3M Open 2025 Tips: Pendrith our top pick for Twin Cities

In the wake of a fabulous week in Northern Ireland, it’s now back to the important business of the PGA Tour season. Which has just two events remaining before the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin.

Next week’s Wyndham Championship will give players one final chance to make it inside the top 70 on the FedEx Cup and into the first of those events – the St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. First it’s to Minnesota this week, for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with his comprehensive preview. Five players stand out to him as each-way value this week, so let's check out his 3M Open 2025 Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights...

*You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest 3M Open odds over on betfred.com

A memorable 2025 major season concluded at Royal Portrush on Sunday, leaving us with further evidence that we are witnessing some of the absolute best golf of this, or any other generation at present.

Scottie Scheffler left with the Claret Jug – his fourth major victory overall, second of this year after the PGA Championship win at Quail Hollow, and third leg of the Career Grand Slam. Once he took the lead on day two, it was never really in any doubt.

He arrived at the final round with a four-shot lead, and any hope of him coming back to the field to give us a competitive finish was quickly extinguished. He birdied three of his first five holes, briefly stretching his lead to an unfathomable eight strokes, which allowed him to cruise to victory by an eventual four shots.

Scottie inspires awe not through swashbuckling unpredictability, but because he's ruthless and makes the game look unnervingly easy. It's this that has helped him to record 47 top-10 finishes from 57 events in the previous three years – with last week's victory his 16^th over that time – and win four major titles by a combined 16 shots.

He is the most dominant force the game has seen since prime Tiger Woods. His 2024 campaign already ranks among the five best seasons of the last 40 years according to Data Golf, and this year has been every bit as good so far. We're fortunate to be watching a sportsperson at the peak of their powers, and I'm looking forward to seeing just how far he can take his game – and his legacy – in the coming years.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The 3M Open debuted on the PGA Tour in 2019 and has been played at TPC Twin Cities each time. That first edition was a memorable one, as Matthew Wolff eagled the final hole to beat future major champions, Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa, by a single stroke.

Last five winners:

• 2024

Winner: Jhonattan Vegas (-17)

Runner-up: Max Greyserman (-16)

• 2023

Winner: Lee Hodges (-24)

Runners-up: Martin Laird, JT Poston, Kevin Streelman (-17)

• 2022

Winner: Tony Finau (-17)

Runners-up: Emiliano Grillo, Sungjae Im (-14)

• 2021

Winner: Cameron Champ (-15)

Runners-up: Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Jhonattan Vegas (-13)

• 2020

Winner: Michael Thompson (-19)

Runner-up: Adam Long (-17)

Jhonny Vegas converted a 54-hole advantage in last year's renewal to win his first PGA Tour title since 2017. He returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

TPC Twin Cities opened in 2000 and was designed by Arnold Palmer, with Tom Lehman acting as the player consultant. It hosted the 3M Championship on the PGA Tour Champions the following year and staged that event until 2018. Subsequently, Palmer's design company worked alongside Steve Wenzloff to remodel the course, preparing it for the arrival of the PGA Tour.

The changes included the tightening of the fairways, while tees and bunkers were relocated. Meanwhile, grassy mounds were expanded around the course, with the aim of improving visibility for spectators.

TPC Twin Cities is a 7431yd par-71 layout, possessing 4x par 3s (177-228 yards), 11x par 4s (379-502 yards), and 3x par 5s (593-596 yards). It has averaged a winning score of -18.8 across its six renewals. However, wind can often play a significant factor here and turn this typically scoreable course into a different beast, shown by Cameron Champ's -15 winning total in 2021.

The course is built on the site of an old sod farm, which can result in firm conditions on the sandy ground. It is a largely open and reasonably exposed parkland course, with towering viewing mounds framing the fairways, and water is a constant threat, in-play on 15 holes.

Although the fairways were tightened during that 2018 renovation, they're still generous. That being said, the majority of them are doglegged and positioned at an angle to the tee box, resulting in average driving accuracy numbers. They are lined by waste bunkers and thick fescue rough, whilst regular bunkers litter the landing areas, making for a solid test off the tee.

