The 2019 3M Open Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is the 2019 3M Open? Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th of July 2019
Where is the 2019 3M Open? TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Mississippi, U.SA
What is the total prize fund of the 2019 3M Open? $6,400,000
What television channel can I watch the 2019 3M Open on in the UK? Sky Sports Golf
Where can I stream the 2019 3M Open? in the UK? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the tournament online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for the 2019 3M Open? https://www.pgatour.com/tourna...
What is the course yardage at TPC Twin Cities? 7,468 yards
What is the par at TPC Twin Cities? 71
What is the course information for TPC Twin Cities? The Arnold Palmer design, with Tom Lehman as consultant, has been a staple on the champions tours since 2001 and has since been upgraded to prepare for the PGA Tour's arrival. Regarded as one of the premium venues on the champions circuit with its rolling landscape, 27 bodies of water and stands of mature oaks, expect scoring to be low here this week.
What is the predicted weather for the 2019 3M Open? Scattered thunderstorms expected during the opening two rounds which could cause some delays. These thunderstorms are predicted to affect some of the morning's play on Saturday with the afternoon and the final round being mostly sunny with temperatures around 27c.
THE HISTORY
As a new professional tournament, Minnesota celebrates its first regular PGA Tour event in half a century, enjoying a higher standing for what before was one of the most popular stops on the PGA Tour Champions. 11 of the top 30 players in the latest FedEx Cup standings will be teeing it up this week in what is set to become one of the tour's new favourite stops.
PGA Tour Champions player Kenny Perry has won the 3M Championship three times since 2014 around TPC Twin Cities. making him something of a course expert. Although course changes will mean the course will play differently, the overall premise of the layout will be similar with many key performance statistics being pivotal.
Notably, driving accuracy and distance were both of the highest level for Perry where he twice hit over 88% of fairways for the week at an average distance of 297 yards or more, making strokes-gained driving a key performance statistic. Furthermore, Perry hit no fewer than 81.48% of greens in regulation during his three wins, making strokes-gained approach the green also vital this week. Additionally, par four scoring will be important with Perry making 48% in 2014, 33% in 2015 and 38% in 2018.
THE FAVOURITES
Brooks Koepka
The world number one is without doubt the best player in the world when it comes to contending in major championships, something that all would love to be able to do. However, with just two additional PGA Tour victories coming in regular events, many are now starting to query how good he actually is. Sandwiched between the last two majors - where he has finished inside the top two on both - are two mediocre finishes, telling you the theme of Koepka’s game. Nevertheless, contending in majors takes energy, focus and the very best all-round game, meaning this is somewhat an unfair criticism. This will be a layout that the aggressive, big hitting machine will be able to overpower and with the final major of the season still three weeks away, he could be in the right frame of mind to blitz the field away this week.
Jason Day
The former world number one is yet to record a top-three finish this season but with four top-fives, he has been close to adding to his 12 tour victories and his all-round game is in position to see him do so. Four top-25 finishes from his last five starts suggest his game is near and with his approach game getting better and better as the season progresses – something that was his only weakness during the first half of the year – he could be the man to watch this week. His driving ability and par four scoring will see him create many birdie chances around TPC Twin Cities and being ranked 13th SG: putting, he should be a factor come Sunday afternoon.
THE OUTSIDERS
Patrick Reed
Unusually, Reed has not won on the PGA Tour since his impressive Masters victory in 2018 with his T5 finish last week being his best on tour since last year’s U.S. Open, over 12 months ago. The controversial American has been struggling from the tee where he ranks 117th strokes-gained, however when he finds a way to get it in play around a golf course that is less demanding from the tee box, his approach-game is what makes him one of the world’s best, where he ranks ninth in strokes-gained. Reed is very much a confidence player and will have taken masses from last week heading to a course that should be quite similar and where he will be forced to attack from the outset.
Byeong Hun An
The young Korean promised to be the next big superstar when he shot onto the scene to win the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, in 2015. However, he has not gone on to quite show the same talent since then. Nonetheless, seven top-25 finishes so far this season suggests he is starting to find his feet on the world’s highest stage and with three finishes inside the top 17 from his last four starts, his form is in solid shape. Tee-to-green he is as strong as anyone, ranking 11th in strokes-gained, but it is his putting that removes so much of that strong play as he is ranked 200th in strokes-gained, losing 0.668 strokes to the field per round. If he can manage to putt even averagely this week, his long game will provide him with many chances to place himself in contention.
Cameron Tringale
A major outsider ranked 429th in the world heads to Mississippi off the back of tying his season’s best finish to date with a T5 finish. His overall form is strong having finished outside the top 25 just twice from his past seven starts that has included two top-five finishes. Ranked 13th in par four scoring average and 31st in strokes-gained approach the green, this is a course that should suit Tringale and help him continue his great run of form. He will need to be better off the tee as he is neither long nor particularly straight, so if he is to take advantage of his approach game then he will have to find some form with the big stick. As a player who has only finished inside the top two four times since turning professional in 2009, a victory this week seems unlikely, but another top-five finish would be just as impressive for a player who has still managed to win $10 million in his career.
