3M Open 2021 – History, Past Winners, Course Details, Preview, Top Picks, Prize Purse, and More

The 3M Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. TPC Twin Cities Course in Minnesota, Minneapolis, is the host of this one of the newer PGA Tour events. The 3M Open was first played in 2019 and is all set to host for the third time. It is the successor of the 3M Championship, a PGA Tour Champions event that was played till 2018. 

3M stands for “Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing,” hence in short, it is 3M Open. And the tournament has had great success for the last couple of years. There are a total of 156 players in the field who will compete on the course to clinch the trophy. 

Past Champions at 3M Open

Golf – The Masters – Augusta National Golf Club – Augusta, Georgia, U.S. – April 8, 2021 Matthew Wolff of the U.S. chips onto the 2nd green during the first round REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The 3M Open was first played in 2019 at the TPC Twin Cities Course. And Matthew Wolff had won the inaugural event while Michael Thompson won it in 2020. Matthew Wolff won the 3M Open with an amazing eagle putt on the final hole. His putter was doing most of the job for him and had some decent support with his irons. He scored -21 and won the event by a single stroke. 

On the other hand, the defending champion Michael Thompson scored -19 and won the tournament. He was the leading player in strokes gained approach and was exceptional throughout the tournament.   

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Total prize money and winners payout

The total prize money for this PGA Tour event is set at $4.5 million. Furthermore, the winner will get the maximum share from the purse which is about $675,000. Additionally, the winner will also receive the all-important 500 FedEx Cup points.

Course details: TPC Twin Cities

TPC Twin Cities Course is usually straightforward and is a birdie fest. The last two editions have seen a winning score of -21 and -19, respectively. The course primarily has 27 water hazards, and plenty of sand traps so water, sand, and wind are the defense for the course this week. So players with a good iron and putting game will have an advantage on this course. 

Top 5 picks to win 3M Open 2021

Golf – The 149th Open Championship – Royal St George’s, Sandwich, Britain – July 17, 2021 South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen during the third round REUTERS/Rebecca Naden

5. Patrick Reed

Even though he had missed the cut at the 2021 Open Championship last week, but he has a good performance in the US. He has a decent iron game and an excellent putting game. He was T23 at the 2019 3M Open with a rare poor putting performance. 

4. Bubba Watson 

No matter his form when he is playing on a course that suits his game. And the TPC Twin Cities Course is one of them since tee shots will not matter much and Watson can still make a birdie from the rough. Watson has had six top-20s in the last four months. 

3. Matthew Wolff

The inaugural winner of the 3M Open finished T12 in his title defense. He has an average of 2.49 strokes gained on the field per round over eight rounds at the TPC Twin Cities Course. 

 2. Dustin Johnson 

Johnson is back to No.2 in the world golf rankings even after a strong performance last week at the 2021 Open Championship. He is one of the top contenders this week just because of his impeccable iron play. DJ withdrew from last year’s 3M Open and will play for the first time since 2019. 

1. Louis Oosthuizen

Finished T-3 or better in the last three majors and has an impeccable iron and putting game. Louis hasn’t played in the 3M Open before, but he is coming into the event with some decent golf on his back. 

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