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
As a confused Minnesota sports fan from Wisconsin who now lives in the Phoenix area, it's been tough watching the hometown crew celebrate Giannis Antetokounmpo's first ring as the Bucks extinguished the Suns in four straight. So, what better timing for a championship to return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes as the 3M Open is certain to conclude with a trophy being dealt to a worthy victor within the great Gopher State. All bad jokes aside, TPC Twin Cities invites an absolute birdie fest despite a plethora of water hazards also encouraging a fair share of doubles or worse. Reachable par-5s and long par-3s add to the beauty of this ball-striker's paradise, which rewards length off the tee and proficient mid-long iron play. Sandwiched between the Open Championship and the Olympics, field strength is definitely not the main draw of this attraction as the event enters just its third installment.
Recent Champions
2020 - Michael Thompson
2019 - Matthew Wolff
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Proximity: 175-200 yards
Birdie-or-Better Percentage
SG: Off-the-Tee
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Matthew Wolff - $41
A T58-MC stretch at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and Travelers Championship following an unexpected top-15 at the U.S. Open might be disconcerting when considering someone north of $40, but Wolff simply continues to shake off the leftover rust from his two-month hiatus as he's lost 5.5 strokes putting throughout his past two starts. Not only is he rested after deciding against making the trip overseas for the Open Championship, but he's also returning to the site of his maiden professional victory. Wolff outlasted both Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa by one shot in 2019 before adding another respectable result here with a T12 in 2020. The Oklahoma State product paces the Tour in holes per eagle and resides eighth in driving distance this season.
Bubba Watson - $39
Joining the aforementioned Wolff as one of the early withdrawals from Royal St. George's, Watson remained stateside after going T6-T19 at the RMC and the Travelers where he gained a collective 7.3 strokes with his irons in eight total rounds. Expanding the sample size to 24 rounds, Watson ranks second in birdie or better percentage, fifth in Par-4: 450-500 efficiency and 12th in Par-5: 550-600 scoring. Additionally, he's gained at least two strokes off the tee in six consecutive measured starts dating to the Valspar Championship.
Glue Guys
Robert MacIntyre - $34
MacIntyre is definitely one of the better players in this field at 48th in the Official World Golf Ranking, so it's a bit surprising to see him hover around the $33 average salary mark against such weak competition. He's coming off a top-10 performance at the Open Championship, which ensured he finished top-50 in all four majors this year. Last week at Royal St. George's, MacIntyre played his final 36 holes in 8-under-par and ultimately averaged four birdies per round.
Jhonattan Vegas - $33
Coming in at No. 2 in my custom stat model this week, Vegas ranks fourth in SG: Off-the-Tee and seventh in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds, but he's also fourth in driving distance and seventh in eagle percentage throughout his past 24. That sort of upside is essential at the 3M Open, and it's translated to three results of T11 or better for Vegas since a top-10 showing at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Luke List - $28
Gaining a combined 22.8 strokes from tee to green en route to back-to-back top-5s at the Barbasol Championship and John Deere Classic, List's ball striking has returned to form after he missed three straight cuts from the Charles Schwab Challenge through the Palmetto Championship. Although he's one of the worst putters on the PGA Tour, List racks up enough birdie and eagle chances to make himself a worthy selection in DFS formats. List is third in driving distance and sixth in opportunities gained over his last 24 rounds, but he's also top-10 in terms of efficiency from all three of the key hole-yardage ranges at TPC Twin Cities during this span. These include rankings of sixth in Par-5: 550-600 scoring, eighth in P4: 450-500 and ninth in P3: 200-225.
Bargain Bin
Adam Schenk - $24
Schenk is quietly humming along with six made cuts in his last seven starts, but he's been red hot with the flat stick on the way to a pair of top-15s at the JDC and Barbasol Championship. He's fifth in SG: Putting on bentgrass greens over his past 24 rounds, a timeline during which he's also ninth in birdie or better percentage and 17th in opportunities gained. Over his last 12 rounds, he's no worse than 34th among his peers in SG: Approach, SG: Off-the-Tee, Prox: 175-200 and Prox: 200-plus yards.
Bo Hoag - $22
You'd have to be some sort of golf wizard to predict that Hoag paces this week's entire field in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds, but he does, and he's gained a combined 15.4 strokes with his irons across three starts dating to the Rocket Mortgage Classic despite failing to record a top-10 finish during this stretch. A bit of positive regression on the greens would go a long way for the former Buckeye here in Big Ten country. He placed T12 at 14-under-par in his TPC Twin Cities debut last year.
Jason Dufner - $20
I honestly can't remember the last time I would've recommended Dufner for consideration in a DFS lineup as he's fallen outside the top-400 in the OWGR, but he might actually be worth a dart throw this week at the minimum salary. Rebounding from three consecutive missed cuts from the Palmetto Championship through the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Dufner went T18-T26 at the John Deere Classic and Barbasol Championship. He's now second in Prox: 175-200, 17th in SG: OTT and 27th in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds. Dufner, who's 2-for-2 in cuts made at the 3M Open, should be motivated to continue making a push for a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs as he currently resides just 166th in points.
