Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - 2026 3M Open

July 20, 2026

Todd McGill's DraftKings, FanDuel PGA DFS picks for the 2026 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. Picks for daily fantasy golf based on course history.

There was plenty of drama to go around at Royal Birkdale, which culminated in an unbelievable victory for Ryan Fox after birdieing four of his final six holes. Grit and determination allowed him to have one of the most impressive down-the-stretch performances that we've seen in a long time on a major championship stage.

As players make their way back to the States, a few of them are heading straight to TPC Twin Cities for the 3M Open with the rest of the PGA Tour roster. This week is a massive step back in talent from last week's Open Championship. But Scottie Scheffler will be adding a wealth of attention to an otherwise uninteresting tournament.

Because of the minuscule role this event plays in the overall scheme of things, and also falling on the heels of the Scottish Open and the year's final major, there is very little year-over-year data for most players. This event was only added in 2019, and has struggled to gain traction despite being held at a fun venue that's proved to fit many different playstyles.

Horse For The Course is an article highlighting players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For some of the favorite DFS plays of the week, check out the Core Four article, written by my buddy Joe Nicely, here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using the Promo Code TDG for an extra 30% discount at checkout!

2026 3M Open

There are only two players inside the top-30 in the OWGR making the start this week, but they are very much on either end of the spectrum. Scottie Scheffler (the number one ranked player in the world) and Hideki Matsuyama (the 30th ranked player in the world) will add extra eyes to a notoriously weak field.

Beginning in 2019, the winning score has averaged -19.5 under par. It's a birdie-fest with elevated volatility, as this event has one of the highest amounts of water balls on the PGA Tour. Scores are mostly affected by weather, as higher wind speeds seem to be the only thing that keeps the winning score from reaching -20 under.

It's almost certain this young tournament will be on the chopping block for the schedule separation coming in 2028. However, being in a suburb of Minneapolis is certainly part of a bigger market, which is one of the focuses of the incoming changes. Nevertheless, this may be one of the last times this tournament can swindle players like Scheffler to participate.

Be sure to read our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles and Player News/Matchup Outlook Posts to help you win big!

TPC Twin Cities

Par 71 - 7,431 | Greens: Creeping Bentgrass | Designed By: Arnold Palmer

Don't let the need for making tons of birdies fool you; this is a long golf course with plenty of trouble to get in on wayward shots. Missed fairways are penalizing, and gaining strokes around the green isn't easy. Most of the scoring comes from elite ball striking, as Kurt Kitayama's victory last season proves, since he was able to win despite ranking 36th on the week in strokes gained putting.

Even with its length, TPC Twin Cities has seen winners from short, accurate players to typical bomb-and-gougers. There are a couple of par fours over 500 yards and some long par threes that stretch this golf course, but there are plenty of scoring holes, including three par fives, that are imperative to take advantage of.

From the full scope of what works here, players will need to have good driving weeks that avoid hazards and be elite from 175-200-yard approach shots, which made up 22% of where players hit from last year. Making birdies is a must, and those stuck in neutral can get passed up in a hurry.

Recent 3M Open Winners

• 2025: Kurt Kitayama (-23)
• 2024: Jhonattan Vegas (-17)
• 2023: Lee Hodges (-24)
• 2022: Tony Finau (-17)
• 2021: Cameron Champ (-15)

The Horse

Kurt Kitayama

Notable Finishes: 1st ('25), 6th ('24)

Despite having only two career appearances, Kurt Kitayama has excelled at TPC Twin Cities. His blend of length and accuracy off the tee gets him in great positions for his approach play that ranks in the 98th percentile for strokes gained per shot from 150-200 yards.

The defending champ is coming off finishes of T44 and T40 the last two weeks across the pond, but continues to excel from tee to green. It's the putter that gives him the most problems disproportionately compared to the other parts of his game. Still, the level of ball striking he brings to the table always gives him DFS value here.

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The Ponies

Tony Finau

Notable Finishes: 1st ('22), T7 ('23), T12 ('24)

🚨 FIRST ACE OF THE SEASON 🚨

It’s a 1️⃣ for Tony Finau on the 16th hole at Torrey Pines South! pic.twitter.com/Xntdnh8Vuy

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 29, 2026

While he ranks a few players down in terms of total strokes gained average at this event, Tony Finau has perhaps been the most consistent performer at this course across the board. He's averaged positive strokes gained across every facet during his time at TPC Twin Cities, with his highest earner being approach play, which has averaged 0.520 across seven career appearances.

Like many players with the need to make the trip this week, Finau hasn't had much success in 2026. He ranks 95th in strokes gained from tee to green (-0.028), and is coming off a T58 at the John Deere Classic. It would be hard to trust him, other than the history he's established here, but I still believe in his talent level. It would be good to see him find some form this week

Emiliano Grillo

Notable Finishes: T2 ('22), T10 ('23)

Plenty of chasers.

Emiliano Grillo now into red figures and T-3. pic.twitter.com/qNtmeOdJYw

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 21, 2026

The best example of the shorter hitters finding continual success at TPC Twin Cities would be Emiliano Grillo, who's managed to finish T24 or better each of the last four years. The accuracy off the tee and propensity on the greens have allowed him to thrive at this property.

He's finished inside the top 30 in each of his last three PGA Tour starts, led by a putter that has gained an average of 1.146 strokes over that span. He'll need to have a better ball striking week with the irons, but he's performing better than the other course horses in this article.

Cameron Champ

Notable Finishes: 1st ('21), T12 ('24)

Where does Cam Champ get all his power from? 💪 pic.twitter.com/0d2jaTBnhi

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) July 26, 2021

Despite the hybrid schedule of lower-level PGA Tour events and the Korn Ferry Tour that Cameron Champ has played the last couple of years, he continues to show up and show out at TPC Twin Cities. He missed the cut at the inaugural event in 2019, but has played four times since, finishing no worse than T28.

The bad part is the solid course history isn't justifiable enough to consider him a confident DFS play. He's struggled to crack the top 40 in most events this season, mostly due to horrendous approach play that's lost an average of  -1.965 strokes over his last four PGA Tour starts. Don't let the good course history keep you from seeing the ugly truth about a player who's obviously struggling.

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