3M Open 2024 scores, takeaways: Taylor Pendrith leads with Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala in race

Consistent winds of 10 to 15 mph caused problems for players at TPC Twin Cities on Friday. While many were affected, Taylor Pendrith was not, as the Canadian navigated the par-71 layout without dropping a shot en route to the top of the leaderboard. Adding seven birdies along the way, Pendrith finished at 12 under and is two shots ahead of Matt NeSmith heading into the weekend at the 2024 3M Open.

Pendrith’s effort on Friday gave him his second straight bogey-free round at TPC Twin Cities as he remains the only player in the group yet to put a square on his scorecard this week. Riding the afternoon swell as the course played 0.25 strokes over par, Pendrith relied on his trusty putter and connected on birdie putts from 60 feet, 17 feet and 32 feet before finally signing for a 64.

“I hit the ball really solid, hit a lot of greens,” Pendrith said. “It was a tough day with the wind, it was blowing pretty hard at times, so I had good pace all day and just stayed patient. I didn’t really hit a lot of good shots in the first hour of golf and I was able to stay patient and hit a few shots, hit a few longer ones, which was great. Yeah, played really solid, hit the ball well and hit a lot of greens.”

With a win on Sunday, Pendrith will become the fifth player this season to win multiple times, joining Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre. He will vault into the top 15 of the FedEx Cup standings and virtually guarantee his first trip to Atlanta, where major championship exemptions and additional prize money await. He also has the potential to secure a spot on the International Presidents Cup team through qualifying or captain’s selection if a trophy falls into his hands.

But to achieve glory, Pendrith must first overcome a motley group of chasers. NeSmith, Andrew Putnam, Jhonattan Vegas and Doug Ghim are among the hungry hunters behind him who need to finish their regular seasons quickly just to make it to the finals. Meanwhile, Americans like Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala and Tony Finau are still within reach of the lead and are likely to make the most of their Move Day to keep tabs on the top man.

Leader

1. Taylor Pendrith (-12)

Pendrith looked like a man playing with great confidence on Friday, and why wouldn’t he be? Coming into the week, the powerful right-hander was fresh off a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open and a top-five finish at the Barracuda Championship. All of this comes after his first PGA Tour win earlier this spring at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Statistically, it was as solid a round as you could want, hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation and never really getting off the tee.

“I think my first win is a big confidence boost for me,” Pendrith said. “I feel like I’ve played some really good golf this year, so to finally get it done is great and hopefully I can take that experience over the next two days and compete on Sunday, which is great, and have a chance to win. Yeah, just focus on tomorrow’s round and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Other candidates

2. Matt NeSmith (-10)
3. Andrew Putnam (-9)
T4. Doug Ghim, Lanto Griffin, Jhonattan Vegas, Stewart Cink (-8)
T8. Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, Kurt Kitayama, Andrew Novak, Matt Kuchar and six others (-7)

Burns’s recovery should be applauded, as it looked like he was going to pack up his bags early in the tournament on Friday. A quadruple bogey on Thursday and down to 3 over, Burns fought back to post a round in the red and carried that momentum into Round 2. Burns birdied half of his holes—tied for most of the week—and slowly climbed toward the top of the leaderboard. For a man who entered the week ranked 30th in the FedEx Cup standings and was among the potential picks for the U.S. Presidents Cup team, Burns’s resilience and determination to not give up on Thursday could lead to more than just a trophy on Sunday.

Finau’s Eventful Friday

The pre-tournament favorite had a little bit of everything on his scorecard on Friday. Five bogeys, five birdies and an eagle kept the 2022 champion in the race despite a series of mistakes. With the wind at its strongest while Finau was on the green, he bogeyed several times and rarely hit high approach shots. Able to get the ship back on track midway through his round, Finau added two more birdies on the final three holes to give himself a chance at a second tournament title.

3M Open 2024 Updated Odds, Picks

• Taylor Pendrith: 5/2
• Andrew Putnam: 9-1
• Tony Finau: 10-1
• Sahith Theegala: 10-1
• Doug Ghim: 11-1
• Sam Burns: 12-1
• Matt NeSmith: 12-1
• Jonathan Vegas: 16-1
• Kurt Kitayama: 18-1

I believed early in the week. I believed Thursday night, and despite a wild Friday, I still believe in Finau. He’s hitting the ball well, making enough shots to make up for his deficit, but he hasn’t shown his full potential through two rounds. With so many unknowns on the leaderboard, a popular winner at this course should relish the chance to take them all down on the weekend.