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The 3m Open in Minnesota is now at its halfway point and some of the pre-tournament favourites haven’t exactly fared well around TPC Twin Cities. Cameron Young, the highest-ranked player in the field this week, has missed the cut after posting -2 over 36 holes, while Justin Thomas, the most decorated player in the field, has met the same fate.
What that’s done has opened the field up significantly which 28-year-old Lee Hodges has taken full advantage of. Hodges has played remarkably well over the opening two days and currently has a four-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard with 36 holes left to play. Heading into the weekend, here is the new list of favourites.
3M Open favourites
Contents
Lee Hodges – 13/8
Unsurprisingly, Lee Hodges is the favourite at the halfway stage of the tournament and by quite a distance too. In reality, if Hodges had any kind of form coming into this tournament then he would be even shorter than this but the bookmakers seem to be pricing on the side of caution given he hasn’t shown much in recent times which indicates he can play this well over four days.
However, you can’t take anything away from the 28-year-old at this point. He is currently 15-under-par after two rounds of golf and is yet to hit anything worse than a par. Last year, -17 was the winning score which suggests Hodges doesn’t have much work left to do.
Tony Finau – 11/2
Although Finau isn’t currently in second place on the leaderboard, he is the second favourite according to bookmakers. At the halfway stage, Finau is five shots behind Hodges at the top of the leaderboard but things can change very quickly in golf just as Finau found out himself last year when he won the tournament despite being five-shots behind the leader with just 11 holes to play.
Finau is a seasoned champion on the PGA Tour which would certainly work to his advantage if he ends up in the final group on Sunday with Hodges. The 28-year-old is yet to win a tournament since turning professional last year and the nerves could get to him if he’s paired with Finau.
⛳️😮💨🕳️ Tony Finau (T8) was inches from an eagle 🦅. @FinauLegion
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 28, 2023
JT Poston – 9/1
Like Finau, Poston is currently on a score of -10 after two consecutive rounds of 66 at TPC Twin Cities. The 30-year-old has looked in good form over the opening two days and isn’t all that surprising given the fact he has two top-six finishes in his last three events.
Poston has taken advantage of weaker fields in the past, most recently at the 2022 John Deere Classic where he came out on top to clinch his second win on the PGA Tour. If he can continue being consistent over the weekend then he could make inroads on Hodges.
Emiliano Grillo – 12/1
Emiliano Grillo is one shot further back from Finau and Poston but he is still a name to watch over the weekend. The Argentinian has looked in fine form recently and even led the Open Championship after one round last week.
Grillo has played well so far this week and sits quite nicely on a score of -9. He will likely have to post a score in the low-mid 60s on Saturday or Sunday to have a chance of winning, however, he is more than capable of doing just that. If he does, then he could win his second event of the season.
Hideki Matsuyama – 14/1
After the opening round of the 3M Open, Hideki Matsuyama found himself as the outright favourite thanks to a score of 64. His iron play looked back to its best but unfortunately, he didn’t have quite as good a day on Friday, posting a one-under-par score of 70.
The former Masters champion has been struggling for tournament-winning form all season and will be happy to be inside the top ten as things stand. If he can find that magical iron play once again over the weekend then 14/1 looks a good price.
Tyler Duncan – 14/1
Despite being the closest man to Hodges on the leaderboard, Tyler Duncan finds himself at the same price as Hideki Matsuyama who is three shots behind him. The reason for this is probably because Duncan has had a truly miserable season on the tour.
The 34-year-old has missed the cut in six of his last eight appearances and 17 in total for the season. That is seven more than the number of cuts he has made. The world number 210 has played very nicely over the opening couple of days, though, so deserves credit.
Kevin Streelman – 18/1
Kevin Streelman is another man who has gone around TPC Twin Cities nicely so far and joins Finau and Poston on -10. At the age of 44, he probably thought his days of winning tournaments were long gone, however, he has only carded one bogey so far this week which stands him in good stead in what is sure to be an exciting weekend in Minnesota.
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