2026 3M Open pool picks: build around the ball-strikers at TPC Twin Cities

The 3M Open starts July 23, 2026, at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. ESPN lists the course as a par 71 at 7,431 yards, and the PGA TOUR tournament page confirms the July 23-26 window at TPC Twin Cities.

Golf Pools Pro's live tournament field showed 143 players from the PGA TOUR field source when this guide was prepared Monday. The top of the field is stronger than this event sometimes gets: Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Ryan Fox, Kurt Kitayama, Maverick McNealy, Corey Conners, Jason Day, Brian Harman, Sungjae Im, Keith Mitchell, and Max Homa all belong on the first pass through the field.

This is usually a scoring week, but it is not a pure wedge-and-putting lottery. TPC Twin Cities has water, enough length, and enough par-5/par-4 scoring chances that shaky ball-striking can turn into a fast missed-cut problem. For pool picks, I would rather start with players who can keep giving you birdie looks for four rounds than chase every name with one hot putting week.

Scottie Scheffler is the obvious first anchor. That is not clever, but it is correct for most pools. If your format counts best scores, he gives you the best mix of win equity, cut safety, and four-round scoring pressure. In smaller pools, fading him just to look different is probably giving away too much.

Hideki Matsuyama is my next favorite anchor because TPC Twin Cities rewards quality tee-to-green golf. He is not always the cleanest weekly watch, but the pool case is pretty direct: if he strikes it well, he can count for you even without needing a peak putting week.

Tom Kim, Ryan Fox, and Corey Conners are the next core names. Tom Kim gives the card a steadier scoring profile. Fox brings more burst. Conners fits the ball-striking version of the course and works well when your first pick already carries plenty of winning ceiling.

I would not treat Kurt Kitayama as a throwaway defending-champ checkbox. The official 3M Open site still highlights him as the 2025 champion, and ESPN lists him as the previous winner. I like him, but expect him to be noticed. He is a good pick, not a secret pick.

Maverick McNealy, Jason Day, Brian Harman, Sungjae Im, Keith Mitchell, and Max Homa are the middle tier I would sort carefully. McNealy and Day make sense if you want a balanced card. Harman and Im are useful when you need steadier weekend equity. Mitchell and Homa are more volatile, but either can move an entry if the favorite tier gets crowded.

Sam Stevens, Michael Kim, Jake Knapp, Gary Woodland, Eric Cole, Max Greyserman, Mac Meissner, Aldrich Potgieter, Taylor Pendrith, Lucas Glover, Rasmus Højgaard, Keita Nakajima, Andrew Putnam, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Denny McCarthy are the names I would use to create separation. Pick the type of risk you actually want. Do not jam five long-shot types into one entry and call it strategy.

For larger pools, Pierceson Coody, Johnny Keefer, Michael Brennan, and Casey Jarvis are deeper pool names to consider. They are not first-click picks, which is the point. Use one if your entry already has enough top-end stability and you need one card that does not look like everyone else's.

Kurt Kitayama can absolutely be right again, but the defending-champion tag will make him easier for casual entrants to find. If your pool is small, that is fine. In a bigger pool, decide whether you are comfortable using a popular name outside the clear top anchor tier.

Tony Finau and Lee Hodges are tricky because they have real 3M Open history. Finau won here in 2022, and Hodges won in 2023. Past winners deserve attention, but I would not use old course history as a substitute for current-week form and field fit.

Max Homa and Keith Mitchell are the classic uncomfortable pool picks. Both can count. Both can also make Thursday and Friday feel too exciting. If you use one, balance the rest of the card with steadier players instead of stacking every boom-bust profile.

For a normal Golf Pools Pro Open Picks pool with 12 picks and the best eight counting, I would start with Scottie Scheffler, then add two or three from Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Ryan Fox, Corey Conners, Kurt Kitayama, Maverick McNealy, Jason Day, Brian Harman, and Sungjae Im.

After that, add four or five from Keith Mitchell, Max Homa, Sam Stevens, Michael Kim, Jake Knapp, Gary Woodland, Eric Cole, Max Greyserman, Mac Meissner, Aldrich Potgieter, Taylor Pendrith, Lucas Glover, Rasmus Højgaard, Keita Nakajima, Andrew Putnam, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, and Denny McCarthy. Use the final slots based on pool size. Small pool: keep the floor. Large pool: take one or two real separators.

Pool hosts should open entries early this week and remind players that lock happens before Thursday's first tee time. The Open is over, the PGA TOUR goes straight to Minnesota, and some entrants will miss the shorter turnaround if you wait too long.

If you run Tiered Picks or Clubhouse Chaos, review the groups once the field is fresh. With 143 players in the live field, the top group should not be the only place people make real decisions. Clean middle groups make the pool more fun and cut down on duplicate cards.

Entrants should check the field one more time before picks lock. Withdrawals and late field changes matter more than squeezing in one extra hunch. Build around players you trust to make the weekend, then use the last few picks to fit your pool size.