The 3M Open provides one of the last two opportunities for golfers to play their way into the FedEx Cup Playoffs and into the all-important top 100 to secure their PGA Tour card for next season. The top of the leaderboard after the first round features a player in Adam Svensson looking to do both after shooting a scintillating 11-under 60 on Thursday.
Svensson came into the week 170th in the FedEx Cup standings, effectively needing a win to get inside the top 100 and give himself a look at a playoff spot. With a win, Svensson would move to 69th in the standings, putting him just inside the number needed to make it to the first playoff event with just one tournament to go.
While Svensson will need to produce three more strong rounds, his phenomenal opening effort allotted a two-shot cushion over Thorbjørn Olesen and Sam Stevens, who was on 59 watch himself but bogeyed the 18th to drop back to 9 under. Svensson went the opposite way on the 18th, as he was 9 under when he arrived but poured in a long eagle putt to break the course record at TPC Twin Cities and post a 60 to take the solo 18-hole lead.
No one could quite match Svensson’s onslaught of birdies and eagles, but the scoring conditions in Minnesota were ideal and the field took advantage. There’s some serious congestion on the leaderboard at the back end of the top 10, including some of the biggest names in the field who are trying to lock up a postseason position.
Chris Gotterup, who has been the second hottest golfer on the planet this month, continued his heater with an opening-round 63. The Scottish Open champion and Open Championship third-place finisher would’ve been forgiven for taking this week off, but he made the trek from Northern Ireland to Minnesota and kept the good vibes rolling as he makes a late push for a Ryder Cup spot.
Rickie Fowler opened with a 6-under 65, which has him lurking in the top 10; if he can stay in that range through the weekend, Fowler should lock down one of those top 70 spots after starting the week in 63rd. However, Fowler will be thinking about the top 50 because those that make it to the BMW Championship in the second playoff event lock themselves into all eight signature events in 2026.
Max Homa began the week 102nd in the standings and shot a solid 5-under 66 to keep his hopes alive. He will need to move higher than T10 to truly improve his position and have a chance at a tee time in Memphis in two weeks. Still, for a player trying desperately to find his game, Homa was pleased with the start of his tournament and will try to back it up with another strong day on Friday.
The leader
1. Adam Svensson (-11): Even in great conditions, Svensson’s 60 was spectacular. At one point, he made seven birdies in a 9-hole stretch from the 4th to the 12th, and while 59-watch got taken away by a string of pars in the middle of his back nine, he still closed strong with a birdie-par-eagle finish to get into the clubhouse with the lead alone. He was incredible on and around the greens on Thursday, leading the field in putting where he gained nearly 5 strokes on everyone else. Svensson’s challenge will be keeping that putter hot for three more days, but for a guy whose only playoff hope was to win this week, he couldn’t ask for a better start.
Contenders
T2. Sam Stevens, Thorbjørn Olesen (-9)
T4. Chad Ramey, Matti Schmid, Chris Gotterup (-8)
T7. Brendan Valdes, Jake Knapp (-7)
T9. Rickie Fowler, Kurt Kitayama, Emiliano Grillo, Ricky Castillo, Matt Wallace, Patrick Fishburn (-6)
T15. Max Homa, Luke Clanton, Akshay Bhatia and 16 others (-5)
As we often see on the PGA Tour, there will be a ton of shifting on the leaderboard on Friday as there are some low scores available and no one can take their foot off the gas. Svensson could run away if he can find another round in the low 60s, but following up a round of 60 is always a tough task, and the field knows they’re one great round themselves from thrusting themselves to the top of the leaderboard.
The pressure this week is not only about the chance to win and contend in a PGA Tour event, but the playoffs and next season as well. Most of the field came into this week needing a good finish to solidify their position as a top 100 player for their card next season, a top 70 player for the playoffs this year or a top 50 player to get into the highly lucrative signature events in 2026.
That dynamic should make this weekend all the more fascinating as even if there’s a breakaway at the top, everyone has a reason to scratch and claw for every position on the leaderboard to get much-needed points.
2025 3M Open updated odds, picks
Odds via DraftKings
- Chris Gotterup (11/2)
- Sam Stevens (17/2)
- Adam Svensson (10-1)
- Thorbjørn Olesen (10-1)
- Jake Knapp (12-1)
- Matti Schmid (14-1)
- Kurt Kitayama (20-1)
- Rickie Fowler (22-1)
- Emiliano Grillo (22-1)
It’s still anyone’s tournament at this early uncture. The oddsmakers are showing Gotterup deserved respect, but the question is whether he’ll run out of gas on the weekend of his third straight week playing and dealing with the mental stress of contending. I can’t help but believe Jake Knapp is going to win another one of these sooner than later. He’s capable of going really low, and that’ll likely be a requirement this weekend. Further down, Luke Clanton at 35-1 is another guy who can pile up birdies and has been steadily getting more comfortable as a pro.
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