The presence of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka in Minnesota this week has given the fledgling 3M Open two heavy-hitting stars of the PGA Tour to headline thesecond edition of the tournament.
Perhaps their participation will be mutually beneficial. Johnson and Koepka could use a pick-me-up at the TPC Twin Cities on this Arnold Palmer-designed course, seeking a boost for theFedEx Cup standings in this strange, virus-interrupted season.
After winning the Travelers Championship in Connecticut four weekends ago, Johnson failed to make the cut at the Memorial in Ohio last week with the highest 36-hole score (160) of his PGATour career.
The 36-year-old, who is currently ranked fourth in the world and 25th in the FedEx Cup standings, did not play in the inaugural 3M Open in 2019.
Johnson will tee off with Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau on Thursday morning in Blaine, a commuter suburb with a few cornfields among the sports fields and curved-street developments about 20 miles north of Minneapolis.
Koepka (No. 6), Fleetwood (No. 12) and Finau (No. 17) are the only entrants currently ranked in the top 25.
The reshuffled PGA Tour schedule didn't help the 3M Open, with most of the top players opting for rest this weekend after the high-profile Memorial.
The World Golf Championship in Memphis is next, followed by the PGA Championship in San Francisco. Johnson made the rare decision to play four consecutive weeks.
The 3M Open will be the seventh stop on the restarted tour, all without fans thus far.
with files from (AP Golf)