3M Open Leaderboard 2022: Tony Finau is the most popular before the tournament near the top after Round 1 at TPC Twin Cities
The first round of the main postseason of the season takes place on Thursday at TPC Twin Cities as the 3M Open gets underway. It’s been part of a good long road for the PGA Tour leading up to the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August, and some interesting names (as well as the FedEx Cup bubble boys) have had fun days in Minnesota.
One of the biggest names in the field – though not a full-time PGA Tour golfer – struggled epicly on the first day of the tournament (more on that below), but The favorites come in the week with even shorter odds after the first round at TPC Twin Cities than before the tournament begins.
We’ll get into all that and more in this Round 1 recap.
Leaders
1. Sungjae Im, Scott Piercy (-6): Be careful with the hottest hitters. Piercy and Im both hit more than four strokes on the court with their putts on Thursday, and while both hit the ball pretty well, there’s likely to be some setbacks in the coming days. I was struck by what Im said after his round and how simple it all sounded (spoiler: it’s not that simple).
“He’s not good at giving [the last] 2 weeks or 3 weeks, his interpreter said.
This has really been Im’s worst season in his last four seasons, but he finished first on the field on Thursday in that category. Only time will tell if it bodes well for another win for the world No 24 or a single day where his play isn’t as good as his score.
Other candidates
T3. Brice Garnett, Doug Pin, Emiliano Grillo, Tony Finau, Tom Hoge (-4)
T8. Chesson Hadley, Ricky Barnes, David Lingmerth, Peter Malnati, Robert Streb, Patton Kizzire, Adam Hadwin (-3)
Finau is clearly the big name here as he was a pre-tournament favorite and almost a post-Round 1 favorite, just behind Im, after shooting 67 on Thursday. Big Tone finished second in the field on tee-to-green shots Thursday and had a clean card after bogey on the first hole (he played last 16 out of 5). He comes into this week with a good run of three top 15s in his last five starts, including a runner-up at the Canadian Open in June. He also leads everyone in the field in total strokes in their last 20 rounds, and the best player in the field has done so for the first 18 holes.
Golf is hard (part 833)
Former tennis star Mardy Fish received a sponsor exemption in this year’s 3M Open. At first glance, this seems absurd, and perhaps it is. But Fish is a really good player and sports handicap +3. It’s not a Tour level, but – if correct – it isn’t that far away too. So what did he do in Round 1? He shoots 10-out of 81 and loses strokes on the court in every category. Golfing at PGA Tour level is incredibly hard, and watching elite amateurs struggle is a good reminder of that fact.
Bye
Two golfers withdrew after Round 1, and both are notable (albeit for different reasons). Hideki Matsuyama shot 77 (including 9 on the 18th hole) and withdrew with a sore wrist after his round. Matsuyama is having a strange year. He has been beset by injuries but has also been cut at all four major championships, one of only nine players to do so. Knockout at Memorial, win at Sony Open and all the rumors about him going to LIV Golf at some point in the future, and it was one of the worse seven-month periods for with a star that I can remember. The other WD on Thursday was Robert Garrigus, notable only for the reason he withdrew.
Bubble boys
The biggest name in the field also on the FedEx Cup bubble is Rickie Fowler, who finished 129th at the FedEx Cup (top 125 made it to the knockout round). He shot 1 under 70 on Thursday, staying in the top 25 after day one. He started strong here last year with 64 in Round 1 before losing ground in the rankings, but after two tough years and some strong matches at the Scottish Open, it would be great to see to see him in action this weekend. Jason Day joins Fowler on the bubble as he’s 122nd in the FedEx Cup standings, and he also shot 1 under 70 on Thursday.
3M Open Odds, Picks
Below is the updated odds table after 18 holes played, via Caesars Sportsbook.
- Sungjae Im: +350
- Tony Finau: +450
- Adam Hadwin: 14-1
- Scott Piercy: 14-1
- Emiliano Grillo: 14-1
- Tom Hoge: 18-1
- Doug Pin: 18-1
Hoge leads the field in strokes won from tee to green on Thursday, and Hadwin is fifth in that category. Finau is an easy pick to win the golf tournament because of how thoroughly he hits it right now, but it’s a terrible number that’s very hard to play with so much time left in the event . Fowler at 50-1, close to his pre-game numbers, is appealing to me.
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