Weekly Fantasy Golf Preview: 3M Open

3M Open 

TPC Twin Cities
Blaine, MN

The PGA Tour heads to Blaine, MN this week for another edition of the 3M Open.

I've decided to try something new here. It's no secret that I like to spend a lot of time on the majors in this space and the week prior to a major, I use the majority of this column to preview whichever major is next. With that in mind, I'm going to stick with the storylines idea and take the week after each major to see how each of the storylines played out. I'll obviously have to address the ones that developed as the week went on as well. With that in mind, let's take a look back and for consistency, I'll just keep the same order of the storylines from this past week, so the order is not by importance.

• Scottie Scheffler – Rinse and repeat. Again, I've never seen a season like this. He's been in the mix at nearly every stop this season, but he's managed to win just once. I can't knock his game because there's nothing to knock. Production-wise, he's having a great season, but it's not up to his standards. I'm curious to see how he closes out this season. It would not surprise me at all to see him roll through the FedEx playoffs and win the TOUR Championship.
• Rory McIlroy – I don't think his failure to get another major this season outside of the Masters is mental at this point, I think it's just the nature of this sport and how hard it is to win a major. McIlroy was a non-factor this week, which was surprising, but I don't think this affects him moving forward. He'll again he a threat at every major next season, especially at Augusta.
• Bryson DeChambeau – When I placed DeChambeau at a storyline entering this past week, I certainly didn't expect him to be the biggest story heading into the weekend, but that's just kind of what happens when he's around. By now we all know about the penalty situation and the antics that followed. I for one think there's little doubt that he was improving his lie on the shot in question if for no other reason than nobody walks backwards lifting their knees that high. The whole scene just looked so unnatural. Why they went back out to the scene in question to discuss it was the strange part, but I don't know what was discussed at that point. As far as I know, DeChambeau doesn't have a history of cheating, and quite honestly I would have been fine with whatever they decided, but it's just funny that it was DeChambeau in this situation. The drama always seems to find him.
• First-time winner – And finally, we can talk about the winner, Ryan Fox. He certainly wasn't the first name to come to mind when thinking about a first-time major winners this past week, but he's the only one that came through. Cameron Young and Sam Burns were in the mix on Sunday as well, but Young ran out of holes and Burns stumbled out of the gate, so it was Fox who came out on top. The one thing I want to mention, and this is something that's been talked about a lot already, so please bear with me, but his pace of play is just fantastic. Not only is it good for the game, but I think it helped him immensely down the stretch. When you're in a situation like that, the last thing you want to do is give your mind more time to mess things up. I thought the wait on the 18th tee was going to be the end of Fox as you could see he was itching to go, but once it was his time, he smoked his drive. After that, he made a brilliant second shot and of course, a nice putt to close it out. I hope all golfers that take forever to hit their shots were watching on Sunday.
• The random DP World Tour member – No random European contended for the second consecutive year. It was the Kiwis dominating the top of the leaderboard for most of the week and while Fox wasn't a random golfer for most of us, I think Lucas Herbert qualified.
• The course – Royal Birkdale was certainly interesting this week. Like many links-style courses, the random bounces on apparently good shots were maddening, but overall, the course held up. The wind played a big part in that, but on the whole, I think it was entertaining.  

That's a wrap on the 2026 major season and we're now looking ahead to the playoffs. Before that, we've got a few events, the first of which is in Minnesota this week. Luckily for the golfers, it's not supposed to be as hot this week as it was this past week. The field, as expected, is not great, but there is one name that's going to draw more than a few fans out to Blaine this week.

For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, tournament participation and overall golfer performance, head to RotoWire's latest golf news or follow @RotoWireGolf on X.

FAVORITES

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Tuesday.

