3M Championship – Who To Watch

With the final installment of the 3M Championship, the winner’s name will be etched on the trophy and in history. Given the historical significance of this years’ championship, we thought it would be appropriate to take a shot at picking the winner in advance.

After scouring all of the stats leading up to the tournament, here are the Top 10 we think should have a very good chance of putting their name in the record books.

David Toms

Toms is #2 on the Charles Schwab Cup points list in 2018. With 8 top ten finishes this year, including a win at the U.S Senior Open Championship in Colorado Springs, Toms has had his best showing since his 2001 season when he won three times including his lone Major at the PGA Championship. In 2018 he is #5 in overall putting on the PGA TOUR Champions. Considering Toms has made his name as one of the Tour’s best putters, the 3M Championship seems to be the perfect place to notch his second win of the year.

Jerry Kelly

Kelly is arguably having the best season of his professional career. Sitting at #1 on the Charles Schwab Cup list, with 10 top ten’s this year including a win and a runner up finish to Toms at the U.S. Senior Open, Kelly ranks first in Scoring Average, third in Total Driving, fifth in Ball Striking and #1 All Around Ranking. While he may not be a Minnesotan, he’s as close as it gets being a Wisconsin native and exhibits all the things we hold dear here in the Upper Midwest.

Bernhard Langer

Why not put him on the list? At 61 years old, Langer just finished the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie with another top 25 finish, shooting even par on Sunday (the only day when the famed course showed why it’s commonly called CarNASTY) finishing at -1 for the Championship. Don’t forget he has won this event twice and even the other players always seem to be looking over their shoulder on Sunday because of the charge Langer inevitably seems to make.

Scott McCarron

McCarron is a winner earlier this year at the American Family Insurance Championship in Madison, Wisconsin and has a reputation of being one of the Tour’s most consistent ball strikers. Now that he has figured out a way to use his long putter without breaking the anchoring rule, McCarron sits at #5 on the Schwab Cup list with 8 top ten showings, ranking second in overall driving and is in the top 20 in overall putting.

Joe Durant

A past champion at the 3M in 2016, Durant always seems to be lurking around in the end and could have won multiple times. Another one on our list with a win earlier this season at the Chubb Classic, Durant currently occupies the 10^th spot on the Schwab Cup points list. Along with that win, he has 6 other top 10 finishes this season. Another great putter, Durant is third in putting average and 11^th in greens in regulation, hitting over 72% of the greens.

Tom Lehman

There was no way we could compile a list like this and not put Alexandria’s favorite son on it. That’s not the only reason we should watch for the former Ryder Cup Captain. Lehman also has a win this year at the Principal Charity Classic and 5 top ten finishes. While he has not always played his best at the TPC Twin Cities, it would be a fitting ending to the 26-year event if a local boy were the last to hoist the trophy.

Mike Small

Best known as the very successful University of Illinois Head Golf Coach, Small is making the 2018 PGA TOUR Champions campaign a very profitable side job. Having only competed in 4 events this year, Small it 59 on the Schwab Cup list. Working off sponsor exemptions, Small is very close to securing a spot in the season ending playoffs. A win at the 3M would not only guarantee a spot in the playoffs, but would also give him a difficult choice to make between trying to lead his team to another NCAA Championship, or returning to the life of a full-time player.

Kenny Perry

While Perry is not having his best year, he does have a couple of top 10 finishes this year. Don’t forget he is the only player to go back-to-back winning the 3M. He still ranks sixth in total driving averaging at just over 300 yards and second in ball striking. Remember, he wasn’t playing well leading into his second win in 2015.

Kevin Sutherland

Sutherland always seems to be near the top of the leaderboard at the 3M. It should come as no surprise, considering he is first in greens in regulation and fourth in ball striking this season and that he plays well at the TPC Twin Cities. He is in the top 20 in the Schwab Cup (16) and has 5 top ten finishes this year. Look for Sutherland to once again make a run in the end.

Tommy Tolles

Tolles is our one real long shot. Best known for being close to or in the lead early at The Masters several times early in his career, his PGA TOUR record always seemed to be less than his potential. Tolles spent the last several years battling the hooks. This year however, Tolles put together back-to-back top ten finishes including a runner up finish at the Toshiba Classic. If there is one place where someone can come from out of the pack, it is the 3M.

While these are the Top 10 we think have a great chance to win, the one thing the 3M has been known for is drama at the end. Given that, there is still a great chance someone with local ties like Rocco Mediate could win, and if John Daly’s knees hold up, given his prodigious length and flare for the dramatic, he could very easily find himself being the last winner of the 3M Championship.