The undulating bentgrass greens are large, predominantly elevated, and could play up to a super-fast 12.5 on the stimp but still rank among the simplest to putt on tour. Though they may be easy to find, it can be tricky to get it close when firm.

There is abundant danger around them, with deep and penal greenside bunkers, thick patches of rough, and tightly-mown collection areas all providing protection. The outcome of this is the eighth-toughest scrambling test on the PGA Tour.

Risk/reward holes feature heavily at most TPC courses and TPC Twin Cities – with its high quantity of water – is no different. It guards three of the four par 3s, several of the shorter, more attackable par 4s, and each of the par 5s.

The course concludes with the exciting 596yd par-5 18^th, where players must take their second shot over a long, large lake into a shallow green to give themselves a chance of eagle. It ensures drama until the very end of the event, and we'll again see players make and break their tournament on the closing hole this week.

THE WEATHER

It's going to be a wet start to the week in Minnesota, with thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast from Monday to Thursday. Although it remains warm and humid thereafter, there are no further threats of storms from Friday onwards, and with little wind around to protect what should be a soft golf course, expect scoring to be low.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach/Greens-in-Regulation/Proximity from 175-200yds

Strong iron play has always been key at TPC Twin Cities, and with the greens likely to be receptive this week, it feels as important as ever. The mid-long irons are most vital, especially from that from that common 175-200yd range.

Last year's winner Jhonny Vegas hit his irons brilliantly, ranking 7^th in greens-in-regulation and 8^th in approach. Meanwhile, 3^rd-place finisher Matt Kuchar ranked 1^st in both areas.

Lee Hodges ranked 1^st in approach when winning the 2023 edition; 2022 winner Tony Finau ranked 3^rd in approach and 4^th in GIR; the runner-up in 2021 Louis Oosthuizen ranked 1^st in GIR and 2^nd in approach; Michael Thompson ranked 3^rd in GIR and 4^th in approach to take the title in 2020; and our first winner, Matthew Wolff, ranked 2^nd in approach and 6^th in GIR.

• SG: Off-the-Tee/Driving Distance

Strong, lengthy drivers have enjoyed enormous success in this event and those soft course conditions could just play into the hands of these longer hitters.

Jhonny Vegas ranked 8^th off-the-tee and 9^th in driving distance on a leaderboard packed with bombers last year. The fifth-longest driver there, Max Greyserman, finished 2^nd and fellow top-five finishers, Taylor Pendrith and Maverick McNealy, are long – with Pendrith ranking 1^st OTT that week.

The big-hitting Tony Finau drove the ball superbly when winning in 2022, ranking 3^rd OTT and 17^th in driving distance. In addition, 2021 winner Cameron Champ, and our inaugural winner Matthew Wolff, are/were both among the longest drivers on tour in the year they won.

• SG: Putting (bentgrass)
• Birdie-or-Better %

A hot week on the greens is often a prerequisite in a low-scoring event, and four of the six winners here have ranked inside the top 10 on the greens – including Cameron Champ (2021) and Michael Thompson (2020) both ranking 1^st.

Lastly, with the tournament likely to be a birdie-fest, those who rank high in birdie-or-better % are also of interest.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

John Deere Classic (TPC Deere Run)

TPC Deere Run is a spacious parkland course, with generous fairways and bentgrass greens. It ranks closely to TPC Twin Cities in putting and approach difficulty, and the scoring averages on its par 3s and par 5s are also similar.

Notable correlating form:

Jhonny Vegas:

3M Open (1^st, 2^nd) / John Deere (3^rd)

J.T. Poston:

3M Open (2^nd) / John Deere (1^st)

Bryson DeChambeau:

3M Open (2^nd) / John Deere (1^st)

Emiliano Grillo:

3M Open (2^nd, 3^rd) / John Deere (2^nd, 2^nd)

Kevin Streelman:

3M Open (2^nd) / John Deere (7^th, 8^th, 8^th)

Scott Piercy:

3M Open (4^th) / John Deere (3^rd)

Matt Kuchar:

3M Open (4^th) / John Deere (5^th)

Kurt Kitayama:

3M Open (6^th) / John Deere (5^th)

Callum Tarren:

3M Open (7^th) / John Deere (6^th)

Shriners Open (TPC Summerlin)

There was more comp form to be found at TPC Summerlin than any other course I looked at this week. Wide fairways and low scoring are the order of the day there, and it poses a similar challenge in approach into its large bentgrass greens.

