Steve Palmer's 3M Open predictions and free golf betting tips

When to bet 

By 12.45pm on Thursday

Where to watch the 3M Open

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's 3M Open predictions

Ludvig Aberg
3pts each-way 33-1 Betfair, Power

Cam Davis
3pts each-way 33-1 Betfair, Power

Cameron Champ
1pt each-way 70-1 Betfair, Power

Patton Kizzire
0.5pt each-way 200-1 Betfair, Power

Davis Thompson
0.5pt each-way 100-1 general

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The FedEx Cup playoffs start in the middle of next month and there are just two events left for PGA Tour players to get into the top 70 of the standings and qualify for the mega-bucks series.

The revised playoffs comprise only three tournaments, with the top 50 after the FedEx St Jude Championship qualifying for the BMW Championship, then the top 30 after the BMW moving on to the Tour Championship finale.

This week's 3M Open and next week's Wyndham Championship are the last chances for those outside the top 70 to keep alive their hopes of an enormous Tour Championship payday. Former world number one, Justin Thomas, is 75th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Ludvig Aberg 33-1

European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald played alongside Ludvig Aberg in the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this month, getting a close-up look at the Swedish sensation, and he could not help but be impressed.

Aberg has hopes of making a Ryder Cup debut in Italy in September and he can further advertise his claims by winning the 3M Open in Minnesota this week. This all-time great amateur has quickly settled in the professional ranks and a maiden PGA Tour title is probably not far away.

The 23-year-old finished fourth in the John Deere Classic in his last Stateside start, then missed the cut by a shot in the Scottish Open last time out. It may take time for Aberg to learn links golf, but on a long, parkland track like TPC Twin Cities, this huge talent has nothing to fear.

Aberg is a close friend of Vincent Norrman, who won the Barbasol Championship the week before last, and a quickfire Swedish double could be on the cards. The market is headed by Tony Finau and Cameron Young. Finau is badly out of form, while Young was in the final twoball of the Open Championship on Sunday and does not have much time to recover from those overseas exertions.

Next best bet

Cam Davis 33-1

Another strong driver well suited to TPC Twin Cities is Cam Davis, who has shown glimpses of his A-game this year, finishing sixth in the Players Championship, seventh in the RBC Heritage and fourth in the US PGA Championship.

Like Aberg, Davis was in good nick on his last Stateside start, finishing 17th in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. And again, like Aberg, there are no significant negatives to be drawn from a missed cut on debut in the Scottish Open last time out.

Davis, who was first reserve for the Open and dejected to miss out, is bursting with desire this week. The Aussie is 77th on the FedEx Cup standings. He finished 12th in the 2020 3M Open, despite arriving off the back of four missed cuts, and he was 16th at Twin Cities last year.

Other selections

Cameron Champ 70-1
Patton Kizzire 200-1
Davis Thompson 100-1

A final-round 66 from Cameron Champ in the John Deere Classic was an encouraging Sunday for the three-time PGA Tour victor – and he followed up with 17th place in the Barracuda Championship last week. The powerhouse could be emerging from a slump.

Champ won the 2021 3M Open by two shots, bravely fending off Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, then last year he arrived for his title defence off the back of five missed cuts on the PGA Tour. Having opened with a 75, it seemed Champ was set for further misery, but he recovered with rounds of 68, 67 and 67 for 16th place.

Two-time PGA Tour champion Patton Kizzire also seems worth chancing. Kizzire has also won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as the 2018 QBE Shootout pairs event alongside Brian Harman. The pair are great friends and regular practice partners, so there is huge inspiration to be drawn by Kizzire from his pal's Open Championship heroics.

Going into the inaugural 3M Open in 2019, Kizzire had missed six cuts in a row on the PGA Tour, but he stopped the rot at Twin Cities by finishing 34th. Whatever his form, he has made all four cuts at Twin Cities, where the large greens play into the hands of this strong putter.

Former world number one amateur Davis Thompson also merits support. He won on the Korn Ferry Tour last summer, then almost on the PGA Tour in January, losing a tight duel with Jon Rahm in The American Express. It has taken Thompson a while to get over that agonising near-miss, but his July form has been encouraging.

TPC Twin Cities course guide

Course TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
Prize money $7.8m ($1.35m to the winner)
Length 7,431 yards
Par 71 - three par-fives; 11 par-fours; four par-threes
Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Tony Finau (16), Cameron Young (18), Justin Thomas (20), Sungjae Im (23), Sepp Straka (28)
Course records - 72 holes 263 Matthew Wolff (2019) 18 holes 62 Scott Piercy, Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Wolff, Lucas Glover

Course winners taking part Cameron Champ, Tony Finau

When to bet By 12.45pm on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7pm on Thursday

Time difference Minnesota is six hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week – Open Championship 1 B Harman (110-1), T2 J Rahm (12-1), T Kim (45-1), J Day (100-1), S Straka (200-1), T6 E Grillo (300-1), R McIlroy (15-2), T8 S Sharma (1,500-1), C Young (55-1), T10 T Fleetwood (22-1), M Homa (50-1), M Jordan (250-1); Barracuda Championship 1 A Bhatia (33-1), 2 P Rodgers (25-1), T3 J Guerrier (125-1), J Dantorp (150-1), 5 R Gerard (150-1), T6 C Hadley (110-1), E Van Rooyen (110-1), J Hahn (150-1), B Hossler (22-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview TPC Twin Cities opened in 2000 and earned PGA Tour status in 2019 for the inaugural 3M Open. The Arnold Palmer design features mature oak and spruce trees lining the fairways. A 62 was shot every day in 2019 and Matthew Wolff reached 21 under par. Water is in play on half the holes, while the greens are bentgrass, large and undulating

Story of last year Tony Finau won by three shots as overnight leader Scott Piercy faltered badly on the final day

Weather forecast Sunny and hot, with light breezes, for the vast majority of the event

Type of player suited to the challenge Three of the most powerful players on the circuit – Matthew Wolff, Cameron Champ and Tony Finau – have won three of the four 3M Opens

Key attribute Power

Spotlight insight 

The four 3M Open champions had missed a cut in one of their three preceding tournaments

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