3M Open
The goal of any new tournament is to provide players with a fun and challenging golf course with excellent conditions, and to provide fans with a great show. The 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota had all of that in spades.
The players attacked the course with reckless abandon all week, taking advantage of the soft greens. On Sunday, the leaderboard was more crowded than rush hour traffic. More than 25 players found themselves within striking distance of the lead midway through the round.
In the end, it came down to three players, Bryson DeChambeau, Colin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff. Bryson, trailing by a stroke and playing one group in front of Colin and Matthew, laid down the gauntlet on 18.
After a solid drive, he went for the green in two, with his ball came to rest no more than 12 feet from the hole. As the two competitors behind him found the fairway with their own tee shots, they could only look on as Bryson expertly rolled the eagle putt center cut taking a 1-stroke lead.
As Bryson headed to the scoring tent, it was clear his mindset was that he would be in a playoff at worst. However, Matt Wolff had other plans.
Both Matt and Colin went for the green in two, Colin’s finding the surface from just over 200 yards away, while Matt’s attempt from about 225 yards sat above the hole and just off the green on the fringe.
First to play, Wollf stalked the line like his namesake stalks its prey. His line was right on a ridge, a mishit too far offline in either direction and his putt wouldn’t come close to the hole and would leave a lengthy birdie putt to tie Bryson.
Though, when you’re the apex predator, those thoughts don’t enter your head. Wolff coolly stepped up to his putt and slammed it off the flagstick and into the hole for eagle.
AMAZING! 🏆@Matthew_Wolff5 makes EAGLE to win! 🦅
It's the 20-year-old's first PGA TOUR victory.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/LYMXFIduPI
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 7, 2019
A stunned Morikawa collected his thoughts and made a good pass at the ball, but his attempt fell to the low side of the hole. Matt Wolff was champion.
The 20-year-old Wolff, who recently turned pro after winning the NCAA Individual Championship at Oklahoma State, did not have to wait long for his first career PGA Tour victory. In fact, he only had to wait three events to realize his dream.
The kid with the most unique swing on the PGA Tour since Jim Furyk has a very bright future. Expect to see the Wolffpack grow exponentially in the next few years.
These are the clubs Matthew Wolff used to win the inaugural 3M Open. (As reported by PGATOUR):
TaylorMade P750 Prototype 4-PW
Shaft:
Nippon N.S. Pro Tour 130X
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
The Irish Open is the first of three links-course tournaments played in the UK, culminating at The Open Championship and a favorite of Jon Rahm’s.
It is safe to say, Rahm was en fuego on the weekend at Lahinch Golf Club. Rounds of 64 and 62 were enough to chase down, then hold off Rafa Cabrera Bello and a handful of other European Tour pros en route to his second Dubai Duty Free Irish Open victory in three years.
With the Open Championship being played in Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush, expect Rahm, a fan favorite of the Irish to feel comfortable and ready to hunt his first major.
Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
Shanshan Feng, a veteran of the LPGA and first woman from China to join Tour, returned to the winner’s circle last week at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.
The former World No. 1 held off another former World No. 1, Ariya Jutanugarn, by one stroke to capture her 10th career LPGA Tour victory. The victory also ended her wins drought that dated back to May 2017 when she won the LPGA Volvik Championship.
Long considered one of the best ball strikers, Feng has struggled to find her form this year. Though all her colleagues know, when she’s got it going, she’s tough to beat.
Keith Schneider
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