Notable correlating form:

Matthew Wolff:

3M Open (1^st) / Shriners (2^nd, 2^nd)

Jhonny Vegas:

3M Open (1^st, 2^nd) / Shriners (5^th)

Martin Laird:

3M Open (2^nd) / Shriners (1^st, 1^st, 2^nd)

Bryson DeChambeau:

3M Open (2^nd) / Shriners (1^st)

J.T. Poston:

3M Open (2^nd) / Shriners (1^st)

Sungjae Im:

3M Open (2^nd) / Shriners (1^st)

Kevin Streelman:

3M Open (2^nd) / Shriners (2^nd)

Cameron Tringale:

3M Open (3^rd) / Shriners (2^nd)

Alex Noren:

3M Open (3^rd) / Shriners (3^rd)

Adam Hadwin:

3M Open (4^th, 6^th) / Shriners (2^nd, 4^th)

Tom Hoge:

3M Open (4^th) / Shriners (4^th, 7^th)

James Hahn:

3M Open (4^th) / Shriners (5^th)

Scott Piercy:

3M Open (4^th) / Shriners (6^th, 7^th, 10^th, 10^th)

Taylor Pendrith:

3M Open (5^th) / Shriners (3^rd)

Brian Stuard:

3M Open (6^th) / Shriners (4^th)

Mito Pereira:

3M Open (6^th) / Shriners (4^th)

K.H. Lee:

3M Open (6^th, 9^th) / Shriners (5^th, 7^th)

CJ CUP Byron Nelson (TPC Craig Ranch)

TPC Craig Ranch is another lengthy par-71 course, that is home to one of the lowest-scoring events on the PGA Tour. Its large bentgrass greens are among the easiest to putt on tour and the fairways are similarly generous. Although, it's the demands in approach that particularly stand out, possessing almost identical greens-in-regulation percentages and a substantial amount of shots from that important 175-200yd range.

Notable correlating form:

Jhonny Vegas:

3M Open (1^st, 2^nd) / Byron Nelson (9^th, 13^th)

Charl Schwartzel:

3M Open (2^nd, 3^rd) / Byron Nelson (3^rd)

Alex Noren:

3M Open (3^rd) / Byron Nelson (3^rd)

Taylor Pendrith:

3M Open (5^th) / Byron Nelson (1^st)

K.H. Lee:

3M Open (6^th, 9^th) / Byron Nelson (1^st, 1^st)

Kurt Kitayama:

3M Open (6^th) / Byron Nelson (5^th)

Rocket Classic (Detroit Golf Club)

The Rocket Classic hit the tour at the same time as the 3M Open, and the two events have developed strong correlating form since. Detroit Golf Club has bentgrass greens and provides players with a tee-to-green test of a similar level of difficulty, whilst winning scores often reach -20.

Notable correlating form:

Tony Finau:

3M Open (1^st) / Rocket Classic (1^st)

Matthew Wolff:

3M Open (1^st) / Rocket Classic (2^nd)

Bryson DeChambeau:

3M Open (2^nd) / Rocket Classic (1^st)

Collin Morikawa:

3M Open (2^nd) / Rocket Classic (2^nd)

Max Greyserman:

3M Open (2^nd) / Rocket Classic (2^nd)

Alex Noren:

3M Open (3^rd) / Rocket Classic (4^th)

Cameron Tringale:

3M Open (3^rd) / Rocket Classic (5^th)

Adam Hadwin:

3M Open (4^th, 6^th) / Rocket Classic (2^nd, 4^th)

Taylor Pendrith:

3M Open (5^th) / Rocket Classic (2^nd)

Ryan Armour:

3M Open (6^th) / Rocket Classic (4^th)

Brian Stuard:

3M Open (6^th) / Rocket Classic (5^th)

Mexico Open (Vidanta Vallarta)

Finally, I think Mexico Open host Vidanta Vallarta could well be worth a look this week. This is another event at which bombers dominate the leaderboards, and they share similar ball-striking averages, with fairways wide and approaches from 175-200yds commonplace.

