The Sunday Sweat

3M Open

Every Sunday, the LoopGolf team writes a newsletter for our community highlighting all the action around golf, betting and culture.

New content day! In our newest episode, co-founders Matt Rum and Thomas Reinholm compete in a 9-hole money match at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. Enjoy!

With major season behind us, attention on the PGA TOUR now shifts to the race for the FedExCup where the winner will take home $18M. Quick refresher, The FedExCup is a seasons long points race which ultimately crowns the most consistent player on the PGA TOUR at the end of each season.

Before this weekend the usual suspects round out the top-5 of the FedExCup standings, Rahm, Scheffler, McIlroy, Homa, Wyndham Clark (winner of The US Open). But with only the top-70 in the FedExCup standings making it to the playoffs, there are some notable players on the bubble, Cashmere Kieth went into this week ranked 66th and currently is projected at 57. Justin Thomas (who we highlighted last weekend) started the week at 75 and after missing the cut this weekend stands at 79th 😬. Former British Open champion Shane Lowry started the week ranked 73rd and is currently projected at 77th.

With only one more tournament next weekend between the field and the start of the FedExCup playoffs, there are going to be some sleepless nights ahead. For others, they’ll just be dreaming about taking home that $18M purse 🤑 

  • ⛳️ Tournament: 3M Open

  • 💰 Purse: $7,800,000

  • 🎥 Watch: 3pm-6pm EST (CBS)

There is more at stake this weekend than a win or a top-10 finish. The 3M is the second to last tournament of the regular season on the PGA TOUR. With that in mind, many players came to Blaine, Minnesota in hopes of keeping their season alive. Watch carefully tomorrow at the projected FedExCup standings as players jump in and out of the top-70 hole-by-hole. We love the DRAMA!

The Narrative: Lee Hodges is the man to beat this Sunday in the Twin Cities, taking a five stroke lead into the final round. But as we have all learned, it ain’t easy to win your first tournament on the PGA TOUR and Hodges would have to do just that in order to secure the dub this weekend. In 64 PGA TOUR events played he has 4 top-10 finishes, one 3rd place finish, and one top-5. He’ll also have a formidable foe biting at his heels all day long with last year’s 3M Open champ, Tony Finau, currently in solo 3rd, six back of good ole Lee Hodges.

 

We start with the leader in town Lee Hodges who threw some darts to get himself to 20-under through 3 days of the 3M Open. He’s never won an event on Tour and sits at 74th in the FedEx Cup points list (has to make top 70 to get into the playoffs and a chance at $18m). Check out his approach on the par 3 here:

The reigning 3M Open winner Tony Finau is playing great golf again this year in the Twin Cities. Big Tone proved last year he can win on tour at the 3M, can he come back from 6 down on a Sunday tho?? Watch this video game escape from behind the trees to hit the green and set up the bird:

Not a highlight but a list of those to keep an eye on that are close in points for the FedEx Cup Playoffs:

Outright Winner: Tony Finau @ +850 ($100 to win $850) 

Why? Not only did Tony win this event last year, he did it in a similar fashion. Finau stayed patient during the final round, letting Scott Piercy fall apart on the back-9 just in time for Finau to pounce and secure the win. With two wins and four top-10s already this season, Finau is in familiar territory and knows exactly what he needs to do to get back into the winners circle.

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