PGA Tour goes to Minnesota before bracing for 2 big events
PGA TOUR
3M OPEN
Site: Blaine, Minn.
Course: TPC Twin Cities. Yardage: 7,114. Par: 72.
Purse: $6.6 million. Winner's share: $1,188,000.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2:30-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Matthew Wolff.
FedEx Cup leader: Justin Thomas.
Last week: Jon Rahm won the Memorial.
Notes: Dustin Johnson is playing the tournament for the first time. In his last two tournaments, he won one and in the other posted the highest 36-hole score of his PGA Tour career. ... Johnson and Brooks Koepka give the field only two of the top 10 players in the world, the smallest number since the PGA Tour resumed June 11. ... Koepka's brother, Chase, was given a sponsor exemption. ... Tommy Fleetwood of England is playing for the first time since the pandemic. Fleetwood was No. 10 in the world when golf shut down in March. He dropped only to No. 12 since then. ... Minnesota connections in the field include Tom Lehman and Tim Herron, who both grew up in the state. It also includes Erik van Rooyen of South Africa, who played golf for the Minnesota Gophers while earning his degree. ... Wolff won with an eagle on the final hole last year for a one-shot victory over Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau. Neither runner-up is in the field this year. ... The two leading players from the top 10, not already eligible, earn a spot in the U.S. Open.
Next week: WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Barracuda Championship.
Online:
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EUROPEAN TOUR
BETFRED BRITISH MASTERS
Site: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
Course: Close House GC. Yardage: 6,872. Par: 71.
Purse: 1.25 million euros. Winner's share: 208,333 euros.
Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 7-9 a.m., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 6-10:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Marcus Kinhult.
Race to Dubai leader: Patrick Reed.
Last week: Joel Stalter won the Euram Bank Open.
Notes: Lee Westwood is the tournament host of the British Masters for the second time as the European Tour fully resumes its schedule. ... The tour was in Austria the last two weeks for dual-ranking events with the Challenge Tour. ... The British Masters kicks off the “U.K. Swing,” a series of six events played in England and Wales over the next month. ... The tournament starts on Wednesday. ... Westwood, the tournament host, is the only player from the top 50 in the world. ... Most European players are in America, with a World Golf Championship next week in Tennessee followed by the PGA Championship in San Francisco. ... Eddie Pepperell is in the field. He won the British Masters two years ago. ... The tournament has been part of the European Tour schedule since 1970 when it was won by Brian Huggett at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. That was the only time it was held on a links course until last year at Hillside, which is next to Royal Birkdale. That's the hometown of Tommy Fleetwood, the tournament host in 2019.
Next week: Hero Open.
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KORN FERRY TOUR
PRICE CUTTER CHARITY CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Springfield, Mo.
Course: Highland Springs CC. Yardage: 7,115. Par: 72.
Purse: $700,000. Winner's share: $126,000.
Television: None.
2019 winner: Harry Higgs.
Points leader: Davis Riley.
Last week: Davis Riley won the TPC San Antonio Championship at the Oaks.
Next week: Pinnacle Bank Championship.
Online:
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LPGA TOUR
Last tournament: Inbee Park won the Women’s Australian Open on Feb. 16.
Next week: LPGA Drive On Championship.
Race to CME Globe leader: Inbee Park.
Online:
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PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Last tournament: Ernie Els won the Hoag Classic on March 8.
Next week: The Ally Challenge.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Bernhard Langer.
Online:
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OTHER TOURS
SYMETRA TOUR: FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, Battle Creek CC, Battle Creek, Mich. 2019 winner: Ssu Chia Cheng. Online: