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- Tony Finau to beat Akshay Bhatia & Lee Hodges - 6/5 with Betfair
- Sam Burns to beat Billy Horschel & J.T. Poston - 6/4 with Betfair
- Mackenzie Hughes to beat K.H. Lee & Gary Woodland - 13/10 with Betfair
The 3M Open signals the penultimate event of the regular PGA Tour season before the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs get underway.
There is plenty to play for at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it will be fascinating to see how things unfold.
To whet your appetite for this event, I have produced a mini acca complete with 3M Open 3-ball betting tips for the first round to get your teeth stuck into, plus our best golf betting offers from the top online betting sites.
3M Open 3-Ball Betting Tips - Day One
Check out my three selections for the opening round of the 3M Open on Thursday, which are ideal for a 11/1 golf acca.
Tony Finau to beat Akshay Bhatia & Lee Hodges
Headlining the field at Twin Cities is Tony Finau, and he has an irrepressible record at the 3M Open.
The 2022 winner is gunning for a second title and seeking a fourth top-10 payday. Moreover, he has posted 19 of his 20 rounds in the red and he has not finished lower than T28 in his past five visits.
One of the feature groups, Lee Hodges, who set a 72-hole tournament record last year (260) on his way to shooting -24, won’t want to relinquish his grip on the title. His stats at the Arnold Palmer-designed course then made for impressive reading as he was T3 for ball-striking, first for SG: Tee to Green and converting greens in regulation into birdies.
Despite hoisting the Valero Texas Open title in April, Akshay Bhatia has missed seven of his 14 cuts this term, so it is hard to put up a case for him.
Finau has immense power off the tee, and to kick off my 3M Open 3-ball betting tips, I’m going with the American to take the honours in Round 1.
Sam Burns to beat Billy Horschel & J.T. Poston
A man to his word, Billy Horschel, who came close to claiming a maiden major at the Open Championship last weekend, hopped on a Transatlantic flight and was the first player on the practice range earlier this week putting himself through the paces.
Typically those players in contention at The Open, tend to see performances dip at the 3M Open. But Sam Burns, who was the birthday boy earlier this week, came home in T31 at Royal Troon, has been in and around the top 20 over the past few weeks.
Burns has been reliable with his approaches from more than 275 yards this term, ranking eighth in that performance metric, and he could be one to watch.
Interestingly, J.T. Poston, who missed the cut at The Open, had started the previous two tournaments in fine fettle, carding a pair of 66s.
Anyway, the mental exertions could have taken its toll on Horschel, and this 3-ball could produce plenty of birdies. However, I have a predilection that Burns will prevail in the opening round.
Mackenzie Hughes to beat K.H. Lee & Gary Woodland
Sometimes, Mackenzie Hughes doesn’t garner enough credit considering he’s a dab hand with the putter.
A T16 at The Open was very respectable for the Canadian, and in his three opening rounds in his past three events, he has shot sub-70 which should count for something.
Gary Woodland, meanwhile, has been dogged by inconsistency, missing nine cuts from 19 appearances on the PGA Tour, while K.H. Lee has withdrawn from the past two events.
To wrap things up, I think Mackenzie Hughes has what it takes to lay down a marker in this group in the opening round.
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