Patrick Waters 
The Range is a course breakdown for the upcoming PGA tournament with a DFS perspective. This week the tour heads north to Minnesota as the players face off in the 2020 3M Open.
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The Basics
Course: TPC Twin Cities
Par: 71
Length: 7,441 yards
Fairways: Bentgrass; wider than tour average
Greens: Bentgrass; larger than tour average (6,500 sq ft), stimp 12
Architect: Arnold Palmer
Past winner: ’19 Matthew Wolff (-21)
For a hole by hole breakdown, please visit the PGA Tour website here.
Course Breakdown
Last week at The Memorial, we saw Rahm bring home the win but it wasn’t without a few hiccups. The course was mean on Sunday and the wind didn’t help. Plus three seemed to be the average score with players dropping left and right with their final scores. The 2020 3M Open is the exact opposite. The tour stop in Minnesota has only been running for one year but last year’s winner Wolff shot -21 with a thrilling finish between DeChambeau, Morikawa and himself. Birdies and scoring overall will be much higher as the course overall is simply easier than Jack’s place.
Scoring will be feverish this week at the 3M Open. Birdies and eagles on some holes (those that can reach the long Par 5 in two) will keep scores low and dropping. Fairways are easy to hit overall with some being between 30- 40 yards wide in spots. Despite the landing lanes off the tee, accuracy will be a factor as it’s not a bomb and gouge course per se.
While the bentgrass greens will be fast this week, they’ll be slower then lasts. The idea of around the green and to a lesser extent putting not being important is a bit backwards. While it’s not as important as it is on other stops I still want golfers who you can have confidence between 5 – 10 ft.
Player Fit
This shouldn’t be a surprise but the three easiest holes are the par 5s. With each ranging between 550 – 600 yards, golfers who perform well in this range should help keep pace with the leaders. On the flip side, four of the five toughest holes range from 450 – 500 yards all par 4 and also the largest range on the course. With the longer par 5 and par 3 on the course, proximity of 175+ will be a heavy influence on player selection.
This week is all about scoring as we’ve mentioned above and Opportunity Gained will lead that metric. Birdie or better will be included as well along with bogey avoidance. A heavier weight will go to the ladder though as it’s simply more important. Last week it came down to finishing position, this week will be about birdies and bogies.
Ball striking is important every week, this week is no different at the 3M Open. Part of the reason why SG: ARG and Putting are down is because it’s relatively easier to stick it close with the irons. Accuracy will be beneficial but not necessarily needed to the same degree as distance.
Putting between 5 – 10 ft will certainly come into play as mentioned above. I think if your golfers are struggling to get up and down, you’re done before it begins. For this reason alone ARG will not be factored in this week at the 2020 3M Open.
Final Recap of the 3M Open
Looking for scorers who can be accurate off the tee but more importantly be able to drive the ball. Obviously scoring points matter but I feel the third or fourth highest scoring golfer might come out of the top 5. As always check the weather and make sure there are no surprises heading into Thursday morning.
Course Setup
Easy Scoring
Easy to hit fairways
Quick bentgrass greens
Player Efficiencies
Par 4 Scoring: 450 – 500 yards
Par 5 Scoring: 550 – 600 yards
Proximity: 175 – 200+ yards
Opportunity Gained
Birdie or Better
Bogey Avoidance
Ball Striking
Thanks for reading and I hope this article is a great starting place for your DFS research for the 3M Open. Look out for the Insight Sheet dropping Wednesday. It will include my personal player pool and reasoning why each golfer was chosen. Also Wednesday night you can find me in the Win Daily Discord helping members with their lineups and last-minute questions.
Stat Source: Fantasy National
