Officialsportsbetting.com Golf Betting Closing stretch at TPC Twin Cities sets up exciting Sunday

Closing stretch at TPC Twin Cities sets up exciting Sunday

Eighteen holes remain in the topsy-turvy 3M Open outside Minneapolis, and there is so much on the line over such a tiny window of time. A trophy, a huge seven-figure winner’s check, coveted points for FedExCup Playoffs positioning … it all is in the offing as the tournament screeches around the corner toward a final day. RELATED: Leaderboard | Chase for top 125 in the FedExCup heats up at 3M Open | TPC Twin Cities’ par-5 finishing hole anything but a snoozer Cameron Tringale posted a mistake-free, 5-under 66 on Saturday – it included a 4-foot eagle putt at the par-5 12th, set up by a beautiful 3-wood from 262 yards – to wrestle away the 54-hole lead. He has plenty of company nearby as he looks to land his first PGA TOUR victory on Sunday. There are 10 players within two or fewer shots of his lead, and four more lurking only three shots behind. The best part, at least for those without clubs in their hands? There is a great deal of drama awaiting at the finish line. Really, if the first three days have taught us a lesson, it is that anything – anything! – can happen on that dastardly, water-guarded par-5 18th hole at TPC Twin Cities. It plays just a smidge under 600 yards, is reachable in two for most with two well-struck shots, and has a penchant of proving memorable for nearly all. There aren’t many par-5 holes on the PGA TOUR that so openly sneer back at the game’s top players. On Saturday, No. 18 played a half-stroke over par (5.486) and ranked as the toughest hole on the entire course. It even featured a Jean-van-de-Veldian moment as the last group finished, with Bo Hoag, the second-year TOUR member who had performed so well for much of the day, rolling up his pants and wading into the water behind the 18th green to attempt to extricate his fourth shot. Hoag, who played his last four holes in 4 over to shoot 72 (the finish included a double-bogey at the par-3 17th), would chop his ball out of water on his way to a scrambling, closing bogey-6. It still was half a dozen shots better than Sung Kang, who rinsed four balls in the water and made 12, and bettered the efforts of Rickie Fowler and J.T. Poston, who made 8s. “Is this a par 6?” analyst Mark Immelman asked on the CBS broadcast late Saturday afternoon. Hey, it was a legit question. There aren’t many par-5 holes on the PGA TOUR that play over par. The overall recipe for the 3M finish – lots of interesting names in contention, from major winners to those seeking their first PGA TOUR victory, alongside the potential for lots of two-way traffic on Sunday with water lurking on 15 holes – sets up Sunday as one of the most stirring, edge-of-your-seat final rounds we may witness on the PGA TOUR this season. Gary Woodland (67) and Maverick McNealy (68) each missed birdie chances from 8 feet at the 18th, and they’ll each start the final round a shot out of the lead. Woodland, who will be alongside Tringale in the final pairing, is a seasoned player who won the 2019 U.S. Open; McNealy, 25, is looking for his first TOUR triumph. Tringale, 33, stands at 12-under 201. The group of players two shots back at 10-under 203 includes major champions (Charl Schwartzel, Jimmy Walker), long bombers (Jhonnattan Vegas, Cameron Champ), and veteran players thirsty to win again (Chez Reavie, Ryan Armour, Pat Perez). Also in the group chasing is Canadian Roger Sloan (70), who held the lead on his own for part of Saturday and is trying to win for the first time, not to mention improve his FedExCup standing. He currently sits at No. 147 in season points. Keith Mitchell showed everyone early on that there were birdies to be made at TPC Twin Cities. Heading off on No. 10, he birdied his first seven holes, lipping out for his eighth straight at the 17th. (Mitchell shot 66.) By day’s end, winds were picking up (in the 15 mph range) and the finish got tricky. Tringale did well to avoid disaster, or at the very least, steer clear of bogeys down the stretch. Many of his peers could not. “I’m happy with kind of everything, honestly.” Tringale said. The 3M marks his 307th PGA TOUR start; since 2009, no player has played in that many events without winning. “What I want to do better tomorrow is hit my spots on the greens a little better, my approaches. But, I mean, I’m putting … I don’t know where I’m at statistically, but I’ve liked just about every putt I’ve hit. Hopefully, I’ll continue to do that tomorrow. “Just try not to overthink it. That’s the key, isn’t it?” Tringale is hoping to pull some momentum out of his closing round at TPC Twin Cities a year ago, when he shot 66 and climbed into a tie for third at 3M. “I birdied 18 last year, I remember that,” said Tringale, who needed only 25 putts on Saturday. “I’m just going to have fun. I remember last year’s round really well, and I’m excited. I feel like I’m doing everything well in my game for the most part, so just keep my head on straight and try and have some fun and not overthink it.” So many players stuck their mugs into contention on Saturday. Inclement weather was expected to arrive in the Minneapolis area Saturday afternoon, which led to tournament officials moving up third-round tee times. Players teed off both nines in threesomes. But it turned out to be a Chamber of Commerce-type day, with lots of sunshine and calm – at least before players stepped to that tee at the formidable 18th hole. Sung Kang reached the 18th hole 1 under par and shot 77, making a 12. Fowler, seeking his first TOUR victory since 2019, made a nice early run up the leaderboard, playing his first 12 holes in 6 under before slipping with back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14. He still was very much in the tournament picture. Then he came up short on his third shot at 18, his ball splashing down into water, hit his next shot long, and made 8. Hoag, the man on the FedExCup bubble at No. 125, took his bogey at the finish in stride on Saturday. He’ll hope to do better in the final round, and knows he needs a good showing to help out his FedExCup standing with the Playoffs only three weeks away. He is doing his best. “I’ve played under pressure my whole life,” Hoag said, smiling, after walking off 18. “It’s just what I do.” At the 3M, he is not alone.

