2021 3M Open odds, preview, and course notes

The PGA Tour’s Midwest excursion continues with a stop in Blaine, Minnesota for the third-annual 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities.

Among those entered in the 156-player event is +750 favorite Dustin Johnson, who landed eighth at last week’s Open Championship. He’ll be joined by Louis Oosthuizen (+1100), who once again narrowly missed out on a major title this season, as he tumbled from first to third place in Sunday’s final round at Royal St. George’s.

Tony Finau (+1400), Patrick Reed (+1400), Cameron Tringale (+2500), Sergio Garcia (+2800), Emiliano Grillo (+2800), and 2019 3M champion Matthew Wolff (+3000) round out the top of the odds board.

Defending champ Michael Thompson is a +10000 longshot.

3M Open course layout and relevant statistics

Based on the tournament's brief history, you can bank on a windfall of birdies this week, at an event whose average winning score is 20-under. 

The par-71, 7,431-yard Arnold Palmer design features easy-to-hit fairways, large, Bentgrass greens, and three inches of Bluegrass/fescue rough. 

The main challenge for golfers is to keep the ball dry, as water hazards come into play on more than half of the holes.

The week of their victories at TPC Twin Cities, Wolff and Thompson both ranked fourth or better in strokes gained approaching the green, sixth or better in greens in regulation percentage, 17th or better in par-5 scoring, and were both first in par-4 scoring.

The Twin Cities layout includes 11 par 4s, five of which range between 450 and 502 yards, along with three par 5s, between 593 and 596 yards, and four par 3s, from 177 to 228 yards.

Best bets for the 2021 3M Open

DJ has seemingly snapped back into form, after a rough stretch earlier this spring, but better value is available on the board.

One player capable of making a run this weekend is Grillo (+2800). The 28-year-old Argentinian is coming off a 12th-place finish at the Open and fell just short of a win in April's RBC Heritage, where he landed second behind Stewart Cink (+5500).

Grillo ranks first on tour in par-4 scoring, fourth in ball-striking, fifth in greens in regulation percentage, and 12th in strokes gained approaching the green.

In his 3M Open debut in 2020, Grillo tied for third, three strokes behind Thompson.

For a longshot play to finish high on Sunday, look to Luke List (+5500). The Vanderbilt alum most recently finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the John Deere Classic and last week's Barbasol Championship. He also posted three more top 10s this season at the Wells Fargo Championship, Farmers Insurance Open, and Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship.

List ranks near the top 50 on tour in greens in regulation percentage, strokes gained tee to green, strokes gained approaching the green, putting: birdie or better percentage, and par-4 efficiency from 450-500 yards.

He finished 32nd in last year's 3M Open, but heads into this year's event in much better form.

How to watch the 2021 3M Open

The winner of the 2021 3M Open will receive $1.188 million of a $6.6 million prize pool, plus 500 FedEx Cup points.

You can catch the action Thursday and Friday from 2:30-6:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday and Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel. CBS will provide live coverage Saturday and Sunday from 3-6 p.m. ET.