The major season is officially in the books, and just like that, the PGA Tour jumps straight back into action this week at TPC Twin Cities for the 3M Open. But if the idea was to ease into the post-Open schedule with a quiet, uneventful start — well, no such luck.
A Rough Start Before the First Tee
Let’s just say the golf gods didn’t offer the tournament much grace this week. After a rash of early withdrawals from players across the field, officials had to dip into the sponsor exemption pool to fill the remaining spots.
Then came Wednesday’s heavy rainfall, which turned large parts of the course into a soggy mess. That led to Thursday’s announcement that players would be allowed preferred lies — also known as “lift, clean, and place” — to deal with the wet conditions.
That’s not exactly what you want to hear as a tournament organizer, but it got worse.
Just hours before the opening round, 28-year-old Philip Knowles withdrew with a neck injury. Knowles last played at the John Deere Classic, where he tied for 41st, and his sudden exit cracked open a rare opportunity for veteran Ryan Brehm.
Brehm, now 39 and inactive for most of this season, was next man up. He’s logged 150 PGA Tour events and has a win to his name from the 2022 Puerto Rico Open. Now he’ll get a surprise tee time and a legitimate shot to make something happen.
Late Shakeups, Big Names Still Rolling
He wasn’t the only one to bow out. Anders Albertson withdrew on Wednesday, making room for Zac Blair, who’s had a frustrating year with seven missed cuts in 13 starts.
So, yeah, it’s been a bit of a scramble to get to Thursday. But once the first ball was in the air, all eyes shifted to the players who are here. And there’s still plenty of firepower to watch.
Chris Gotterup is riding high after back-to-back strong showings, including a Scottish Open win. Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, and Sam Burns are also in the field, each needing points to climb the FedExCup standings with the playoffs fast approaching.
