It is July, the weather is getting hotter and the golf courses are getting tougher. This week’s tournament is the 3M Open Golf Tournament in Blaine, Minnesota. Let’s take a look at what we have to look forward to this weekend.
3M Open Golf Tournament 2019 Preview
The Course and Weather
Two of the biggest factors of any golf tournament are the course and what weather the players are competing in. The 3M Open will be no exception. Played on the TPC Twin Cities, a private course that is known for its skill and beauty. With a difficulty rating of 75.4, it gives enough of a challenge without being unplayable by those with lesser skill.
Although, adding to the challenge this holiday weekend will be the weather. Most of the weekend will be cloudy, with possible thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday afternoon, as well as possible showers on Sunday. Both of these events can not only delay play but change the flow of the course and certainly the speed of the greens.
The Players
With the Open Championship otherwise, also known as the British Open. Only a couple of weeks away, there are a lot of big names not in this week’s 3M Open. This can be a good or bad thing for the players taking time off. Some will go to Ireland early, get used to the time zone, enjoy the scenery, and play some practice golf. However, even with the practice, it still leaves some people rusty for actual tournament play as we have seen many times.
Some of the bigger names to watch in the 3M Open are Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, as well as Kevin Na, who has been pushing of late to make a run for a victory. Though Brooks will be hard to beat if he can jump ahead of the crowd since he has been on point for most of the year. Of course, it is not outside the realm of possibility that someone who has been quiet makes a sudden surge of luck and skill to jump to the top of the leader-board.
That being said, one can not count out some of the amateur players who on a lot of days have been playing like pros. With showings that have happened so far this year, some of the amateur players can climb up the FedEx Cup standings to make a place for themselves with the pros. Possibly making them the next big thing to watch.
The Preview
As mentioned, this is a tournament only a couple of weeks before a major event. Honing one’s skill as well as trying to move up in the FedEx Cup standings is a real factor as we are about halfway through the golf year. A lot of this year’s tournaments have been in near perfect weather so this will be another factor to watch in preparing for Ireland, as sometimes the rain almost completely washes out the course at the British Open. But for now, this week is the focus. Fore!
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
