Closing stretch at TPC Twin Cities sets up exciting Sunday
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Eighteen holes remain in the topsy-turvy 3M Open outside Minneapolis, and there is so much on the line over such a tiny window of time. A trophy, a huge seven-figure winner’s check, coveted points for FedExCup Playoffs positioning … it all is in the offing as the tournament screeches around the corner toward a final day.
Cameron Tringale posted a mistake-free, 5-under 66 on Saturday – it included a 4-foot eagle putt at the par-5 12th, set up by a beautiful 3-wood from 262 yards – to wrestle away the 54-hole lead. He has plenty of company nearby as he looks to land his first PGA TOUR victory on Sunday. There are 10 players within two or fewer shots of his lead, and four more lurking only three shots behind.
The best part, at least for those without clubs in their hands? There is a great deal of drama awaiting at the finish line. Really, if the first three days have taught us a lesson, it is that anything – anything! – can happen on that dastardly, water-guarded par-5 18th hole at TPC Twin Cities. It plays just a smidge under 600 yards, is reachable in two for most with two well-struck shots, and has a penchant of proving memorable for nearly all.
There aren’t many par-5 holes on the PGA TOUR that so openly sneer back at the game’s top players. On Saturday, No. 18 played a half-stroke over par (5.486) and ranked as the toughest hole on the entire course. It even featured a Jean-van-de-Veldian moment as the last group finished, with Bo Hoag, the second-year TOUR member who had performed so well for much of the day, rolling up his pants and wading into the water behind the 18th green to attempt to extricate his fourth shot.
Hoag, who played his last four holes in 4 over to shoot 72 (the finish included a double-bogey at the par-3 17th), would chop his ball out of water on his way to a scrambling, closing bogey-6. It still was half a dozen shots better than Sung Kang, who rinsed four balls in the water and made 12, and bettered the efforts of Rickie Fowler and J.T. Poston, who made 8s.
“Is this a par 6?” analyst Mark Immelman asked on the CBS broadcast late Saturday afternoon. Hey, it was a legit question. There aren’t many par-5 holes on the PGA TOUR that play over par.
The overall recipe for the 3M finish – lots of interesting names in contention, from major winners to those seeking their first PGA TOUR victory, alongside the potential for lots of two-way traffic on Sunday with water lurking on 15 holes – sets up Sunday as one of the most stirring, edge-of-your-seat final rounds we may witness on the PGA TOUR this season.
Gary Woodland (67) and Maverick McNealy (68) each missed birdie chances from 8 feet at the 18th, and they’ll each start the final round a shot out of the lead. Woodland, who will be alongside Tringale in the final pairing, is a seasoned player who won the 2019 U.S. Open; McNealy, 25, is looking for his first TOUR triumph.
Tringale, 33, stands at 12-under 201. The group of players two shots back at 10-under 203 includes major champions (Charl Schwartzel, Jimmy Walker), long bombers (Jhonnattan Vegas, Cameron Champ), and veteran players thirsty to win again (Chez Reavie, Ryan Armour, Pat Perez). Also in the group chasing is Canadian Roger Sloan (70), who held the lead on his own for part of Saturday and is trying to win for the first time, not to mention improve his FedExCup standing. He currently sits at No. 147 in season points.
Keith Mitchell showed everyone early on that there were birdies to be made at TPC Twin Cities. Heading off on No. 10, he birdied his first seven holes, lipping out for his eighth straight at the 17th. (Mitchell shot 66.) By day’s end, winds were picking up (in the 15 mph range) and the finish got tricky. Tringale did well to avoid disaster, or at the very least, steer clear of bogeys down the stretch. Many of his peers could not.
“I'm happy with kind of everything, honestly.” Tringale said. The 3M marks his 307th PGA TOUR start; since 2009, no player has played in that many events without winning. “What I want to do better tomorrow is hit my spots on the greens a little better, my approaches. But, I mean, I'm putting … I don't know where I'm at statistically, but I've liked just about every putt I've hit. Hopefully, I'll continue to do that tomorrow.
“Just try not to overthink it. That's the key, isn't it?”
Tringale is hoping to pull some momentum out of his closing round at TPC Twin Cities a year ago, when he shot 66 and climbed into a tie for third at 3M.
“I birdied 18 last year, I remember that,” said Tringale, who needed only 25 putts on Saturday. “I'm just going to have fun. I remember last year's round really well, and I'm excited. I feel like I'm doing everything well in my game for the most part, so just keep my head on straight and try and have some fun and not overthink it.”
So many players stuck their mugs into contention on Saturday. Inclement weather was expected to arrive in the Minneapolis area Saturday afternoon, which led to tournament officials moving up third-round tee times. Players teed off both nines in threesomes. But it turned out to be a Chamber of Commerce-type day, with lots of sunshine and calm – at least before players stepped to that tee at the formidable 18th hole.
Sung Kang reached the 18th hole 1 under par and shot 77, making a 12.
Fowler, seeking his first TOUR victory since 2019, made a nice early run up the leaderboard, playing his first 12 holes in 6 under before slipping with back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14. He still was very much in the tournament picture. Then he came up short on his third shot at 18, his ball splashing down into water, hit his next shot long, and made 8.
Hoag, the man on the FedExCup bubble at No. 125, took his bogey at the finish in stride on Saturday. He’ll hope to do better in the final round, and knows he needs a good showing to help out his FedExCup standing with the Playoffs only three weeks away. He is doing his best.
“I’ve played under pressure my whole life,” Hoag said, smiling, after walking off 18. “It’s just what I do.”
At the 3M, he is not alone.