What’s Next For The 3M Open

With the presentation of the winner’s check to three-time champion Kenny Perry on Sunday night, 26 years of the tradition known as the 3M Championship came to a close.

Twenty-six years of watching the legends of the game show why they are legends is now history. Champions like Chi Chi Rodriguez, Dave Stockton, Bernhard Langer and others will no longer grace the fairways of TPC Twin Cities.

But with every end comes a new beginning. In 2019, a new PGA TOUR event, the 3M Open will start its history, and while we may no longer see players like David Toms or Rocco Mediate, we might see the likes of Zach Johnson, Brooks Koepka and… dare we say it… maybe even Tiger Woods.

Much will have to change in Blaine for the “flat bellies” to put on a great show, but organizers are hoping that the birth of this new tournament will lead to big things for Minnesota golf.

The Basics

The 3M Open will be contested over four days on the 4^th of July weekend. Pro-Ams and practice rounds will be Tuesday and Wednesday. Unlike the PGA TOUR Champions where all players compete all three days, a cut will be made after the second round so if you want to see a particular player, you may have to take a sick day to make sure you get there Thursday or Friday.

Security will be tighter and general admission tickets will most likely not be free as was the case the past few years of the 3M Championship. Despite that, galleries are generally larger so getting a good vantage point early is a must. At most PGA TOUR stops, players are generally not as accessible as their senior counterparts, but there will be areas where you can get closer to the players than any other major sporting event.

The Players

Much speculation has already taken place on who might be making an appearance in 2019 (heck… we even did it in this article). Given the slot in the PGA TOUR schedule; just two weeks before the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, some have wondered if many of the big-name players will have already made the trip across the pond to play in the Irish and Scottish Opens and get acclimated to the conditions.

While it is not uncommon for many players from Europe that play on both Tours to “go back home” in preparation, many U.S. players stay home and some even play the week before at the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities.

According to Hollis Cavner, CEo of Prolinks Sports and 18-time Major Winner Jack Nicklaus, the field will be excellent.

“It’s going to be good. I know some people don’t think so, but they’re not very learned,” said Cavner. “Mr. Nicklaus knows what he’s talking about. He’s already talked to some players. He’s talked players and TV people and so have we.”

Cavner used past PGA TOUR events to illustrate his point that the time of the year will be an advantage to attracting top-notch players.

“The Western Open (a PGA TOUR stop from 1962 to 2006 held mainly in suburban Chicago) had the best fields of the year. When they moved it off of July 4^th, it went downhill from that point on.” Cavner continued, “When they went to Washington DC it was a good field. When they went to the Greenbrier, nobody could get there so they quit going, but everybody wants to start again because it’s two weeks before the Open. So we looked into that and we talked to all the guys so I think we’ll have a tremendous field.”

When asked about the attendance, Cavner took a humorous approach. “Not everybody in Minnesota has a lake cabin. There’s four million people and there’s damn sure not four million lake cabins,” he joked.

The Course

Given that the senior players have regularly shot -20+ in three days, many believe that the regular tour guys would tear the TPC Twin Cities apart over four days of competition. When you ask the players themselves, they agree that the course needs many adjustments. Tournament organizers are very aware that the current layout does not present a stern enough challenge for the games best.

To remedy that, Caver has brought in Minnesota native Tom Lehman to redesign the Blaine track and make it an appropriate test for the PGA TOUR.

And they didn’t waste any time. The work began immediately on the Monday after the 3M Championship. “We start tomorrow. We start moving the equipment in and we’ll have 45 days to get everything done we need to get done and get it ready for next year,” said Cavner.

According to Lehman, there will be short-term and long-term changes to the course and it’s all based on the budget. “It’s up to us to make the course a fair test. It’s still going to be low scores.” Lehman continued, “I think it’s our goal to punish bad shots and reward good shots. Really a fair test of, you know, narrower fairways, thicker rough… make guys hit it straight and if they do, there will be some low scores.”

When asked if he got any ideas on the changes while playing, Lehman said he’s been getting ideas from everywhere and everyone. “All these guys have played here many many many many years and they understand the strengths and weaknesses of the course and what needs to change to toughen it up.” Lehman expanded, “Every guy you talk to has an idea and most of them are really good ideas. It’s a matter of whether those ideas will fit within a budget. I think long-term; 3, 4, 5 years, things will be a lot different. In the short-term, the 18^th hole will be significantly different. The rest of the course will just be a lot narrower.”

While much will have to change to convert a PGA TOUR Champions event into a PGA TOUR stop, some things will never change. Volunteers like the Anderson family, mainstays for the 3M for many years, will still be heavily involved. In fact, volunteers at the 3M have been honored nationally over the years including this year as the patriarch Charlie Anderson was honored with the Pinnacle Award; a lifetime achievement award if you will.

“Granted, it’s been mostly me and the girls for the past 18 years at the TPC, but my wife Holly worked with us the initial years at Bunker Hills, and taking that forward, there is no way I would have been able to continue to do this at all without her support.  Minding the home fires, and the dogs, while I am gone for 18 hours a day during event week.   Most of the chair people have a spouse or significant other, that even though they may not be at the event all week, they still play a huge role in our being able to do this event every year.”

He and his family are ready to make the switch.

“We’ll help out with anything,” said Anderson. “It’s hard to say goodbye… it’s gotten in your blood when you do it for 26 years and you’ve seen your kids grow up doing it.”

Hopefully, it’s gotten in the blood of Minnesota golf fans and the future will be as memorable as the past. Time will tell what’s next for the 3M, but all involved believe it will be a success.