Power Rankings: 3M Open

Down the stretch they come!

Beginning with this week’s 3M Open, only three tournaments remain until the field is set for the FedExCup Playoffs. Points leader Scottie Scheffler headlines a field of 144 at TPC Twin Cities.

Scheffler presents as Secretariat relative to the rest. Gary Woodland at 29th in the FedExCup is the next-ranked golfer in Blaine, Minnesota. It’s rare when the gap in the standings between the top two commits is this large. Coincidentally, the tremendous machine – Scheffler, that is – is 31 spots ahead of 3M Open defending champion Kurt Kitayama. That difference matches the other tremendous machine’s margin of victory in lengths when he captured the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes in 1973.

Despite the fact and perspective of his advantage, if Scheffler is to gallop away with this title, he’d be successful in an attempt that hasn’t been achieved since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2019, but only because it was the inaugural. For that compelling nugget, how TPC Twin Cities will test and much more, continue reading beneath Scheffler’s spot among the projected contenders below.

Scheffler has 20 wins on the PGA TOUR, but only one of them occurred in his first appearance at the tournament – the 2025 Procore Championship. This week marks his debut at the 3M Open, where the only debutant to prevail was guaranteed – Matthew Wolff in the first edition of the tournament in 2019. Every winner since has logged at least one start at TPC Twin Cities before reaching paydirt. Share that detail with the 110 or so entrants with course history and currently prepping for the eighth edition, and watch a few smiles emerge as chests get puffy. They’ll take any edge they can when the world’s top-ranked talent is competing alongside.

TPC Twin Cities has presented as the kind of test for which every competitor can blame only one thing on a poor performance – the man in the mirror. While that’s always technically the case, it’s especially true on the par 71. You won’t find a consistently fairer test, and that’s invaluable with the Playoffs straight ahead.

Stretching 7,431 yards with three par 5s, long hitters will feel welcome provided they’re able to steer clear of the 3½-inch bluegrass rough awaiting wayward strikes. For everyone else, there’s solace in the knowledge that TPC Twin Cities checks in annually near the PGA TOUR’s average in distance of all drives. There’s more than one way to skin this cat.

Bentgrass greens averaging 6,500 square feet serve as an equalizer on approach and set up TPC Twin Cities as a scorer’s paradise. It’s a set-spike kind of experience throughout a round. Stay on the offensive by attacking pins and sinking putts. Greens are ready to roll up to 13 feet as measured by the Stimpmeter.

Last year’s scoring average of 68.84 was a tournament record by almost a full stroke. While preferred lies were in effect for the opening round (68.90), the overall average was in very large part due to the absence of wind for most of the tournament. Similarly calm air is forecast again this week. Prevailing breezes – those that will be felt, at least – will push in from westerly directions early and often, but they might rotate to blow from the north by Sunday. Whatever happens, daytime highs in the mid-80s pre-cut will jump into the mid-90s by the finale.

Get hot, stay hot has more than one application at TPC Twin Cities.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps every tournament. Refer to the timing of his contributions below. He’s also active as @RobBoltonGolf on X, where you can connect with him.

MONDAY: Power Rankings
TUESDAY: Fantasy Insider; Expert Picks; Sleepers*
SUNDAY: Points and Payouts; Qualifiers

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