Si Woo Kim, winner of the 2017 Players Championship, and eight-time PGA Tour winner K.J. Choi, including the 2011 Players Championship, are among the early international players committed to play in the inaugural 3M Open from July 1 to 7 at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.
Fellow South Koreans Whee Kim, Sung Kang and K.H. Lee also have joined them in deciding to play that week.
They join world fifth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau and defending Masters champion Patrick Reed, who previously committed. Players have until June 28 to commit and can withdraw at any time.
• Minnesota's own Tom Lehman — the 1996 British Open champion, a five-time PGA Tour winner and PGA Tour Champions player — will serve as 3M Open ambassador, the tournament announced Tuesday. He will host tournament events throughout the week, which includes an opening round on Thursday, July 4 and a Zac Brown Band concert and fireworks display after Friday's second round.
JERRY ZGODA
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• Gophers junior forward Rem Pitlick was named Big Ten men's hockey's first star of the week. Pitlick had two goals and three assists in a split at Michigan last weekend. He has goals in each of the past six games.
• For the fourth consecutive week, Lexy Ramler of the Gophers named the Big Ten's gymnast of the week after winning the all-around competition (39.600) in last Saturday's meet against Michigan State. She also won three of the four individual events. … On the men's side, Eric Nakamura was named conference freshman of the week. Nakamura took first in floor exercise (14.400) in a three-team meet in Iowa City.
• Tim Thelen, 57, of Albany, Minn., was the medalist in the final stage of qualifying for the 2019 Staysure Tour, the European Senior Tour. He shot a closing 2-under 69 in Lagoa, Portugal, last Friday for a 279 total. He was No. 34 on the Staysure Tour's money list last year, but this year will be eligible for all its events.
