3M Open prediction: Finau favourite but Horschel, Burns and Theegala all in the running

Tony Finau travels to TPC Twin Cities as favourite, but he’ll face stiff competition from the likes of US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and holder Lee Hodges

Lee Hodges won the 2023 edition of the 3M Open, and will be fighting to retain the trophy (Getty Images)

The PGA Tour resumes this weekend less than a week after the conclusion of a pulsating Open Championships at Royal Troon.

And some of the world’s top golfers will barely have time to recover from jet lag as the 3M Open begins at TPC Twin Cities on Thursday, 25 July.

Several of the world’s top-ranked golfers will be missing the event in Minnesota, including Open champion Xander Schauffele, world number one Scottie Scheffler, and the rest of the top 10-ranked players on the tour.

In fact, Sahith Theegala will enter the 3M Open as the highest-ranked player in the tournament, with the world number 11 having failed to make the cut at The Open last week.

Yet despite his superior ranking, the American is not the favourite to win the competition – that tag goes instead to Tony Finau, the current world number 19 and the winner of the 3M Open in 2022.

And yet with odds on betting sites as far as 11/1 for Finau, it’s clearly a difficult field to predict, with last year’s champion Lee Hodges in the mix along with Open Championship performers Billy Horschel (who finished tied second) and Thriston Lawrence (who came fourth).

3M Open betting tips

• Cam Davis each way – 35/1 BetMGM
• Sahith Theegala to finish in the Top 5 – 11/2 BetVictor
• 3M Open tip: Tony Finau to win – 11/1 Betfred

3M Open betting tip: Back Cam Davis to finish in the top places – or higher

Davis won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time last month, and he’s previously shown that form over in Detroit carries well to TPC Twin Cities, having finished as high as 10th and 12th in the past.

While the Australian didn’t play at the Open last week, his score of -10 at the Scottish Open was a solid result to set himself up for Minnesota, and he’s currently second in the PGA’s power rankings ahead of Thursday’s tee off.

This week, betting apps have Davis at joint-seventh favourite to win the 3M Open at odds of 35/1, behind Finau, Burns and Horschel among others.

The Aussie’s solid tee-to-green performance at the Scottish Open, combined with a week of rest before playing on a course he’s familiar with and in improved conditions, means he may be a better choice than some of those shorter in the betting.

BetMGM, one of the best new betting sites, pay out on each way bets for finishing in the top six at 1/5 of the outright odds.

3M Open prediction 1: Cam Davis each way – 35/1 BetMGM

3M Open betting tip: Theegala to finish in the top five

Sam Burns, Theegala and Finau are top contenders to win the tournament, with Finau being the outstanding favourite at the top of the betting. But, rather than betting on a winner, it might make sense to choose the shorter odds to target a top-five finish for one of the three expected to challenge for the title.

Burns might have been the only one to finish The Open last week – having tied for 31st place on six-over – but Finau is a previous champion at TPC Twin Cities and Theegala, as the top-ranked player in the tournament, has something to prove after failing to make the cut at Royal Troon.

And all three will be more confident as they head back to home turf, with kinder conditions awaiting them and a less intense level of competition to fight off. Theegala’s price catches our eye at 11/2 on golf betting sites, having already recorded four top-five finishes on the tour this season.

3M Open prediction 2: Sahith Theegala to Finish in the Top 5 – 11/2 BetVictor

3M Open betting tip: Finau to take the trophy home

The 2022 winner will be eager to take back the trophy when he returns to TPC Twin Cities, a course that he has played at every year since the tournament’s first iteration in 2019. He finished tied seventh last year, but he’s never missed a cut in Minnesota and his scoring average in 20 rounds is 67.60.

Finau is first in the PGA’s power rankings, having been strong in these types of fields in recent years, and though he missed the cut at The Open last week, he’ll be confident of winning the title for the second time, having entered as a strong favourite on gambling sites for a reason.

3M Open prediction 3: Tony Finau to win – 11/1 Betfred

Follow our predictions using the best odds from the best betting sites, who offer free bets to new customers. Don’t forget to gamble responsibly if you do have a bet this weekend.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.