Keep that card

James Hahn: A chip-in eagle on No. 12 was the highlight of a 6-under-par 65. Hahn birdied three in a row after the eagle for a 31 on the back nine. "It was magical ... I'm going to remember every shot," he said.

Toss that card

Scott Piercy: Other players shot higher scores Sunday than Piercy's 76. But no one had a worse day than Piercy, who seemed to be on cruise control toward the title before playing the final 11 holes of the tournament at 8 over par.

On the course with ... Troy Merritt

If there was an award for most putts made on the practice green, Merritt said he would be up for top honors. But it's inside the ropes where it counts, and this week at the 3M Open Merritt's putting statistics were dead last among the 75 players who made the cut. "Saying it was awful wouldn't be doing it justice," Merritt said of the flat stick. "I'm dealing with a little bit of a stroke issue, an alignment issue, a posture issue. There's a lot going on right now, missing a lot of little ones I don't ever miss. And when you do that out here you're going to get steamrolled." But this week wasn't a total downer. The former Spring Lake Park athlete was able to see family and friends, including his former basketball coaches. He also spent the week with D.J. Gregory of the the Walking For Kids Foundation. Gregory, who has cerebral palsy, travels to each PGA Tour event and walks with one player, raising money for every birdie or eagle made. "He's a high commodity out here in high demand," Merritt said. "We finally lined one up with him. The work he does is amazing."

3M moment

Nearly four hours before the final-round leaders teed off Sunday golf fans were crammed around the first tee and the crowds only swelled on each hole from there. It didn't matter that Rickie Fowler was well down the leaderboard. He had the biggest following all week and Sunday's swarm featured many neon-orange homages — Fowler's signature Sunday style. By the time Fowler's group reached the ninth green, the flock waiting to cross the fairway walkway was hundreds of fans deep. "Just because he's not playing the best we've seen in his career doesn't take away from the fan base he's created," said Andrew Weber, 23, of New Hope, clad in can't-miss orange slacks. "When Rickie first came on the scene as a professional I was 11 and seeing all those bright colors and stuff like that made it more interesting to me. I loved the loud colors, his style. It was cool." When Fowler finished with a 1-under-par 70 he was 17 shots out of the lead, had just two-putted 12 greens and lost two spots on the FedEx Cup playoffs list. Rather than stomping off to his private jet ride home, Fowler signed autographs and posed for photos for more than 35 minutes. "He's in a bit of a slump but that doesn't take away anything," Weber said. "Forget it or it will ruminate and destroy you."

Chip shots

  • C.T. Pan's 87-foot eagle on the 18th hole was the second-longest made putt on the PGA Tour this season.
  • Defending champion Cameron Champ scattered three bogeys to go along with seven birdies to shoot 67 and finish the tournament tied for 16th place. Michael Thompson, the 2020 winner, tied for 26th.
  • Fargo's Tom Hoge finished tied for fourth. He had missed five cuts in a row before this week.

Hole of the day

No. 16, 307-yard par-4: Fans like birdies. Might as well make them happy. With big crowds all day thanks to perfect weather and Saturday rain checks honored for Sunday's play, all got a treat on the 16th. Officials used the forward tees — nearly 100 yards closer than the scorecard distance — resulting in the lowest cumulative score of the day: 35 under par.

Quote of the day

"I'm hitting some pitching wedges 170 yards and on the next hole hitting 6-iron from 150," — Hahn, on Sunday's gusty winds.