The 3M Championship’s 26 Year Run – Who Was Your Favorite Player?

The 2018 3M Championship will be the last PGA TOUR Champions event in Minnesota. For the past 26 years, golf fans from Minnesota and the upper Midwest have been amazed and amused by the cast of characters who have entertained us.

Hollis Cavner, the Executive Director and CEO of Pro Link Sports, is the genius behind the 3M Championship, four other PGA TOUR Champions events and three PGA TOUR events. Over the stretch of his running of this tournament, Hollis has attracted an incredible cast of golf gypsies to the Twin Cities in mid summer.

1993, Chi Chi Rodriguez, won the inaugural Burnett Senior Classic. The jockey-sized golfer, who teed his golf ball up on a golf pencil, hit his tee ball like Mighty Mouse. After dropping a big putt, he thrilled the gallery with a mock sword fight move with his putter. Then wiping the blood from his sword, he sheathed his putter. Chi Chi might have been the most popular golfer to ever win a professional golf tournament in Minnesota.

Arnold Palmer, the undisputed King of Golf was a very close friend of Hollis Cavner’s. Palmer designed the TPC Twin Cities along with hometown hero, Tom Lehman, specifically to host the 3M Championship. In recent years, Palmer continued to show up in the Twin Cities for the Greats of Golf Challenge.

As a final tribute to the King, Hollis Cavner redeveloped the old Tartan Park Golf Course featuring Arnold Palmer and Annika Sorenstam as co-designers. The front nine is called the Queen’s Nine and the back is called the King’s Nine. The Royal Golf Club will stand forever as the last golf course Arnold Palmer designed.

Tom Lehman, the Golden Gopher and 1996 Open Championship winner from Alexandria, was co-designer of the TPC Twin Cities along with Arnold Palmer. Tom, who has played a very busy schedule on the PGA TOUR Champions, was often playing in some far corner of the globe the week before or after the 3M Championship. Many times Cavner found a way to get Tom and other PGA TOUR Champions pros to come to Minnesota. Including renting a private airplane to transport players, wives and caddies to the Senior British Open. Tom Lehman never won the Championship, but may be the favorite for many fans.

Jack Nicklaus, the Major Championships record holder (18), continues to show up at the TPC Twin Cities each year to entertain in the Greats of Golf Challenge. Jack and favorite, Gary Player, are always big draws. They will draw many votes.

Hale Irwin (3 wins) and Bernhard Langer (2 wins) were multiple winners, but have never been crowd favorites. Too bad we did not get to see more of, bad boy, John Daly although he is scheduled to play in this final event.

The “Merry Mex,” Lee Trevino, signed autographs and entertained the galleries over the years. Trevino is among the all-time gallery favorites. With a twinkle in his eye and a quick wit similar to Don Rickles, he took personal jabs at adoring golf fans. He was special.

Hollis Cavner has always found a way to add some local talent to the 3M Championship. John Harris, Gopher golf and hockey star from Roseau, picked up a small check each year as fans appreciated his record. Other great Minnesota pros Don Berry and Dave Tentis have earned checks at the 3M Championship. These local boys might get a few votes.

Baseball fans will remember the two years that Johnny Beach, the Cincinnati Reds Hall Of Fame catcher used his huge hands to hit a smaller ball. Bench finished 77th and 79th in two appearances. He will not finish last in the voting.

Cigar smokers and red wine fans still have a tear in their eye. Their hero Miguel Angle Jimenez, who invented the man-bun, did not win the 2016 3M Championship despite a birdie on the first playoff hole. Joe Durant made a dramatic eagle 3 on the 18^th at TPC to snag the trophy from Miguel.

Jay Haas, the 2011 winner with the sweet swing, would probably get more votes if he had not birdied the final two holes to beat Tom Lehman and past Champion Kenny Perry. The handsome Haas is a class act and deserves many votes.

Both Jim Thorp and Fred Funk were never really contenders for the Championship, but they added huge flare to 3M tournaments of the past. Wearing a skirt when competing in the Skins Game with Annika should get Fred some votes. Thorp, one of only a hand full of successful black professional golfers, brought his dramatic style to the game and the tournament. Surely he will garner some votes.

Two European golfers Colin Montgomerie, from Scotland who never won a Major and Jean Van De Velde, the Frenchman who blew the 1999 Open Championship, will probably win some sympathy votes.

The Bryant brothers, Brad and Bart, enjoy a unique place in the record books of the 3M Championship. In 2015, they finished tied for 27th, both shooting -7 for the Championship. Can we vote for two?

No one can forget the totally unknown little Argentinian, Vicente Fernandez, who came to the Links at Northfork in 1996 for the Monday qualifier. He left town Sunday with the Burnet Senior Classic trophy. Vicente shot -11 at Bunker Hills. From Monday qualifier to Champion deserves some votes.

Raymond Floyd, who had “The Floyd Look” in his eyes, stared down the field to win in 1995. Bruce Lietzke, the Oklahoma native who never practiced, used the power fade to win in 2001. Both of these great players added to the rich history of the 3M Championship.

I was thrilled when I heard that the 2018 3M Championship – Greats of Golf Challenge was featuring my all time favorite, Fuzzy Zoeller. Zoeller had a wonderful career playing professional golf. He made hundreds of friends; players, volunteers and members of the gallery, as he traveled around the county cracking jokes and smoking cigarettes. When his work on the course was finished for the day he made more friends cracking jokes, smoking cigarettes and having a few cocktails with players and fans. Fuzzy thrilled Minnesota fishing/golf fans when he won the fishing contest held on the small lakes of the TPC Twin Cities. Fuzzy Zoeller, the good old boy, was like the boy next door. You had to love him, but would not want your daughter to date him.

If your favorite player was not mentioned, I apologize. When you vote for your favorite 3M Championship golfer please include your reason. It will be interesting reading in future issues.

Who was your favorite 3M Championship player? Email kim@teetimespress.com and let us know.