Scottie Scheffler (+240) 

The shortest odds we've seen on Scheffler all season and the primary reason is the lack of firepower in the field. The 3M has struggled over the years to draw a solid field and this year is no exception, but having Scheffler on site is huge. Scheffler alone will draw a big crowd to the course, but can he finally pick up another win this week? This is obviously his best chance to do so as there aren't many big names in his way, but he will be playing this course for the first time, so there's no guarantee that he'll click with this course. Then again, it's Scheffler, so odds are he's going to figure out the course quite quickly. Unless he has some sort of hangover from The Open, he should be in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

Kurt Kitayama (22-1)

This is the first time this season that I can recall the second favorite being all the way back at 22-1. There are bigger names in the field, so I'm a little surprised to see Kitayama as the second-favorite, but his track record here is among the best in the field. Kitayama won this event this past year and he placed T6 the year prior. Those are his only two starts here, so it looks like he's got a good feel for this course. The problem for Kitayama this week is his form. He hasn't missed a cut since The PLAYERS Championship in March, but he hasn't cracked the top-20 since May. Maybe a return to this course will improve his form, but he's got a lot on his plate this week as the defending champ, so this doesn't look like a great play. 

Maverick McNealy (25-1)

There's going to be a lot of value with anyone outside of Scheffler because his presence is boosting the odds of everyone else. McNealy is having a decent season, but he's well off the pace he set this past year when he earned over $8 million. He'll have to win at least once down the stretch to come close to that number this season. As for his chances this week, they don't look that great as his form is not great entering this week. He missed the cut this past week and finished T55 in the start previous. He has a decent track record here, but he'll have to get his game on track to be a factor this week.     

Visit our golf betting section for the latest PGA odds and finishing props from multiple sportsbooks.

THE NEXT TIER

Tom Kim (30-1)

Kim has made quite an impact over the past month or so and even though he's coming off a missed cut at the Open, I still think he's in play this week. Kim played very well at the U.S. Open this past month, finishing third, but he faltered the week after, placing 46th at the John Deere. He followed that up with a win at the Scottish Open however, which led a lot of people to believe he would play well at The Open -- which he didn't. There's a pattern developing here, and if it holds, he should fare well this week. It's not a lot to go on, but this is a unique situation with one golfer clearly ahead of everyone else. Everyone outside of Scheffler is a longshot. With that in mind, who can beat him? Kim did just that two weeks ago at the Scottish Open, he beat not only Scheffler, but a bunch of top-tier golfers. If his mind is right, he can certainly take down this field.     

Keith Mitchell (33-1)

This just kind of feels like a Mitchell week, right? Okay, maybe my gut is not in-line with your gut, but I'm just feeling like Mitchell will have something to say this week. I'm leaning on my gut here because his current form is not a reason to take him. He missed the cut at The Open and didn't play well the week prior at the John Deere. In fact, he hasn't played well since the U.S. Open, but he happened to play really well that week on his way to a T4. His track record here is scattered, he's missed the cut twice in six starts, but he's also finished inside the top-5 on two occasions.

Corey Conners (40-1)

Like quite a few players in the field this week, Conners is having an off year and will be looking to boost his numbers by playing at the 3M. Conners isn't having a terrible season, but he's well off the pace he's set over the past few years. He's struggled a bit over the past couple months, but he's also played some of his best golf during that stretch. Conners posted a top-10 at the Travelers and he also fared well this past week landing inside the top 15 at The Open. Conners has played this event just once, back in 2019 and maybe that's due to an issue with this course, but it's more likely due to its placement on the schedule.  

Looking to place a bet for this week's PGA Tour event? Check out the best golf betting sites, featuring comprehensive sportsbook reviews and a summary of new customer bonus offers.

LONG SHOTS

Jackson Suber (45-1)   

Suber has been all over the map this season, he's missed almost as many cuts as he's made, but he's also had some strong finishes. Suber finished T4 at the Nelson in May and followed that up with another T4 at the RBC Canadian Open in June. Another top-10 followed at the John Deere Classic earlier this month. Suber fared pretty well at The Open, landing in the top 30. While he's yet to win on the PGA Tour, he's getting close. It's going to be tough to get the better of Scheffler this week, but if Suber plays well and Scheffler is off for some reason, this could be his breakthrough moment.      

