The PGA Tour continues its 2020 season this week, heading to Iowa’s northern neighbor Minnesota.
The 3M Open begins play on Thursday at TPC Twin Cities. Headlining this year’s field is Dustin Johnson, currently No. 4 in the world rankings.
Viewers and Iowa sports bettors can watch the 3M Open on The Golf Channel on Thursday and Friday (2:30 p.m. EST). On Saturday and Sunday, the final two rounds will air on CBS (3 p.m. EST).
Johnson opens weekend as 3M Open favorite
Playing in his fifth PGA event since the tour returned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson is seeking his second win of 2020.
In a field lacking a lot of golfers atop the world rankings, golf oddsmakers see him as the favorite this weekend. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Johnson with +1,100 odds to win the tournament.
DJ grabbed a win at the end of June, taking the Travelers Championship by one stroke from Kevin Streelman.
It has been a hit-or-miss return for Johnson, as he has missed two cuts out of the four he has competed in since PGA play has resumed.
Wolff looks to defend 3M Open title
Matthew Wolff won the inaugural 3M Open last year. Wolff topped Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa by one stroke, posting a 21-under, 263 total.
Wolff is currently ranked 55th in the world golf rankings. He is coming off a 22nd-place finish in last week’s Memorial Tournament and has competed in six events so far. He has missed three cuts and finished outside the top 20 in two other events.
Wolff’s best showing for the year was a second-place finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic a few weeks ago in Detroit.
Oddsmakers think Wolff has a reasonable chance to repeat as champion. DraftKings Sportsbook currently lists the 2019 winner with +2,500 odds.
DeChambeau and Morikawa will not be playing in this year’s tournament.
Koepka, Fleetwood highlight other top 3M Open contenders
Along with Johnson and Wolff, oddsmakers see Tony Finau (+1,400), Tommy Fleetwood (+1,500), Brooks Koepka (+1,600) and Paul Casey (+2,200) as top contenders this week.
Of that group, Koepka ranks the highest at No. 6 in the world. The former top-ranked golfer is coming off a disastrous 80 in his final round at the Memorial Tournament last weekend.
A knee injury has been plaguing Koepka, who has just one top-10 finish in nine events for 2020. Koepka competed in the 2019 3M Open, but struggled his way to a 65th-place finish.
Fleetwood enters this tournament No. 12 in the world rankings. The European Tour regular is playing in his first golf tournament since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
In five events for 2020, Fleetwood has two top-five finishes and four top-20 performances.
What golfers could surprise the 3M Open field?
The lack of big names at the 3M Open leaves the door open for a big payday behind a long shot.
Sam Burns (DraftKings: +4,500; FanDuel: +3,600) ranks 169th in the world right now.
However, he has finished 30th or better in his last three tournaments and has missed just one cut in his last seven tournaments. Burns placed 17th in his last event, the Workday Charity Open.
Brian Harman (DraftKings: +5,500; FanDuel: +5,000) isn’t inspiring a lot of recent confidence.
The 134th-ranked golfer has missed three straight cuts. However, Harman still has good value with such long odds. He finished seventh in last year’s 3M Open after missing the cut the week prior.
Troy Merritt (DraftKings and FanDuel: +7,000) is in a similar situation. Merritt has just one top-10 finish in 12 events this year. However, he was tied for seventh on this course a year ago. Merritt also finished eighth in the Rocket Mortgage Classic a few weeks ago.
Bernd Wiesberger (DraftKings: +9,000; FanDuel: +8,500) is an interesting option as well.
He looked shaky in his return after the pandemic, missing the cut last weekend in the Memorial Tournament. Despite that, Wiesberger is 29th in the world rankings and had three wins in 2019. Shaking off the rust last week could spark a big tournament this weekend.
