Niall Lyons has four tips for the 3M Open in TPC Twin Cities, Minnesota this week.
3M Open
TPC Twin Cities, Minnesota. The Arnold Palmer designed Twin Cities in Minnesota hosts the 3M Open for the 6th year on the trot.
The first renewal of this event back in 2019 saw Wolff hold off Dechambeau and Morikawa in a thrilling affair which was dominated by an excellent tee to green game.
Wolff topped that stat when winning here and Morikawa was 2nd in the same category finishing one shot behind. That hasn't quite been the case since with Thompson not faring as well from tee to green when winning but sitting atop the putting stats for the week.
Similar played out in 2021 when Champ's long game wasn't the story behind him winning, but more so ranking 1st in SG Putting for the week.
In 2022 it returned to tee to green specialists with the top 3 Finau, Grillo and Im all ranking inside the top 5 in SG tee to green. Last year Hodges topped the tee to green statistic for the week when winning, with approach play being the key element.
Clearly the big hitters can go well here but it's not necessary and if you lack in that department you certainly have the chance to make up for it on the greens.
Below is a look at the stats of the top performers of the last three editions of the 3M Open.
Former Winners / Winning Score:
- 2023 - L.Hodges (-24)
- 2022 - T.Finau (-17)
- 2021 - C.Champ (-15)
- 2020 - M.Thompson (-19)
- 2019 - M.Wolff (-21)
3M Open Tips
- 2.5pts each-way A.Bhatia 25/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower
- 2pts each-way L.Clanton 28/1 (1/5 8) Skybet
- 1pt each-way A.Eckroat 80/1 (1/5 8) Paddypower, WilliamHIll
- 1pt each-way D.Berger 150/1 (1/5 8) Skybet
Akshay Bhatia at 25/1 (Eight Places)
Akshay Bhatia can be forgiven for missing the cut on his Open debut, especially as it was on the number of 7 over par.
I've been taken by the standard of golf Bhatia has produced this season with a win in Texas and various other solid performances. Three top 15 finishes in Hawaii and at Torrey Pines was a really solid start to the year and he has shown versatility on various tracks that demand different skill sets to score well upon.
He has come into his own on these birdie fest courses though. 20 under par was the number in Texas it took to get him into the playoff and recently posted 18 under par at TPC River Highlands and 17 under par in Detroit to post two top ten finishes.
Birdies are needed here in droves but it's almost as important to steer clear of the big numbers as there is water everywhere on this course.
Bhatia ranks highly in total driving and his length and accuracy from the tee should be a huge asset here.
Bhatia currently ranks 15th in the Fedex standings and these are an important few weeks for him to maintain and maybe climb from that position to get him into East Lake and be on the best score possible at the starting blocks.
Luke Clanton at 28/1 (Eight Places)
I've tried for many reasons to dissuade myself from backing Luke Clanton this week but I simply can't manage to deter myself from thinking this is the perfect venue on which he can land his maiden tour victory and announce himself as one of the hottest talents in the game.
TPC Twin Cities is an Arnold Palmer design and with water in play on a lot of holes has been likened to Bayhill or PGA National on numerous occasions.
On the road, this will feel somewhat like a home game for the Floridian and he looks to have all the tools to land a victory very early on in his career.
Clanton was the first amateur to secure back to back PGA Tour top ten finishes when he played the Rocket Mortgage and John Deere just a few weeks ago.
His ball striking has been tremendous and length and accuracy from the tee will be a huge advantage at this layout. Morikawa, Wolff and Dechambeau fought out this title five years ago as almost unknowns and it feels this new crop of stars such as Shipley, Thobjornsen, Clanton, James and Dunlap can do something similar again this week.
Seeing Dunlap land a second tour victory last week following his win as an Amateur earlier in the year can only spur Clanton on here and I'm happy to take the risk that we are seeing another generational talent here and that this price in fields such as this won't be around for much longer.
Daniel Berger at 150/1 (Eight Places)
One I'm happy to risk at the prices this week is Daniel Berger. He has no drifted to the 150/1 mark following three missed cuts on the spin after a top 25 finish in the US Open at Pinehurst.
I thought that would be a catalyst to greater things but so far it hasn't proven to be. 2 under, 3 under and 4 under have been the three totals in those missed cuts and although birdie fests so clearly off the pace, it doesn't look like a total disaster.
Instead I'd look to look at his form from PGA National which includes a runner up finish back in 2015 and two further top 5s since.
His only trip to this event back in 2019 yielded a top 15 finish so there are reasons to believe he could find some form here on this Arnold Palmer layout and anything at triple figure prices I'm happy to pay to find out.
Austin Eckroat at 80/1 (Eight Places)
Austin Eckroat made it four cuts from six Major appearances last weekend and although well down the field can take heart from continuing a solid record in those events that includes two top 20 finishes.
PGA National is a relevant course this week and Eckroat managed his maiden tour victory there earlier in the season. Eckroat managed a top 20 here on debut a couple of years ago and he kept pace with the leaders the final three days following an opening 73.
Last year he missed the cut but it's worth noting that he wasn't hitting the ball anywhere near as well as what he's hitting it now in the lead in.
His ball striking has been excellent in the last couple of months and his run of average results is simply down an underperforming short game.
These are some of the easiest greens to hit on tour and providing you steer clear of the water Eckroat shouldn't need to improve around the greens.
As you can see from the tables above the top 5s are littered with average numbers around the green. He will need to putt better though and I'm happy to take that risk at the price given he improved in that department at Troon.
