The PGA Tour action heads to Minnesota this week for the 3M Open and there is a first appearance at TPC Twin Cities for world number one Scottie Scheffler.
After his tied-fourth finish at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, Scheffler has made the surprising decision to compete at the Arnold Palmer-designed course and he has been installed as the 11/4 favourite.
The four-time Major winner will be eager to make a statement in round one on Thursday and he is 11/1 to be leading after the opening 18 holes, ahead of 35/1 chances Maverick McNealy and Kurt Kitayama.
3M Open First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Kurt Kitayama each-way @ 35/1
Alternative Bet - Lucas Glover each-way @ 75/1
Alternative Bet - Austin Eckroat each-way @ 100/1
3M Open First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Kurt Kitayama each-way @ 35/1
After finishing tied sixth on his 3M Open debut in 2024, Kurt Kitayama returned 12 months later to clinch the title when ending up one stroke ahead of fellow American Sam Stevens.
The defending champion arrives in Minnesota on the back of a tied-40th effort at the Open Championship - his best result in that Major - and he should be feeling confident about his chances of enjoying another strong week.
Kitayama knows how to navigate Twin Cities and he shot a course-record 60 on day three last year, making him one of just four players to have posted that number - Paul Goydos, Daniel Gale and Adam Svensson being the other three.
In the 33-year-old's eight rounds at the 3M Open, he has signed for scores of 71, 70, 69, 66 (twice), 65 (twice) and 60. He clearly loves this layout and can get off to a flyer on Thursday.
Alternative Bet: Lucas Glover each-way @ 75/1
Lucas Glover has found some form in his last two starts, finishing tied third at the John Deere Classic and then posting a top five at the ISCO Championship.
The American opened with a round of 63 at the John Deere to share the lead with Zac Blair before shooting that score again at the ISCO Championship to sit tied for the lead after the opening 18 holes.
Glover’s irons have been razor-sharp over both of those tournaments, as he was first in strokes gained approach at the John Deere and second in the same category at the ISCO.
As long as the putter behaves, Glover can get himself into contention for the win and he can aid his cause by getting off to a hot start.
Alternative Bet: Austin Eckroat each-way @ 100/1
This will be Austin Eckroat’s fifth crack at the 3M Open and he has had a couple of solid showings, finishing tied 16th on debut in 2021 and sharing 39th in 2025.
Eckroat, who has not won on the PGA Tour since the 2024 World Wide Technology Championship, made a strong start to last week’s Corales Puntacana Championship before fading away on day two to miss the cut.
The 27-year-old American opened with a score of 66, leaving him tied third and just one off the pace, and he will be hoping to make amends for his poor end to the Puntacana with a strong start in Minnesota.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the eighth edition of the 3M Open, with the previous seven iterations all played at TPC Twin Cities
A score of -19 or better has been required for victory in four of the seven editions
Four players hold the 18-hole course record (60) - Paul Goydos (2017) Daniel Gale (2023) Adam Svensson and Kurt Kitayama (both 2025)
The leading scores after round one of the seven 3M Opens were 62 (2019), 63 (2020), 64 (2021), 65 (2022), 63 (2023), 63 (2024) and 60 (2025)
Taylor Moore leads the PGA Tour's round one scoring average charts on 68.50
Lucas Glover has been leading or tied for the lead after day one in his last two starts
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