Tony Finau (70-1)           

Finau is in the midst of his worst season since 2016 and yet, I think he has a chance to win this week. Before we get to why, let's talk about the drop-off from Finau. As recently as 2024, Finau was a top-20 golfer. He landed inside the top-20 at the year-end FedEx list each season from 2017-2024 and then in 2025, his game started to drift. He finished 66th on the FedEx list this past year and he's behind that pace this year. He's only 36 years-old, so there should be no physical reason for this drop. With that in mind, I think he'll bounce back at some point, perhaps this week. The reason this week looks promising is Finau's apparent affinity for this course. He's played this event every year since it's inception in 2019 and he won here in 2022. If Finau has anything left for this season, we'll see it this week.       

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Maverick McNealy– With Scheffler at the top and OAD owners either unable or unwilling to use him this week, I have to imagine the ownership is going to be all over the place. The two options just below Scheffler on the odds chart don't look like great options this week, but of the two, I think McNealy looks like the better one. There isn't a lot to like here, but if you're uncomfortable with a smaller name, then you might be forced to use McNealy this week. On the plus side, he has played this event in four of the past five seasons and he posted a T3 here in 2024.

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Tom Kim – Not a great option here either, but we're kind of low on great options this week. Kim however does provide a high upside having won just a couple weeks ago. The problem with Kim this season has been consistency. He's been great in a couple spots, but bad in many others. It does look like something clicked though last month at the U.S. Open, so hopefully he's back to that phenom we grew to love a few years ago.  

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Tony Finau – Finau is clearly not the golfer he was two years ago, but again, I can't point to why he's dropped off, so I'm going to hold out hope that he'll return to form sometime soon. If he's got any juice left for this season, we should see something this week. I'm not sure why Finau chose this locale as one of his favorites, but sometimes certain courses just suit the eye. Finau has just one top-10 this season, so this is definitely a risky pick, but if you're already looking for a sleeper, that means you're down in the standings and need to take some chances.  

Buyer Beware: Hideki Matsuyama – It's going to be tough to find a golfer worthy of a fade prediction this week because everyone outside of Scheffler is 25-1 or higher, which means that most guys are falling into the "no duh I should avoid him" category. Matsuyama however is a big name and since no one in their right mind is using Scheffler this week, he's probably the biggest fish available. I don't hate Matsuyama this week, but I also wouldn't use him in the OAD format. Matsuyama's game isn't quite there right now, he hasn't posted a top-10 since February and while he played pretty well at The Open, it doesn't feel like he's about to win anytime soon.   

My Pick: Jackson Suber – I'm going a bit down the list this week, but there are a few reasons for that. First, I'm way behind in my league and I need to make up some ground. I don't think Suber will be a super popular play this week, so he looks like a good option to gain some ground. Second, Suber has shown some flashes lately, finishing inside the top-6 in two of his past five starts. He's also fared okay against the stronger fields recently, posting top-30s at the Travelers and The Open. The final reason to like Suber this week is the history of this event, which has produced some unexpected winners. Jhonattan Vegas won here in 2024, Lee Hodges in 2023, Cameron Champ in 2021, Michael Thompson in 2020 and Matthew Wolff in 2019.       

Previous Results

View the PGA earnings report to find total winnings and winnings per entry via our fantasy golf stats pages.

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range: Jackson Suber ($10,500)
Middle Range: Tony Finau ($9,800)
Lower Range: Brice Garnett ($7,000)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

My Pick: Tony Finau – This is a tough week in this format. I would start with being skeptical of anyone that played this past week at the Open Championship. The travel can certainly have an effect on a golfer as well as the "week-after" factor when following a major. I know most golfers aren't going to show up to an event that they don't want to play in, but motivation is certainly something to consider this week. Finau should have no issues there as he's fighting for a playoff spot in the FedEx. That combined with his love for this course should be enough to get him to the weekend.       

Previous Results