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Cameron Champ
Type: Cameron Champ - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-120
Top 10 Finish-275
Top 20 Finish-750
Nick Taylor
Type: Nick Taylor - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+135
Top 10 Finish-175
Top 20 Finish-500
Shane Lowry
Type: Shane Lowry - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+140
Top 10 Finish-175
Top 20 Finish-500
Thorbjorn Olesen
Type: Thorbjorn Olesen - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish-115
Top 10 Finish-250
Top 20 Finish-625
Andrew Putnam
Type: Andrew Putnam - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+140
Top 10 Finish-165
Top 20 Finish-500
Sam Burns
Type: Sam Burns - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+150
Top 10 Finish-155
Top 20 Finish-455
Taylor Pendrith
Type: Taylor Pendrith - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+250
Top 10 Finish+105
Top 20 Finish-275
Ryan Fox
Type: Ryan Fox - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+250
Top 10 Finish+110
Top 20 Finish-275
Jake Knapp
Type: Jake Knapp - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+260
Top 10 Finish+115
Top 20 Finish-250
Rasmus Hojgaard
Type: Rasmus Hojgaard - Status: OPEN
Top 5 Finish+400
Top 10 Finish+175
Top 20 Finish-165
ShopRite LPGA Classic
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Akie Iwai+650
Ayaka Furue+650
Rio Takeda+850
Elizabeth Szokol+900
Jeeno Thitikul+900
Mao Saigo+1200
Chisato Iwai+1800
Ashleigh Buhai+2200
Miyu Yamashita+2200
Wei Ling Hsu+2800
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American Family Insurance Championship
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Bjorn/Clarke+275
Green/Hensby+750
Cejka/Kjeldsen+1000
Jaidee/Jones+1400
Bransdon/Percy+1600
Cabrera/Gonzalez+1600
Els/Herron+1600
Stricker/Tiziani+1800
Kelly/Leonard+2000
Appleby/Wright+2200
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Major Specials 2025
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN
Bryson DeChambeau+500
Jon Rahm+750
Collin Morikawa+900
Xander Schauffele+900
Ludvig Aberg+1000
Justin Thomas+1100
Joaquin Niemann+1400
Shane Lowry+1600
Tommy Fleetwood+1800
Tyrrell Hatton+1800
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US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+275
Rory McIlroy+650
Bryson DeChambeau+700
Jon Rahm+1200
Xander Schauffele+2000
Ludvig Aberg+2200
Collin Morikawa+2500
Justin Thomas+3000
Joaquin Niemann+3500
Shane Lowry+3500
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The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+400
Rory McIlroy+500
Xander Schauffele+1200
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
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Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

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Collin Morikawa’s shot heard ’round the worldCollin Morikawa’s shot heard ’round the world

