3M Open Purse – After last week’s 152nd Open Championship in Scotland, the PGA Tour is returning to the United States for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. The course, designed by the legendary golfer and architect Arnold Palmer, is located on a 235-acre property in the Minneapolis suburb of Blaine, Minnesota, which was previously a sod farm. TPC Twin Cities is known for its parkland-style layout, but it’s not a typical parkland course. It features 27 different bodies of water and a housing development, giving it more of a “Florida” feel than a traditional Midwest course.
TPC Twin Cities is known for having one of the highest birdie rates on the Tour. However, it also poses a challenge with one of the highest “double-bogey or worse” rates due to its numerous water hazards and thick rough. The course features several “risk-reward” holes that add excitement, along with a demanding final stretch of holes that can make any lead vulnerable on Sunday.
As the ninth longest course on Tour and with nine holes featuring water near the landing zone, precision off the tee is crucial, giving an advantage to players with strong Total Driving skills. Past winners such as Tony Finau, Cameron Champ, and Matt Wolff are prime examples of excellent drivers off the tee. Additionally, the importance of gaining strokes on approach makes TPC Twin Cities one of the most ball-striking heavy courses on Tour, with 59% of total strokes gained coming in this category.
The 3M Open this week has attracted 10 of the top 50 and 41 of the top 100 players in the world. The field includes players like Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau, Keegan Bradley, Akshay Bhatia, and Sam Burns. There is also depth in the field with players like Cameron Davis, Tom Hoge, Emiliano Grillo, Billy Horschel, J.T. Poston, Aaron Rai, Adam Hadwin, and last year’s winner, Lee Hodges.
TPC Twin Cities has the sixth-highest average of penalty strokes per round on the Tour and has the most “water balls” compared to any other course. Because of this, having control off the tee and avoiding bogeys is more important here than in most other “easy scoring” courses.
Additionally, since the course is not completely lined with trees, there are open areas where the wind can have a greater impact, as we saw in 2022.
Similar to other “easy scoring” events like the John Deere and Rocket Mortgage Classics, there should be many opportunities for birdies, and the winning score is likely to be in the upper teens or higher. Last year, Lee Hodges won the trophy by seven strokes at 24-under. The greens at TPC Twin Cities typically play very soft and receptive, so success comes down to keeping the ball dry off the tee, followed by a test of ball-striking and putting abilities.
From an agronomy standpoint, the rough consists of a four-inch blend of bluegrass and fescue. The fairways and greens are pure bentgrass, with the greens running at around a 12 on the stimpmeter.
Towards the end of the season, the competition for FedEx Cup points intensifies. Many players are motivated to either qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs or improve their position with just two events remaining.
For more information on the 3M Open, head to Betsperts Golf and check out The Rabbit Hole, a unique, officially licensed, fully customizable PGA Tour data search engine. The Rabbit Hole has over 25 metrics that cannot be found or customized anywhere else, along with 40+ course data filters and conditions unique to Betsperts Golf’s tool.
3M Open Purse
Payout Breakdown
Here are the total payouts for this week’s 3M Open:
Position | Prize Money |
---|---|
1st | $1,458,000 |
2nd | $882,900 |
3rd | $558,900 |
4th | $396,900 |
5th | $332,100 |
6th | $293,625 |
7th | $273,375 |
8th | $253,125 |
9th | $236,925 |
10th | $220,725 |
11th | $204,525 |
12th | $188,325 |
13th | $172,125 |
14th | $155,925 |
15th | $147,825 |
16th | $139,725 |
17th | $131,625 |
18th | $123,525 |
19th | $115,425 |
20th | $107,325 |
21st | $99,225 |
22nd | $91,125 |
23rd | $84,645 |
24th | $78,165 |
25th | $71,685 |
26th | $65,205 |
27th | $62,775 |
28th | $60,345 |
29th | $57,915 |
30th | $55,485 |
31st | $53,055 |
32nd | $50,625 |
33rd | $48,195 |
34th | $46,170 |
35th | $44,145 |
36th | $42,120 |
37th | $40,095 |
38th | $38,475 |
39th | $36,855 |
40th | $35,235 |
41st | $33,615. |
42nd | $31,995 |
43rd | $30,375 |
44th | $28,755 |
45th | $27,135 |
46th | $25,515 |
47th | $23,895. |
48th | $22,599 |
49th | $21,465 |
50th | $20,817 |
51st | $20,331 |
52nd | $19,845 |
53rd | $19,521 |
54th | $19,197 |
55th | $19,035 |
56th | $18,873 |
57th | $18,711 |
58th | $18,549. |
59th | $18,387 |
60th | $18,225 |
61st | $18,063 |
62nd | $17,901 |
63rd | $17,739 |
64th | $17,577 |
65th | $17,415 |
66th | $17,253 |
67th | $17,091 |
68th | $16,929 |
69th | $16,767 |
70th | $16,605 |
71st | $16,443 |
72nd | $16,281 |
73rd | $16,119 |
74th | $15,957 |
75th | $15,795 |
76th | $15,633 |
77th | $15,471 |
78th | $15,309 |
79th | $15,147 |
80th | $14,985 |
81st | $14,823 |
82nd | $14,661 |
83rd | $14,499 |
84th | $14,337 |
85th | $14,175 |
86th | $14,013 |
87th | $13,851 |
88th | $13,689 |
89th | $13,527 |
90th | $13,365 |