With all four majors in the rear-view mirror and the LIV saga taking up most of the oxygen in the golf conversation, you’d be forgiven for taking a week or two off before gearing up for the FedEx Cup Playoffs next month.
But I’m here to remind you that the money you win on the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities is just as green as the scarole you won (or lost) on the Masters or Open Championship.
As you can imagine in the week after a major that took place an ocean away, the field for the 3M Open is wanting for star power. Tony Finau is the betting favorite at +1100, and that just about tells you everything you need to know about the field traveling to TPC Twin Cities.
Given its spot on the schedule, the TPC Twin Cities has never been a place where the best of the best participate, so it’s no wonder that the 3M Open has been a happy hunting ground for longshots in its three-year existence. All three winners of this event (Matthew Wolff, Michael Thompson, and Cam Champ) were available in the triple digits the year that they won.
Will we see another longshot cash in 2022?
3M Open Best Longshot Bets
Dylan Frittelli (+6600, BetMGM):
There’s plenty of boom-or-bust potential with Dylan Frittelli, but on paper, he fits the bill of a player who should succeed in Minneapolis this week. For one, Frittelli has a win at the John Deere Classic (2019), which sets up similarly to what we’ll see this week on another TPC course.
Like the 3M Open, the John Deere turns into a birdie-fest that favors players who can drive the ball a good bit and put themselves in good scoring opportunities. Frittelli also comes into this event off the back of a good showing at St. Andrew’s, so despite the travel, he’s worth a bet in this field.
Callum Tarren (+9500, FanDuel):
Another player who can drive the ball a long way, Callum Tarren is catching some sleeper hype this week off the heels of a good showing at the Barracuda Championship last week. And even though he missed the cut the week prior at the Scottish Open, Tarren went to Scotland off the heels of a T6 finish at the John Deere, which is good news for backers this week.
Tarren has shown glimpses of a real player — including a terrific performance at the U.S. Open — but also has plenty of miss-the-cut potentials. In other words, he fits the bill as a longshot punt.
Paul Barjon (+35000, BetMGM):
In recent form, there’s not much that points to Paul Barjon finding his way to the top of a PGA TOUR field, but the Frenchman has a critical weapon for this course: His driver. Only three plays in this field have gained more strokes off the tee than Barjon’s 17.8 over their last 24 rounds. The rest of the game needs a lot of work, but Barjon’s ability to drive himself into good spots should provide some decent scoring opportunities at a beatable course.
This is only the fourth time this event has ever been held, but two of the first three champions were players who could absolutely bomb the ball off the tee in Matthew Wolff and Cameron Champ, so targeting another bomber at a considerable price isn’t a bad idea at all.