Steve Palmer's 3M Open predictions and free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf red button from 12.45pm on Thursday

Best bets

Davis Riley
2.5pts each-way 25-1 Hills
Cam Davis
2pts each-way 25-1 Coral, Hills, Ladbrokes
Cameron Champ
1pt each-way 60-1 bet365
Rickie Fowler
1pt each-way 60-1 bet365
Chris Gotterup
1pt each-way 50-1 bet365

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Tony Finau tees up in the 3M Open as 14-1 favourite, having trekked back from the Open Championship in Scotland, and punters have to evaluate how much that experience has taken out of the giant Utah man.

Finau's 3M Open claims are obvious - the course sets up well for powerhouses and he has encouraging form figures there of 23-3-28 - but will he make a sluggish start after his St Andrews exertions?

Given how strongly Finau finished the Open - a 70, 66 weekend for a share of 28th place - there is every temptation to support the Ryder Cup star for 3M Open success. Preference, though, is for other players who have not had the long journey from Fife to deal with.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Davis Riley 25-1

More than double the odds of Finau this week is Davis Riley, a class act who seems almost certain to lift PGA Tour silverware in the months to come. The 25-year-old Mississippi man is so talented that his caddie Lance Bennett gave up a job on the PGA Tour so he could take the bag of Riley on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Bennett knew the long-term potential of Riley, who won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, and the switch has already paid off in spades. This season has been Riley's rookie campaign on the PGA Tour and he has been knocking at the door of the winner's enclosure from March onwards.

A playoff defeat to Sam Burns in the Valspar Championship was followed by fifth spot in the Mexico Open in May, ninth in the Byron Nelson, 13th in the US PGA, fourth at Colonial and 13th at the Memorial. This sweet-swinger has moved up to world number 78 and seems likely to rise further - a place in the top ten is entirely feasible given his ability.

Fresh from three weeks off, Riley could fall in love with Twin Cities immediately. It is a layout where he can open his shoulders and attack, setting up a PGA Tour breakthrough for Sunday.

Next best bet

Cam Davis 25-1

An Australian called Cameron fired a Sunday 64 to claim the most coveted prize in golf on Sunday and this week his taller compatriot Cam Davis may be similarly inspired. Davis carded a final-round 64 of his own in last year's 3M Open, following his 12th-place finish in 2020.

Davis had missed four cuts in a row prior to the 3M Open two years ago, yet cruised to four rounds in the 60s, showcasing his affection for the layout. His maiden PGA Tour title came in the Rocket Mortgage Classic just over a year ago and he has been jaunty in July once again.

This classic swinger has posted four top-tens in his last eight starts, with third place in the Heritage followed by seventh at Colonial, eighth in the John Deere and sixth last week in the Barracuda Championship.

Other selections

Cameron Champ 60-1

Rickie Fowler 60-1

Chris Gotterup 50-1

The defending champion is going off at juicy odds this week and they are too tempting to ignore. Cameron Champ is the sort of player who can go from missing cuts to winning a trophy in a flash. He has missed loads of cuts in his PGA Tour career, but has also won three titles, the latest of which came in the 3M Open.

Champ has not played well this summer, but he could easily bounce back to his spring form this week and make a mockery of his price. The big-hitting Californian was tenth in the Masters, sixth in the Mexico Open, and he loves Twin Cities.

Complete a five-pronged attack with Rickie Fowler and Chris Gotterup. Fowler seems likely to jump ship to LIV Golf if he fails to finish in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings and qualify for the PGA Tour playoffs. Some good golf from his current position of 129th would keep the former world number four on the PGA Tour and he could end all doubt by winning the 3M Open.

Fowler has been showing signs of life, with 21st spot in the Wells Fargo, 23rd in the US PGA and 47th in a high-class Scottish Open last time out. He opened with a 64 on his 3M debut last year and the six-time PGA Tour champion is worth chancing at the price.

Gotterup clearly felt uncomfortable with being talked up as the man to beat in the Barbasol Championship. It was obviously a huge early opportunity for the Tour newcomer but he failed to settle, slumping to six over par through 12 holes. When he finally got going, the youngster covered his final four Thursday holes in three under par, then fired a Friday 67.

Gotterup is a classic modern pro - a massive driver who was nicknamed Boomer by his college peers - and he approaches the game in a similar fashion to 2019 3M Open champion Matt Wolff. Fourth place in the John Deere showed that Gotterup is ready to contend for titles immediately.

Players to note

Wyndham Clark
Long hitting and strong putting is a deadly combination at Twin Cities and Clark can usually be relied upon for both. He was fifth in the inaugural 3M Open and has been bright lately.

Nick Hardy
A dangerous Twin Cities debutant. The Illinois boy has settled into PGA Tour life over the last couple of months and is playing well enough to threaten a maiden title.

TPC Twin Cities course guide

Course TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
Prize money $7.5m ($1.188m 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 round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Hideki Matsuyama (14), Tony Finau (17), Sungjae Im (24), Tom Hoge (47), Cameron Tringale (49)
Course records- 72 holes 263 Matthew Wolff (2019) 18 holes 62 Scott Piercy, Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Wolff, Lucas Glover

Course winners taking part Michael Thompson, Cameron Champ

When to bet By 12.45pm on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf red button from 12.45pm on Thursday

Time difference Minnesota is six hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Barracuda Championship 1 C Reavie (40-1), 2 A Noren (18-1), 3 M Laird (33-1), 4 M Hubbard (25-1), 5 S Gutschewski (300-1), 6 C Davis (18-1), 7 H Long (45-1), 8 A Smotherman (66-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview TPC Twin Cities, just north of Minneapolis, opened in 2000 and earned PGA Tour status in 2019 for the inaugural 3M Open. The Arnold Palmer design, for which Tom Lehman acted as a consultant, features mature oak and spruce trees lining the fairways. It is a suburban development, framed by houses. A 62 was shot every day in 2019 and Matthew Wolff reached 21 under par. Water is in play on half the holes, while the greens are bentgrass, large and undulating

Story of last year Cameron Champ secured his third PGA Tour title with a two-shot victory

Weather forecast Hot, sunny, with gentle breezes, and a thunderstorm threat on Saturday

Type of player suited to the challenge The seniors found this course a doddle when it was a Champions Tour venue and it has been the same story on the PGA Tour. Attacking players carrying a hot putter should thrive

Key attribute Touch/putting

Spotlight insight The three 3M Open champions had missed a cut in one of their two preceding tournaments

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