Major season in men’s golf wrapped up with Brian Harman’s runaway win at The Open Championship, but back in the United States, plenty of intrigue remains over the next several weeks on the PGA Tour.
Defending champion Tony Finau and company head to TPC Twin Cities for the 3M Open, beginning Thursday in Blaine, Minn., with two weeks left in the PGA Tour regular season.
Finau won last year’s 3M Open at 17-under 267 after Scott Piercy gave up a big lead on Sunday. It launched Finau into the best run of his career — he won in Detroit the next week, Houston in November and Mexico this past April to get to six career wins on tour.
“I think winning just breeds confidence, and after I left here I had a lot of confidence in what I was doing,” Finau said. “And that confidence, I’ve been able to just again notch a few wins since I came here last year, but it all started here.”
Despite that run of form, Finau is one of several American players in Minnesota who have work to do to make the Ryder Cup team. He ranks No. 19 in qualifying points; the top six after Aug. 20 will automatically make the team, and captain Zach Johnson will make six more selections.
“I’ve been in this type of position before, you know, where (I’m) probably on the outside looking in,” Finau said. “Going to have to play some good golf over these next few weeks and make my case. The good news is I’ve been in this position before, I’ve made the teams before and hope to show some good form to make my case for myself over the next few weeks.”
That goes double for Justin Thomas, who is No. 14 in the standings but has played far worse in recent months. He missed the cut at three of four majors in 2023, shooting rounds of 81 and 82 at the U.S. Open and Open Championship, respectively.
He’ll make his 3M Open debut this week and then play the regular-season finale, the Wyndham Championship, searching not only for Ryder Cup points but FedEx Cup points, as well. Thomas ranks No. 75 entering the week, and only the top 70 players in FedEx Cup points qualify for the first leg of the playoffs.
“This is a good chance for me to learn a little bit about myself and push myself and become better,” Thomas said. “I mean, this game, nothing’s given to you. I’ve had great chances to win the FedEx Cup the last five or six years and now I’m trying to make the playoffs. That’s just the way that this sport is.”
Cameron Young (No. 15 in world ranking, No. 8 in U.S. Ryder Cup points) is in the 3M field, ready to try for his first PGA Tour win once again. He played with Harman in the final Sunday pairing at The Open but faded to a T8 finish.
Austria’s Sepp Straka rose to No. 15 in FedEx Cup points by tying for second at The Open, making his case for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team in the process. Before heading from Liverpool to Minnesota, he hesitated to consider himself a lock for the team.
“I don’t know about that, but I feel like my game is in a good place,” Straka said Sunday. “I’ve got a couple more months of tournaments to take advantage of the good play, and hopefully I can do that.”
Erik van Rooyen of South Africa will play without his usual caddie, Alex Gaugert. That’s because Gaugert, a friend and teammate of his at the University of Minnesota, earned his way into the field through the Monday qualifier.
“I think expectations are a massive thing and I went in with zero expectations and played well,” Gaugert said.
–Field Level Media