Racing Post 3M Open predictions & golf betting tips

When to bet on the 3M Open

By 12.45pm on Thursday

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Where can I watch the 3M Open

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm on Thursday

3M Open predictions

Akshay Bhatia
2pts each-way 25-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Erik van Rooyen
1.5pts each-way 40-1 Betfair, Hills, Paddy Power

Tom Hoge
1pt each-way 33-1 Betfair, Hills, Paddy Power

Lee Hodges
1pt each-way 70-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

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Tournament preview

After a gruelling Open Championship and a week to go before the Paris Olympics, many of golf's leading lights are giving the 3M Open a swerve, but there are still plenty of interesting sub plots for this Minnesota get-together.

Justin Rose and Billy Horschel have made the trip after finding only Xander Schauffele too strong at Royal Troon last week, while this is the penultimate opportunity for players to get into the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings and book their place in the first round of the playoffs, which will become the game's focus now all the Majors are out of the way for another year.

Nick Dunlap, who won the Barracuda Championship last week while the cream of the crop were in Scotland, will be going for another success.

Top tip

Akshay Bhatia 25-1

Akshay Bhatia makes his course debut this week but he has already shown he has enough talent to win in this sort of company.

He missed the cut at The Open by one shot when perhaps his lack of links experience was exposed but his week at Troon will have been an eye-opener for what will surely be better tilts at Claret Jug glory in the future.

There has been little wrong with his form at home as he has built on the 16th he posted at the US Open.

He was fifth at the Travelers Championship and second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and he will have this nagging feeling that he could have done even better having faded on both Sundays.

But those showings should nevertheless provide confidence for the player who is the second-highest ranked tee-to-green operator in this week's field and, with victories at last year's Barracuda Championship and the Texas Open in April, he has the pedigree to claim a third PGA Tour success.

Next best bet

Erik van Rooyen 40-1

Solid tee-to-green play and putting have been the recipe for success at Twin Cities and that means South African Erik van Rooyen can put himself in the picture.

His three efforts on this track have been indifferent but the man who went to college up the road at the University of Minnesota often makes his presence felt in lower-profile PGA Tour events.

He won November's World Wide Technology Championship and has also finished eighth at the Mexico Open, second at the Cognizant Classic and fourth at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Van Rooyen was sixth at the Rocket Mortgage three weeks ago in his last Stateside appearance and he should be confident he can make a big impression.

Other selections

Tom Hoge 33-1

Lee Hodges 70-1

Tom Hoge had an Open finish to forget as he closed with an 80 at Troon, but that and his missed weekend at the Scottish Open may not be of huge concern going into this one.

More pertinent could be his tie for third at the Travelers Championship, which was his best finish since a similar position was earned at the 2023 Players.

There looks a strong chance he can build on his last home effort on a course were he was fourth in 2022, four shots off the pace, and a creditable 20th 12 months ago.

And, finally, it seems worth taking a chance on defending champion Lee Hodges having a big weekend, despite the fact that he has not had a top-ten finish since that victory.

He hosed up on that occasion and his form had not been great going into that tournament either - he had missed the cut in three of his previous four outings.

Of key importance is that he is 72nd in the FedEx rankings, which is tantalisingly close to earning a place in the lucrative playoffs, so a return to the scene of his greatest triumph could not be more timely.

He should be pumped for this opportunity to jump up the list on a course he dominated in a seven-shot win last year.

Course guide for the 3M Open

• Course TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
• Prize money $8.1m ($1.458m to the winner)
• Length 7,431 yards
• Par 71 – three par-fives, 11 par-fours, four par-threes
• Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for the third round
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Sahith Theegala (11), Tony Finau (18), Keegan Bradley (19), Akshay Bhatia (26), Sam Burns (28)
• Course records - 72 holes 260 Lee Hodges (2023) 18 holes 62 Scott Piercy, Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Wolff, Lucas Glover (all 2019)
• Course winners taking part Lee Hodges, Tony Finau, Cameron Champ
• When to bet By 12.45pm on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm on Thursday
• Time difference Minnesota is six hours behind the UK and Ireland
• Last week – The Open 1 X Schauffele (12-1, T2 J Rose (150-1), T2 B Horschel (250-1), 4 T Lawrence (500-1), 5 R Henley (125-1), 6 S Lowry (35-1); Barracuda Championship 1 N Dunlap (40-1), 2 V Whaley (n/a), 3 P Fishburn (n/a), 4 M Meissner (33-1), T5 T Pendrith (22-1), T5 P Rodgers (25-1).
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview Twin Cities was designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 2000. The first 3m Open was held there in 2019 while the track had previously staged a Champions Tour event where scores were low. The course was extended and fairways were narrowed but the test cannot be regarded as demanding for Tour professionals. Water comes into play on half of the holes, while the greens are large and undulating.
• Story of last year Lee Hodges fired an opening 63 to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck and secured a seven-shot victory
• Weather forecast Hot and sunny for three days and players may be fortunate enough to avoid the expected late rain on Sunday
• Type of player suited to the challenge Big hitters have won at Twin Cities, but smart play on and around the greens can be the difference on a straightforward track
• Key attribute Touch/putting

Key stat

All five 3M Open winners had missed a cut in their previous three tournaments

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