Odds Outlook: Tony Finau tops charts with FedExCup Playoffs in view

With the four major championships firmly in the rearview mirror, qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs will be the focus of the final two regular-season PGA TOUR events. The 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, will provide one of the final two events to secure a place in the top 70 necessary to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs.

A winner here two years ago, Tony Finau (+1000) headlines a field of 156 players heading to Minnesota for the sixth consecutive summer. Red-hot before bowing out of The Open Championship after posting 81 on Friday, the big hitter from Utah missed only his second cut of the season and broke a streak of three straight top-10 paydays. Playing for the fourth time this season following a major championship, he has already cashed T12, T17 and T5 in his prior three events, none of which he was a previous champion. Last a winner at the Mexico Open at Vidanta in April of 2023, he is making his sixth start at TPC Twin Cities and will look to add to his three top-10 paydays and all five starts that have resulted in T28 or better.

Looking for his first victory since the spring of 2023 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Sam Burns (+1800) runs as second choice this week at the top of the BetMGM Sportsbook. The 30th-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings peeled off a stretch of T15 or better in four events, cumulating with T9 at the U.S. Open before cooling off with T55 at the Travelers and T31 at The Open Championship. The recent new father returns to the Par-71, 7,431-yard layout designed originally by Arnold Palmer for the first time since 2020 and will look to extend his solid play in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Cashing T7 on debut in 2019, he followed with T32 in 2020 and has posted four of eight rounds at 66 or better.

Following Finau back to the States after an early exit from Royal Troon, Akshay Bhatia (+2200) is looking for his third victory on TOUR in 12 months. A winner at the Valero Texas Open the week before the Masters, the left-hander won the Barracuda, his first victory on TOUR, this time last year. Returning to a parkland Bentgrass layout, he should flip the switches back to ON. After the U.S. Open, he posted 18-under and shared fifth in Connecticut at TPC River Highlands and followed it up by leading or sharing the lead after the first 54 holes at the Detroit Golf Club before cashing T2. Ranking 10th in SG: Total, he will make his first appearance at TPC Twin Cities ranked No. 28 in the OWGR.

Checking in at No. 11, Sahith Theegala (+2200) enters the week as the highest-ranked golfer in the field from the OWGR. The winner at Silverado last September, the Californian has added two runner-up finishes and four additional top-10 paydays, including T4 at the Genesis Scottish Open the week before he missed the weekend at Royal Troon. Making his first appearance in Minnesota, he had extra time to prep after missing the cut at Royal Troon, and only Finau and Bhatia are ranked higher in SG: Total for the season.

The 54-hole leader at The Open, Billy Horschel (+3000) posted 68 from the final group on Sunday yet finished two shots behind in a tie for second. Sharing second place with Englishman Justin Rose (+5000), also entered this week, he picked up his second top-10 payday in his third major of the season. The reigning champion at the Corales Puntacana Championship returns to Minnesota one year after posting all four rounds in the red and cashing T13 on debut. The emotional and physical toll of being in contention on the weekend could be a factor this week.

One of the three co-runner-up finishers seven shots adrift to 2023 champion Lee Hodges (+6000) last year, J.T. Poston (+3000) will attempt to take it one place higher on the final leaderboard. The North Carolina native is making his fourth consecutive start and has cashed T28, T11 and T2 over the last three starts. The previous winner at the 2022 John Deere Classic and 2019 Wyndham Championship, both victories came in the heat of the summer season. A top-10 paycheck this week would be his first since T5 the week after the Masters at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town.

One of the best ball strikers on TOUR, Keith Mitchell (+3000), has enjoyed his last two visits to TPC Twin Cities. Navigating the 75 bunkers and 27 water penalty areas spread over 15 holes, the 2019 Honda Classic winner is 28-under combined on his last two visits. Avoiding the perils off the tee and into the greens, he has cashed T5 and solo fifth the previous two seasons and has posted 12 of 14 rounds at 70 or better. Missing the cut in three of his last four starts on TOUR, the course form versus current form debate rages on.

As an amateur, Luke Clanton (+3000) has never missed the cut in four starts on the PGA TOUR. Qualifying for and cashing T41 at the U.S. Open, the rising junior at Florida State competing as a sponsor’s exemption hit the top 10 in his next two starts at the Rocket Mortgage Classic (T10) and John Deere Classic (T2). Still retaining amateur status, he will try to equal Nick Dunlap (+4000) as the only non-professional to win on TOUR this season. Dunlap eventually turned pro and won last week at the Barracuda Championship to become the first player in the history of the PGA TOUR to win twice in a season, once as an amateur and once as a professional.

Defending champion Lee Hodges (+6000), who set scoring records while going wire-to-wire last year, returns to defend his maiden TOUR title.

Notes: Nick Dunlap, the winner last week at the Barracuda Championship and the winner at The American Express in January is in the field this week. … Locals will be interested in North Dakota native and neighbor Tom Hoge (+3500) and former Minnesota Golden Gopher Erik van Rooyen. … Two other previous champions are in the field this week and noted below.

Here's a look at other notable odds via BetMGM, including recent winner Cam Davis and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley:

• +3500: Cam Davis, Taylor Pendrith, Keegan Bradley, Tom Hoge
• +4000: Nick Dunlap, Erik van Rooyen
• +4500: Patrick Rodgers
• +5000: Adam Hadwin, Ben Griffin, Emiliano Grillo, Justin Rose, Mackenzie Hughes, Maverick McNealy
• +5500: Kurt Kitayama, Mac Meissner, Sam Stevens
• +6000: Lee Hodges, Chan Kim, Jhonattan Vegas, Michael Thorbjornsen, Rico Hoey
• +6600: Harry Hall, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman, Adam Svensson, Andrew Novak, Beau Hossler, Thirston Lawrence
• +8000: Austin Eckroat, Doug Ghim, J.J. Spaun, Jake Knapp, Neal Shipley, Seamus Power, Ben Silverman

How the 3M Open Championship works:

• A field of 156 players.
• After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top 65 and ties.
• The purse of $8.1 million sees the winner pocket $1.458 million plus 500 FedExCup points.

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call, or text 1-800-GAMBLER today.