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  • M Open Tips: Justin Thomas And Hideki Matsuyama Looking To Hit Form At TPC Twin Cities

3M Open tips: Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama looking to hit form at TPC Twin Cities

The 151st Open brought another runner-up spot for golf tipster Martin Colwell, who this week casts his eye across the pond to Minneapolis, where another high-class field competes for the 3M Open.

Jon Rahm only just beat the cut at Royal Liverpool, but gave us hope with a memorable nine-under-par round of 63 on Saturday.

Unfortunately, he was unable to replicate that on the Sunday, and never looked like reeling in the runaway winner, Brian Harman, although a tasty 20-foot birdie putt at the last earned him a share of the runner-up spot.

This week we head off to Blaine, which is in the Minneapolis region of America, where TPC Twin Cities is the regular host of this tournament.

A par 71 and 7,431 yards in length, this tree-lined layout is generally wide off the tee, so anyone who can avoid the 15 water hazard and the trees should find the course very scorable, especially with the ball flying further thanks to being 900 feet above sea level.

We kick off with three joint favourites this week, all of whom were at Royal Liverpool at the weekend, and they head a decent field considering so many golfers like to take a break following a Major tournament.

What did last week take out of them? Well, for starters Tony Finau missed the cut last week following on from a sticky run of form.

He is the defending champion this week, and he probably benefited more from getting his game in order at home than battling the elements at Hoylake.

Cameron Young did exactly that, and appeared to thrive in the inclement weather, although he slipped off the pace in the closing stages and finished a creditable joint 8th.

Young is still a maiden on tour, but he is striking the ball well, and is sure to strike soon, although last week's exertions may have taken too much out of him.
The last of our three market leaders is Sungjae Im, who also performed nicely last week to secure a top-20 finish without ever looking like finishing much higher. The has begun to find some form after a number of weeks not contending, and would be my pick of the three 14/1 shots.

Just below them, and much more appealing at 16/1 we have Hideki Matsuyama, who is also striking the ball sweetly from tee to green, but needs to make more putts. 

His rounds of 69 and 70 in miserable conditions at the Open were as steady as any of the main contenders, earning him a tie for 13th place. 

This course looks tailor-made for his ball-striking prowess and if he can just get the flatstick to warm up a little, then the 2021 Masters champion could well be in one of the leading groups come Sunday afternoon.

Suggested bet: Hideki Matsuyama each-way in the 3M Open

Others to consider:

Argentinian raider Emilliano Grillo is on top form at present, was winner of the Charles Schwab Challenge two months ago, and shared sixth spot with Rory McIlroy at last week's Open Championship. He is in good shape, but appears overrated in the market at an unappealing 22/1.

Justin Thomas has been on a worrying slide, and missed the cut last week after a level-par second round was not enough to rescue a disastrous 11-over 82 on the opening day. JT needs to start showing up to make the FedEx top-70, while a place in his beloved Ryder Cup team is far from assured.

A year ago Thomas would have gone off as a 12/1 favourite in a tournament such as this, and with so many big names absent he will certainly see this as a huge opportunity to get himself back in contention on the FedEx leaderboard.

Suggested bet: Justin Thomas each-way in the 3M Open

Sepp Straka was in good form again last week as he gave Brian Harman something to think about, and was one of just a handful of contenders not to shoot a single over-par round across the four challenging days.
The big Austrian can be somewhat streaky and a little hit and miss, but he has been hitting the mark recently, and can contend if he brings the form that landed the John Deere Classic three weeks ago.

Further down the betting, tour rookie Eric Cole catches the eye as a great prospect and he continues to show up high on leaderboards at various times during most of the tournaments he has entered.

Top six finishes at the Mexican and Canadian Opens gave a glimpse of what he can do, and once he manages to string four top rounds together, then it's only a matter of time before he gets his maiden win, and a depleted field such as this certainly enhances his prospects.

Suggested bet: Eric Cole each-way in the 3M Open

Another to cause a bright blip on my each-way radar is Sweden's 50/1 shot Vincent Norrman, who has been in top form in recent weeks.

After missing three straight cuts, he steadied the ship at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (24th=) and promptly took advantage of the fact that most of the tour elite were in the UK by landing the Barbasol Championship after a playoff two weeks ago.
He also looked in good shape again last week to finish tied for 25th in the Barracuda Championship, and it will be no surprise if he shows up again in Minnesota.
Suggested bet: Vincent Norrman each-way in the 3M Open
Please note: The odds quoted in this article are correct at the time of writing and are those available with Planet Sport Bet, who are offering seven each-way places .

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