The 3M Open offers one of many final two alternatives for golfers to play their approach into the FedEx Cup Playoffs and into the all-important prime 100 to safe their PGA Tour card for subsequent season. The highest of the leaderboard after the primary spherical encompasses a participant in Adam Svensson trying to do each after taking pictures a scintillating 11-under 60 on Thursday.
Svensson got here into the week one hundred and seventieth within the FedEx Cup standings, successfully needing a win to get inside the highest 100 and provides himself a take a look at a playoff spot. With a win, Svensson would transfer to 69th within the standings, placing him simply contained in the quantity wanted to make it to the primary playoff occasion with only one match to go.
Whereas Svensson might want to produce three extra sturdy rounds, his phenomenal opening effort allotted a two-shot cushion over Thorbjørn Olesen and Sam Stevens, who was on 59 watch himself however bogeyed the 18th to drop again to 9 beneath. Svensson went the alternative approach on the 18th, as he was 9 beneath when he arrived however poured in a protracted eagle putt to interrupt the course report at TPC Twin Cities and put up a 60 to take the solo 18-hole lead.
Nobody may fairly match Svensson’s onslaught of birdies and eagles, however the scoring circumstances in Minnesota had been very best and the sector took benefit. There’s some critical congestion on the leaderboard on the again finish of the highest 10, together with among the greatest names within the subject who’re attempting to lock up a postseason place.
Chris Gotterup, who has been the second hottest golfer on the planet this month, continued his heater with an opening-round 63. The Scottish Open champion and Open Championship third-place finisher would’ve been forgiven for taking this week off, however he made the trek from Northern Eire to Minnesota and stored the great vibes rolling as he makes a late push for a Ryder Cup spot.
Rickie Fowler opened with a 6-under 65, which has him lurking within the prime 10; if he can keep in that vary by way of the weekend, Fowler ought to lock down a kind of prime 70 spots after beginning the week in 63rd. Nevertheless, Fowler shall be interested by the highest 50 as a result of people who make it to the BMW Championship within the second playoff occasion lock themselves into all eight signature occasions in 2026.
Max Homa started the week 102nd within the standings and shot a stable 5-under 66 to maintain his hopes alive. He might want to transfer larger than T10 to really enhance his place and have an opportunity at a tee time in Memphis in two weeks. Nonetheless, for a participant attempting desperately to seek out his recreation, Homa was happy with the beginning of his match and can attempt to again it up with one other sturdy day on Friday.
The chief
1. Adam Svensson (-11): Even in nice circumstances, Svensson’s 60 was spectacular. At one level, he made seven birdies in a 9-hole stretch from the 4th to the twelfth, and whereas 59-watch received taken away by a string of pars in the midst of his again 9, he nonetheless closed sturdy with a birdie-par-eagle end to get into the clubhouse with the lead alone. He was unbelievable on and across the greens on Thursday, main the sector in placing the place he gained almost 5 strokes on everybody else. Svensson’s problem shall be preserving that putter sizzling for 3 extra days, however for a man whose solely playoff hope was to win this week, he could not ask for a greater begin.
Contenders
T2. Sam Stevens, Thorbjørn Olesen (-9)
T4. Chad Ramey, Matti Schmid, Chris Gotterup (-8)
T7. Brendan Valdes, Jake Knapp (-7)
T9. Rickie Fowler, Kurt Kitayama, Emiliano Grillo, Ricky Castillo, Matt Wallace, Patrick Fishburn (-6)
T15. Max Homa, Luke Clanton, Akshay Bhatia and 16 others (-5)
As we regularly see on the PGA Tour, there shall be a ton of shifting on the leaderboard on Friday as there are some low scores out there and nobody can take their foot off the gasoline. Svensson may run away if he can discover one other spherical within the low 60s, however following up a spherical of 60 is at all times a tricky process, and the sector is aware of they’re one nice spherical themselves from thrusting themselves to the highest of the leaderboard.
The strain this week just isn’t solely in regards to the probability to win and contend in a PGA Tour occasion, however the playoffs and subsequent season as effectively. Many of the subject got here into this week needing a great end to solidify their place as a prime 100 participant for his or her card subsequent season, a prime 70 participant for the playoffs this 12 months or a prime 50 participant to get into the extremely profitable signature occasions in 2026.
That dynamic ought to make this weekend all of the extra fascinating as even when there is a breakaway on the prime, everybody has a purpose to scratch and claw for each place on the leaderboard to get much-needed factors.
2025 3M Open up to date odds, picks
Odds by way of DraftKings
- Chris Gotterup (11/2)
- Sam Stevens (17/2)
- Adam Svensson (10-1)
- Thorbjørn Olesen (10-1)
- Jake Knapp (12-1)
- Matti Schmid (14-1)
- Kurt Kitayama (20-1)
- Rickie Fowler (22-1)
- Emiliano Grillo (22-1)
It is nonetheless anybody’s match at this early uncture. The oddsmakers are exhibiting Gotterup deserved respect, however the query is whether or not he’ll run out of gasoline on the weekend of his third straight week enjoying and coping with the psychological stress of contending. I am unable to assist however imagine Jake Knapp goes to win one other one among these ahead of later. He is able to going actually low, and that’ll doubtless be a requirement this weekend. Additional down, Luke Clanton at 35-1 is one other man who can pile up birdies and has been steadily getting extra comfy as a professional.