Toptracer gave us the juicy details: 165 mph ball speed, 274 yards carry, 74 feet of curvature, left to right. The ball peeled around a stand of cypress trees down the right side, all but winking as it flew by; landed just shy of the green; and bounded up toward the pin, stopping 7 feet short. What happened at the drivable 16th hole at TPC Harding Park changed everything: Collin Morikawa, in just his second major start, had seized control of a PGA Championship in which seven players were at one point tied for the lead. Watching from the tee, Cameron Champ, Morikawa’s playing partner, would liken it to a video-game shot – so flawless as to seem almost unreal. It was late afternoon, and with no on-site fans, walking scorers and laser operators whooped and hollered in the damp, cool air. Morikawa flashed a quick smile at his caddie. The real-time odds swung dramatically in his favor. Paul Casey, playing in the group just ahead, looked back from the 17th tee and realized his chances had just taken a massive setback. Here’s how it happened, according to those who were there. All week, the 16th hole, the last good place to attack at TPC Harding Park, loomed as the potential turning point. And the fact that it was drivable – Justin Thomas hit it to 18 feet in Friday’s second round but missed the eagle putt – added intrigue. Collin Morikawa: I wasn’t planning on going for it at the beginning of the week, so I actually never even tried it. Paul Casey (66, T2): It was wind dependent, flag dependent, tee dependent. It was always going to be a pivotal hole, one you feel like you should birdie, but there was also the possibility of screwing it up because of the penalty area on the left and the tree canopy on the right. There was plenty of danger on the last three holes, but 16 was your last real birdie opportunity. Sue Epstein, walking scorer and former Stanford golfer: I had scored for Haotong Li when he shot 65 on Friday, and he hadn’t gone for it and made par. But Collin was hitting the driver so straight. (He would hit 39 of 56 fairways to finish No. 1 in driving accuracy.) Kerry Haigh, PGA Chief Championships Officer: We had planned to make the 16th drivable for two of the four rounds and felt Sunday would be one of those if weather conditions allowed. It was obviously dependent upon the wind strength and direction. We reviewed the actual hole location for Sunday for a long time on both Friday and Saturday afternoons after play with the hope being to make it extremely appealing for players to attempt going for the green. The new yardage presented a conundrum for big hitters like Dustin Johnson and Casey, playing up ahead of Morikawa. Nonetheless, each found a way to birdie the hole. Casey: Driver was too much; it was a 3-wood hole for me. Left bunker, splashed it out to 4 feet with a really awkward putt with a really awkward hog’s back. Couldn’t tell which way it was going to go, called Johnny (McLaren, his caddie) in. I made it. Dustin Johnson: I think I did hit driver Sunday, and just pulled it left. I couldn’t get there with 3-wood, and driver was probably too much, so I was trying to kind of chip it and just pulled it. Carl Woodland, volunteer laser operator on 16: The day was cold, it was chilly, and this was toward the end of the day, so it was starting to get even cooler. We were 60 yards down the fairway, down the left side, and DJ went right over our heads and into the penalty area. But then he pitched in for birdie. We were still talking about that when Collin got to the tee. Morikawa had game-planned for the hole playing more or less to its scorecard yardage (332). But with the tees moved up so far (it was now 294) the hole had changed drastically. Morikawa: It was just something that — everything fit, the circumstance, and made sense, wind and everything was perfect, and obviously it worked out. Jakovac: He never hit driver there, not even in practice. We didn’t think the tee would be up as far as it was. They had it like 20 yards up from the back of the box, which made it 275-ish to the front. We thought it would be more like 290 front, but we got up there on Sunday and the tee was way up, and it was really a no-brainer because it was a perfect distance for him. The wind was in off the left so he could hit his normal cut off there to the left and let it feed to the right. Epstein: When he pulled the driver, I was like, Wow, he’s going for it. I remember the contrast with Li two days earlier, and thinking it was absolutely the right call. Earlier that summer, Morikawa had faced a similar shot at the par-4 14th hole at the Workday Championship at Muirfield Village. The shot called for his stock cut, and he drove the green, hitting it 12 feet. He missed the eagle putt, but went on to win the tournament in a playoff. Now at the PGA at Harding, having holed his pitch shot for birdie on 14, he was set up for even greater drama on 16. Epstein: There wasn’t much discussion with his caddie. You could tell they were in agreement. Champ (70, T10): That pin on 16, if you missed it, obviously you can miss it slightly left, but there’s not much room right and if you miss there you’re completely screwed. Jakovac: It was just a matter of not having it fade too much and kick in that bunker. Morikawa: When you look at what kind of driver or driver hole that is for me on 16 at Harding, like it was literally perfect, and it was just like made for me to hit a good shot there. The shot came off like a thunderbolt that reverberated across the course. Frank Nobillo, on CBS, called it, “the shot of his life!” Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan, in a story after the PGA, sought to answer the question, “Was Collin Morikawa’s drive on 16 the greatest shot in PGA history?” Champ: When it came off, my caddie, his caddie, we just looked at each other like, this is going to be pretty damned good, and of course it landed 3 feet short of the green, bounced perfectly straight right up there. Jakovac: It just needed one straight first bounce, and it went up there perfect. Casey: I turned around and saw his shot and where it finished. I was on the 17th tee. Hadn’t hit my tee shot yet. Two thoughts: Brilliant shot, and dammit. (Laughs) I always tip my cap to great golf, and of course there’s going to be a sense of thinking there’s still a chance, but that was one of the nails in the coffin right there, wasn’t it? The PGA Championship returns to its May date at Kiawah Island this week, but over the last 10 months Morikawa’s epic shot has barely faded from memory. Webb Simpson (72, T37): Could be the shot of the decade for the PGA Championship. Epstein: My son is a huge golf fan, and he said, ‘Mom, were you there?’ ‘Yes, I was right there when he pulled driver!’ There was no roar, but you could hear people gasping. Woodland: We had no depth perception, so it looked like it was going in the hole and had got to within six inches. We were sort of screaming at each other, like, ‘Whoa, he put it on the green!’ Champ: He pulled off the shot when he needed to the most, and I give him mad, mad props. Jakovac: Under the circumstances it’s the best shot I’ve ever seen. Morikawa: The actual club, it’s just sitting in my house. Definitely haven’t framed it. Just sitting in a bag with a bunch of other clubs. I know which one it is. … I’m sure down the road I’ll kind of look at it and be like, That’s kind of the shot that changed everything, that kind of changed my career at that point at 23.

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