Notable correlating form:

Tony Finau:

3M Open (1^st) / Mexico (1^st, 2^nd)

Cameron Champ:

3M Open (1^st) / Mexico (6^th, 8^th)

Emiliano Grillo:

3M Open (2^nd, 3^rd) / Mexico (5^th)

Kurt Kitayama:

3M Open (6^th) / Mexico (2^nd)

THE FIELD

Maverick McNealy is the top-ranked player in the field at No. 18 and one of three from inside the top 25, alongside No. 22 Sam Burns and No. 25 Wyndham Clark. Just behind that trio is Chris Gotterup, who returns from a hugely successful two-week spell in Scotland and Northern Ireland, now up to a career-high No. 27 in the world rankings.

Each of the last four winners of this event are in the field, with defending champion Jhonny Vegas joined by Lee Hodges (2023), Tony Finau (2022), and Cameron Champ (2021).

Haotong Li earns a spot after his fantastic performance in last week's Open Championship; current top-five amateurs Michael La Sasso and Preston Stout are also in the field among the sponsor's exemptions.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Sam Burns 16/1, Chris Gotterup 18/1, Maverick McNealy 20/1, Wyndham Clark 25/1, Max Greyserman 28/1, Taylor Pendrith 28/1

1.75 pts Taylor Pendrith each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 30/1

Taylor Pendrith is the type of lengthy, high-class ball-striker who has enjoyed plenty of success at TPC Twin Cities. He's in great form, went well here last year, and recently finding improvement on the greens, he appeals most of these market leaders.

Pendrith's missed cut in last week's Open Championship was his first in seven starts – completely understandable on his debut in the event. He recorded four top-25s across those previous seven, including finishing 5^th in the PGA Championship. Meanwhile, just two weeks ago he shot four rounds in the 60s to finish 13^th in the Scottish Open.

The driver has been absolutely vital this season, ranking 7^th, and he's also a handy 32^nd in driving distance. In addition, he ranks 24^th in greens-in-regulation, 53^rd in approach, and although the putter hasn't been at the level it was last year, he's looked good on the greens in recent starts – ranking 14^th in the US Open and 5^th three starts ago in the Travelers Championship.

Pendrith narrowly missed the cut here on debut in 2023, but he returned to finish an excellent 5^th last year, holding the halfway lead and driving the ball better than anyone. His breakthrough PGA Tour win came in low-scoring conditions on bentgrass greens in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson last year and having also recorded finishes of 2^nd in the Rocket Classic and 3^rd in the Shriners Open, his comp form stacks up as well as anyone's.

1.5 pts Kurt Kitayama each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 33/1

Following a slow start to the season, Kurt Kitayama has been much improved over the last couple of months. The long game looks in fine shape and with evidence that this course is an ideal fit, I’m keen to get him on side.

Kitayama didn’t record a single top-25 finish during his first 11 starts to the season, but he arrives in Minnesota having landed four in his last seven starts. His form turned around in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, finishing 5^th – he’s since recorded finishes of 22^nd in the Charles Schwab Challenge, 5^th in the John Deere Classic, and 14^th in the Barracuda Championship.

He’s the seventh-longest player on tour and has driven it well all season, ranking 12^th off-the-tee. However, it’s the return to form of his irons that has engineered the upturn in results, ranking 10^th in this field across the last three months. He performs well in that 175-200yd category, ranking 28^th and as a top-20 birdie-or-better maker, he’s got a great profile for this challenge.

Kitayama debuted at TPC Twin Cities last year and impressed from the off, firing four rounds in the 60s on his way to a 6^th-place finish. He earned his only PGA Tour win on a fellow Arnold Palmer design (Bay Hill), and possessing a runner-up finish in Mexico to go with those 5^th-place finishes in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson and John Deere Classic earlier this year, he has form in all the right places.

