.
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