The Inaugural 3M Open
What: The 37th of 43 events on the PGA Tour, part of a reconfigured 2018-19 schedule that included the move of The Players Championship to March, the PGA Championship to May, the RBC Canadian Open to June and three FedExCup Playoffs events during August.
The debut: The 3M Open is one of two new events on tour this season, following this weekend's Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Where: TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
Purse: $6.4 million ($1.52 million to the winner).
FedEx Cup points: 500.
Course details: Par 71 (7,468 yards).
Cut: Low 70 scores and ties after 36 holes.
Schedule: Practice rounds and pro-ams Tuesday and Wednesday; the 72-hole tournament begins at 7 a.m. Thursday.
Broadcast: PGA Tour Live will stream action beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday and Friday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday via its pay-service app. Golf Channel will have coverage from 1-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon-1:45 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Ch. 4 will pick up coverage from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. PGA Tour Radio will have live coverage from noon-5 p.m. each playing day on Sirius Ch. 208 and XM Ch. 92.
Tickets: Available online at 3mopen.com and at the main gate. A weekly general admission ticket good for practice rounds Tuesday and Wednesday and each of the four playing days is available for $240. Daily tickets are $30 Tuesday and Wednesday and $45 Thursday-Sunday. Children under 17 are admitted free with a paying adult, and all active and retired military personnel are also admitted free.
Parking: Available at the nearby National Sports Center for $10. Ride-share services will also drop off/pick up at that location. All spectators will be shuttled to the golf course. Handicap parking and ADA shuttles will be available.
Bag policy: Nothing larger than 6 inches by 6 inches, including camera cases, backpacks and lawn chair bags. Clear plastic or vinyl bags smaller than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches are allowed.
Phones: Allowed on silent mode.
Cameras: Allowed on Tuesday and Wednesday only.
Entertainment: Zac Brown Band, a Grammy-winning country group, will perform an outdoor concert Friday night at the National Sports Center. Tickets are tied to the 3M Open; options remaining are a $100 concert ticket that benefits the 3M Open Fund or a $400 Arnie's Cabin ticket that includes a concert ticket, admittance to any one day of the tournament and access to a climate-controlled tent off the 18th green with full bar and food.
In-person viewing: General-admission bleachers will be set up around the No. 1 tee, which is also near the driving range/practice area. Bleachers will also be set up on Nos. 17-18. There is also a 3M Social Hub area on the 18th fairway and craft beer garden that overlooks the 12th green and 13th tee box. Those seeking shade will find a wine grove under the trees between the 13th tee and 18th fairway.
Players to watch: The 156-player field features six players ranked in the top 30 in the world: Brooks Koepka (1), Bryson DeChambeau (8), Tony Finau (16), Jason Day (18), Patrick Reed (25) and Phil Mickelson (28). Minnesotans Tom Lehman — who helped design the course with Arnold Palmer and oversaw course revisions last year — and Tim Herron accepted special invitations into the tournament. Same for Oklahoma State All-Americas Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff, who turned professional two weeks ago, and Osceola, Wis., native Charlie Danielson. Spring Lake Park graduate and former Winona State golfer Troy Merritt and two-time Minnesota State Amateur champion Tom Hoge are also in the field. The final four spots will be determined via Monday's qualifying event at Victory Links.
BRIAN STENSAAS