1.25 pts Kevin Yu each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 45/1

Kevin Yu is an elite ball-striker who has recently discovered how to putt. That’s a deadly combination just about anywhere and performing better of late than he was earlier in the season, he is primed to be in contention in Minnesota.

Yu has hit the top 25 on eight occasions this season, four of which have come over his last eight starts. He recorded his first top-five finish of the season in the Myrtle Beach Classic, finishing 4^th and improved on that in Canada at the start of June, finishing 3^rd. Although he missed the cut at Royal Portrush on his Open Championship debut he performed with credit, bouncing back from a terrible eight-over 79 in round one to fire a five-under 66 in round two.

He’s another player that excels with the driver, blending power and accuracy to rank 8^th off-the-tee this season. This is complemented by strong iron play, ranking 18^th in greens-in-regulation, 33^rd in approach, and encouragingly, he’s also 31^st in proximity from 175-200yds. The putter is often a concern, but he’s gained strokes on the greens in seven of his last eight starts, ranking inside the top five on the greens in the last two months.

Yu is a prolific birdie-maker, ranking 11^th on the PGA Tour in birdie-or-better % in 2025. He hasn’t quite managed to replicate that at this course in two starts, finishing 37^th in 2023 and 73^rd in 2024, but he has finished inside the top 25 on each of his three visits to the John Deere Classic. With the putter behaving better than ever, he can improve considerably on his previous 3M Open efforts this week.

1 pt Austin Eckroat each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 80/1

Austin Eckroat is a two-time PGA Tour winner who has slowly started to find form after a poor start to the season. He went well at this course on debut and currently looking strong in approach and on the greens, he looks terrific value in this field.

Eckroat recorded two top-15s in his first four starts in 2025, though really struggled for form thereafter, missing six of his next nine cuts and failing to record a single top-30. However, he’d made the weekend on his last seven starts prior to narrowly missing the cut last week, in the somewhat quirky Barracuda Championship, and with two top-25s in his last four – including a season’s best of 11^th in the John Deere Classic – his game is now in better shape.

The greater consistency is a result of a return to form in approach, ranking 7^th in this field across the previous three months. He’s also driving it solidly and producing better numbers on the greens than he has for over five months, each of the key areas of his game are showing positive signs.

Eckroat debuted at this course in 2021 – not long after turning amateur – and recovered from a slow start to finish an impressive 16^th, shining in approach and with the putter. He has missed his next two cuts here, but his runner-up finish in the 2023 CJ CUP Byron Nelson bodes well, as does that 11^th-place finish at TPC Deere Run.

1 pt Thomas Rosenmuller each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 175/1

I selected Thomas Rosenmuller in last week’s Barracuda Championship, and there was enough promise within his performance to tempt me into giving him another shot here. He won his only Korn Ferry Tour title in this part of the U.S. and possessing a high-class long game, this could be a great spot for him.

Rosenmuller’s performances offered little reason for optimism at the start of his rookie season, but as he started to get control of the driver, his results began to pick up. His best finish of the season came in the Corales Puntacana Championship, finishing 12^th, and he’s looked good in the co-sanctioned double-header in the last two weeks – finishing 14^th in the ISCO Championship and 29^th in last week’s Barracuda Championship.

He's a superb driver of the ball, ranking 16^th off-the-tee and 23^rd in driving distance, and he hits a tonne of greens, ranking 16^th in greens-in-regulation. With his approach play consistently solid of late – gaining strokes in four of his last five PGA Tour starts – he’s hitting it well enough to create plenty of chances at TPC Twin Cities.

Rosenmuller hasn’t played this event before, but we can draw confidence from the fact that among a sea of missed cuts this season, he has made the weekend in the Rocket Classic, Mexico Open, and CJ CUP Byron Nelson. In addition, his win on the Korn Ferry Tour last season came at a low-scoring venue with bentgrass greens in the NV5 Invitational – an event played at The Glen Club in Chicago, also situated of the Upper Midwest.

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