After two weeks of links course golf in the United Kingdom, the PGA Tour returns stateside for the fifth annual 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.
TPC Twin Cities is a par 71 track that runs over 7,400 yards in length, with water hazards found on nearly every single hole. It’s a drastic change from the open, precise links courses that demand strong irons and diminishes putting velocity due to slow fescue greens. The 3M Open has narrow, tree-lined fairways, numerous shallow sand traps, and water hazards that run parallel or flank the larger-than-average greens.
Despite following the final major of the season, the field at the 3M Open is loaded with talent. This is likely due to players competing for a top 70 FedExCup ranking in the FedExCup playoffs, which is only two weeks away. Players like Justin Thomas are frantically scrambling, attempting to string together a couple of strong final events to advance into the top 70, which is the first year the FedExCup playoffs won’t feature 125 golfers in the first playoff event.
There’s still quite a bit of value and plenty of household names competing at TPC Twin Cities this week. Cameron Young and Tony Finau sit atop the DFS salary brackets, followed by Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama, and Emiliano Grillo. Don’t sleep on the lower salary ranges at the 3M Open, as most of the previous winners, excluding defending champion Tony Finau, emerged victorious with previously underwhelming resumés.
Driving accuracy, strokes gained approaching, scrambling, and putting will serve as the biggest factors when selecting the golfers you prefer to roster during your DFS lineup construction. I’m here to help you cash as many contests as possible, so let’s reveal which six players should be prioritized in DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups ahead of the 2023 3M Open.
Before we get into our 3M Open DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 3M Open selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Sepp Straka ($9,500)
Few golfers are hotter right now than Sepp Straka. The 30-year-old Austrian won the John Deere Classic at -21-under-par after going even in the first round, then followed that up with a T2 finish at The Open Championship on a completely different type of course compared to his outright win at TPC Deere Run. Straka has missed the cut twice at TPC Twin Cities, but he logged a T18 in 2020, going -8-under-par in the final round after a slow start. He’s ranked 14th in strokes gained approaching the green, 18th in total driving, and converts greens in regulation at over a 68 percent rate. Straka has drained 17-26 birdies in each of his previous four events, so don’t hesitate to pounce on his value at $9,500 on DraftKings.
Adam Hadwin ($8,900)
Adam Hadwin has been consistently solid in previous 3M Open events, logging finishes of 4th, T6, and T38. The 35-year-old Canadian is riding a six-year winning slump since his lone outright win at Valspar in 2017, but he’s been close to the winning podium on a few occasions this year. Factoring in his absence at links golf courses in the last couple of weeks seems to add value to his DFS outlook, as he’ll be prepared for TPC Twin Cities looking for his third T10 in his last four appearances at this event. Hadwin sunk 25 birdies at the Rocket Mortgage Classic during his playoff loss while also ranking 33rd in strokes gained putting and 35th approaching the green. He’s a value at under $9,000, so plug Hadwin in with confidence this week.
Lucas Glover ($8,200)
42-year-old Lucas Glover has been on a heater lately, yielding three consecutive T6 finishes or better entering the 3M Open. Glover has recorded 19-24 birdies in four of his past five events played. He missed the cut at TPC Twin Cities last year and twice overall. However, Glover did log a T7 finish during the inaugural 3M Open in 2018. His current form is something we need to take advantage of, especially at this reduced salary. Glover ranks third in fairway proximity, first in hole proximity, and third in approach shots from 125 yards or less. A steady driver, paired with his confident play around the greens, is more than enough to justify rostering Glover in DraftKings lineups this week.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Nicolai Højgaard ($10,200)
A name that has been steadily hovering in the T25 leaderboards, especially on the DP World Tour, is 21-year-old Nicolai Højgaard. The Denmark native enters the 3M Open with previous finishes of T5, T32, T5, T50, MC, T6, and T23. His irons and putter are sharp, which will help him keep pace with what projects to be a steady stream of birdies and eagles on a course that couldn’t be more different from the links courses Højgaard has been competing on lately. The salary is a bit steep at $10,200, but Højgaard logged a T21 at the RMC, which has similar conditions and scoring output. Let’s roster Højgaard for the high floor he provides, with the potential to crack another T10 finish this week.
Alex Noren ($9,400)
We haven’t seen Alex Noren compete at the 3M Open since 2020, when he logged a T3 finish at -16-under-par. The Swede has been a bit volatile in terms of birdie production, fluctuating between missed cuts and T25 finishes or better, but he returns to a course that he controlled, going -5-under-par in each of the final two rounds to surge into contention. Noren ranks 12th in strokes gained around the green, 31st in strokes gained putting, and 16th in total putting. Plus, he ranks 30th in bounce-back, meaning he doesn’t get shaken from a bad hole. At $9,400 on FanDuel, Noren’s return to TPC Twin Cities is the production that we need to acquire.
Doug Ghim ($8,900)
Doug Ghim has turned in two T20 finishes in two of his past three outings at the 3M Open. Fresh off a missed cut at Renaissance Club during the Scottish Open, Ghim is poised for a bounce-back spot, as he rattled off six consecutive T33 finishes or better after his previous missed cut at the Mexico Open. The 27-year-old American ranks 27th in total driving, 12th in converting greens in regulation, 26th in scrambling, and 10th in bogey avoidance. This is more than enough to warrant rostering Ghim at a cheap salary on a course he’s fared well at in past appearances.
