Sport
3M Open preview: Joohyung Kim worth taking a chance on
TPC Twin Cities is in its fourth year of hosting the 3M Open and the tournament comes at the backend of PGA Tour season has the race for the FedEx Cup Playoffs heats up. Given it’s the first week after a Major, the field is significantly weaker than last week’s Open Championship at St Andrews.
There are still some top-class names in action, though, with the likes of Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im all in action.
Here’s our preview ahead of Thursday’s opening round
Big runs have to be respected
The field is led by favourite Tony Finau, at 14/1, who had a relatively strong performance at the Open Championship last week, finishing T28. Finau is making his third start at the 3M Open, with his best performance in the tournament coming in 2020 where he finished T3.
The American finished with a 66 on Sunday at The Open which will have given him plenty of confidence and in general his game has been in good nick this season, though his putting – ranked 148th on the PGA Tour this season – has to be a worry in an event of this nature. Scores of -21, -19 and -15 have won this tournament so far, so it’s clear a large amount of birdies are needed and when that’s the case a hot putter is a necessity. With Finau’s putter a hinderance this season, he looks short enough.
2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama will head out as second favourite at 16/1. He is eight-time PGA Tour winner, and deserves upmost respect, especially considering he is Japan’s first player to win a Major following his 2021 Masters win.
Matsuyama had a dream start to this year, kicking it off with a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and has continued on good form since then with six top-10 finishes. In his only previous 3M Open appearance in 2019, Matsuyama finished T7, and will look to better that this time around. He played okay at The Open while never really threatening the leaders, but this looks a much easier test and he looks sure to go well.
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Talented Kim looks a high-class prospect
Joohyung Kim is an up-and-coming player with lots of natural talent, and he could be a good outsider here at 30/1. Kim is currently ranked 40th in the world and he is currently in top form, having finished 23rd at the U.S. Open, third at the Scottish Open and tied 47th at The Open Championship last week.
The South-Korean native recently accepted PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership in honour of his 2021/22 season. He is now eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions this season as he attempts to earn his tour card ahead of the 2022/23 season. This achievement further highlights that his impressive performances, notably recently, haven’t gone unnoticed.
This looks a great opportunity for the 20-year-old, and it could be a perfect time to snag the first PGA Tour win of his career in what looks a relatively weak field all things considered. Kim has no fears being in the infancy of his career, and a win here could mean major validation for the talented player.
