This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
3M Open
Blaine, Minnesota
TPC Twin Cities - Par 71 - 7,431 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $6.6M
The Preview
The excitement somewhat dwindles after being treated to a major-caliber field last week at the Memorial Tournament, but the celebration of a resurrected PGA Tour calendar rocks on this week in Minnesota despite just four members of the Official World Golf Ranking's top-25 electing to tee it up at TPC Twin Cities for the second annual 3M Open. The maiden edition catered to youthful bombers as Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa battled alongside Bryson DeChambeau throughout the latter stages of the tournament, but it was the Oklahoma State product who played his final 36 holes in 15-under-par to secure his first PGA Tour victory. Wolff returns to defend his title in Blaine, and we'll examine a handful of other value plays as muggy midwestern summer weather awaits.
Recent Champions
2019 - Matthew Wolff
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Proximity
SG: Off-the-Tee
Birdie or better average
Yahoo Value Picks - based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Tony Finau - $43
Beginning this list with someone who's well known for not winning golf tournaments is a bit spooky, but Finau is coming off his first top-10 result since early February at last week's Memorial Tournament where he led the entire field in birdies, ranked second in driving distance and even notched the second-best putting performance of his entire career with 6.3 strokes gained on the dance floors. Finau has gained strokes off the tee in all five of his appearances since the PGA Tour's schedule resumed at the Charles Schwab Challenge in June, and he's 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green this season. He added a top-25 here at TPC Twin Cities last year, posting a 72-hole total of 13-under-par.
Harris English - $40
English carded just two bogeys despite brutal scoring conditions during this past Sunday's final round at Muirfield Village, ascending into the top-15 in his first start back since a positive coronavirus test in late June. He gained strokes across the board at the Memorial, rising to third in SG: Total in 10 rounds since tournament play picked back up at Colonial. English missed the cut at the 3M Open in 2019 amidst a lengthy stretch of brutal iron play, but he's gained at least 3.7 strokes approach en route to back-to-back top-20s at Harbour Town's RBC Heritage and the recent Memorial Tournament.
Glue Guys
Lucas Glover - $38
There were a quartet of nine-under 62s during the 3M Open's inauguration last year, and one of them belonged to Glover as he surged into a tie for seventh after barely making the cut thanks to the lowest final-round score of the event. He racked up 25 total birdies at TPC Twin Cities despite ranking just T57 in GIR percentage, enjoying more success on the greens as he averaged just shy of 28 putts per round. Glover's recent form has been sharp as he leads the 3M Open field in SG: Tee-to-Green and ranks second in SG: Approach since the Charles Schwab Challenge. He's made the cut in five consecutive starts and he gathered four straight top-25s from the CSC through the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Erik van Rooyen - $34
The former Golden Gopher storyline follows van Rooyen as he returns to the state of Minnesota, but it's the 8.3 strokes he gained on approach shots last week at the Memorial Tournament that make him such an intriguing option for his 3M Open debut. Among the entrants at TPC Twin Cities, the South African ranks fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green, 19th in SG: Approach and 26th in SG: Off-the-Tee since the restart. Despite losing 2.4 or more strokes with the flat stick in three of four starts during this span, he's still managed to collect a pair of top-25 results.
Bargain Bin
Henrik Norlander - $24
The Swede feels significantly under-priced here after tying for sixth at the Memorial Tournament where he ranked second in both SG: Putting and putts per GIR, ultimately marking his second top-12 in three starts and fourth consecutive made cut. Norlander has gained an average of 3.3 strokes on his approaches over his past five events as well, helping him soar to 60th in the FedEx Cup standings. Throughout 18 measured rounds since mid-June, Norlander resides first in SG: Total, third in SG: Tee-to-Green and fourth in SG: Approach among this week's field.
Sam Burns - $20
Burns' 35/1 betting odds on GolfOdds.com are nowhere close to in line with his minimum $20 expense in Yahoo contests, so don't be surprised at a potentially chalky situation with the soon-to-be 24-year-old in this spot. Burns tallied three straight top-30 performances from the Travelers Championship through his most recent start at the Workday Charity Open, where he gained 4.8 strokes on approaches and even 3.3 strokes with the putter. He also posted a top-10 result at the 3M Open last year, when he ranked fifth in driving distance and led the field in par-5 scoring at 10-under-par.
