3M Open: PGA Tour Golf Picks, Predictions, and Tee Times
Not surprisingly, many of the PGA Tour’s top players have taken a pass on this event after spending the past two weeks in Britain, but a number of intriguing options are still available for sports bettors seeking value on the PGA Tour odds.
Here’s a look at some of the best bets on the 3m Open odds ahead of Thursday morning’s tee-off at TPC Twin Cities.
Finau in a Funk
Tony Finau returns to Minnesota as the defending champion at the 3M Open, but considering his recent form, it is tough to get behind him as a +1300 favourite to repeat at this event. In addition to claiming victory a year ago, Finau also finished third here in 2020. However, it is tough to determine just how much he has left in the tank after missing the cut at both the Open Championship and the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this month. In fact, Finau has failed to finish higher than 23rd and missed the cut three times in seven outings since picking up a win in Mexico in late April.
Considering there will not be the strongest field competing this weekend, there is little danger of Finau missing the cut once again. However, the popular 33-year-old should be faded as a +163 bet in first round three ball wagering against Sepp Straka and Hideki Matsuyama. While Matsuyama showed signs of overcome his recent health-related issues by earning a share of 13th place at the Open Championship, Straka enjoys far more momentum after following up his victory at the John Deere Classic with a run to second-place at Royal Liverpool is a high-value +201 bet to outpace Finau and Matsuyama in the first round.
Justin Thomas on Rebound From Disastrous Liverpool Performance
Justin Thomas saw his recent struggles deepen with a disastrous performance at the Open Championship, which he opened by shooting a career-worst 82 before missing the cut for the fourth time in six outings. Now ranked a distant 24th and lagging in 75th in the FedExCup standings, Thomas makes his debut at this event desperate to claw his way back into s playoff spot.
However, that pressure combined with a hectic schedule that has seen him compete on six of the past eight weekends makes the two-time PGA Championship winner an uncharacteristically risky bet once again. Listed as an overvalued +2200 wager on the 3M Open odds, Thomas offers far more value as a +204 bet to miss the cut yet again, and should otherwise be approached with caution until he shows signs of regaining his mojo.
Garrick Higgo Turning the Corner?
Garrick Higgo missed the cut in his 3M Open debut last year, and saw his woeful overall performance in 2022 carry over into the new season. Indeed, the South African missed the cut in 11 of his first 24 PGA Tour appearances this season, and failed to finish better than 29th during a 15-tournament run that began with a missed cut at the WM Phoenix Open.
However, the 24-year-old has shown signs of turning the corner in his past two outings, finishing 19th at the Scottish Open after claiming a share of 21st place at the John Deere Classic. Now well rested after failing to qualify for the Open Championship, Higgo is well positioned to maintain his steady progress among a weak field this weekend. Accordingly, he is solid +173 chalk to emerge as the top South African, and is worth a value bet to pay out on +749 odds to crack the top ten.
Picks: Sepp Straka first round three ball (+201); Justin Thomas miss the cut (+204); Garrick Higgo top ten (+749)
2023 3M Open Tee Times
| 2023 3M Open Round 1 tee times (All times ET) |
|---|
| Tee No. 1 |
| 7:45 a.m. – Jimmy Walker, Kelly Kraft, Kramer Hickok |
| 7:56 a.m. – Sam Ryder, Doug Ghim, Ben Griffin |
| 8:07 a.m. – Robby Shelton, Austin Eckroat, S.H. Kim |
| 8:18 a.m. – Matt Wallace, Chez Reavie, Lucas Glover |
| 8:29 a.m. – Ryan Brehm, Richy Werenski, Matt Kuchar |
| 8:40 a.m. – Adam Svensson, Stewart Cink, Brandt Snedeker |
| 8:51 a.m. – Martin Laird, Tyler Duncan, Keith Mitchell |
| 9:02 a.m. – Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Doc Redman, Matthias Schwab |
| 9:13 a.m. – Troy Merritt, James Hahn, Max McGreevy |
| 9:24 a.m. – Dylan Frittelli, Russell Knox, Taylor Pendrith |
| 9:35 a.m. – Kevin Tway, S.Y. Noh, Zecheng Dou |
| 9:46 a.m. – Brent Grant, Noah Hofman, Sam Bennett |
| 9:57 a.m. – Michael Gligic, Eric Rolland, Caleb VanArragon (a) |
| 1:10 p.m. – Ben Martin, Kevin Streelman, Taylor Montgomery |
| 1:21 p.m. – Satoshi Kodaira, Chad Collins, Hank Lebioda |
| 1:32 p.m. – Nate Lashley, C.T. Pan, Harrison Endycott |
| 1:43 p.m. – K.H. Lee, Cameron Young, Sahith Theegala |
| 1:54 p.m. – Justin Thomas, Joel Dahmen, Gary Woodland |
| 2:05 p.m. – Emiliano Grillo, J.T. Poston, Cameron Champ |
| 2:16 p.m. – Will Gordon, Andrew Novak, Austin Smotherman |
| 2:27 p.m. – Scott Piercy, Brice Garnett, David Hearn |
| 2:38 p.m. – Patton Kizzire, Austin Cook, Sean O’Hair |
| 2:49 p.m. – Michael Kim, Kevin Chappell, Jonathan Byrd |
| 3:00 p.m. – Erik van Rooyen, Ryan Moore, Alex Gaugert |
| 3:11 p.m. – Ludvig Aberg, Peter Kuest, Ryan Gerard |
| 3:22 p.m. – Trevor Cone, Tano Goya, Derek Hitchner |
| Tee No. 10 |
| 7:45 a.m. – Zac Blair, Harry Hall, Paul Haley II |
| 7:56 a.m. – Mark Hubbard, Henrik Norlander, Justin Suh |
| 8:07 a.m. – Adam Hadwin, Patrick Rodgers, Ryan Fox |
| 8:18 a.m. – Nick Hardy, Billy Horschel, Tom Hoge |
| 8:29 a.m. – Sepp Straka, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama |
| 8:40 a.m. – Vincent Norrman, Mackenzie Hughes, Sungjae Im |
| 8:51 a.m. – Nico Echavarria, Cam Davis, Jim Herman |
| 9:02 a.m. – Brian Stuard, Alex Noren, Sam Stevens |
| 9:13 a.m. – Grayson Murray, Nick Watney, Brandon Wu |
| 9:24 a.m. – Aaron Baddeley, Chesson Hadley, Callum Tarren |
| 9:35 a.m. – Martin Trainer, Lee Hodges, Justin Lower |
| 9:46 a.m. – Augusto Núñez, Kyle Westmoreland, Frankie Capan III |
| 9:57 a.m. – Scott Harrington, Trevor Werbylo, Thomas Lehman |
| 1:10 p.m. – Cody Gribble, Beau Hossler, Tyson Alexander |
| 1:21 p.m. – Cameron Percy, Eric Cole, Dylan Wu |
| 1:32 p.m. – Matt NeSmith, Carson Young, Kevin Yu |
| 1:43 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Garrick Higgo, Lanto Griffin |
| 1:54 p.m. – Trey Mullinax, Chad Ramey, Andrew Landry |
| 2:05 p.m. – Robert Streb, Brian Gay, Charley Hoffman |
| 2:16 p.m. – Stephan Jaeger, Greyson Sigg, Davis Thompson |
| 2:27 p.m. – Ryan Armour, Aaron Rai, David Lipsky |
| 2:38 p.m. – Ryan Palmer, Adam Long, Ben Taylor |
| 2:49 p.m. – Jason Dufner, Peter Malnati, Harry Higgs |