This week’s 3M Open in Minnesota just got a massive jolt: world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is playing the event for the first time, and he is a ridiculous +260 favorite at DraftKings. We’re talking about an unprecedented odds gap here. Defending champion Kirt Kitayama, the second favorite, sits way down at +2250. You just do not see those kinds of numbers in golf, especially for a tournament that usually has one of the weakest fields of the season because it follows the British Open. Scheffler’s inclusion is a pretty big surprise, shaking up everything we thought we knew about this event.
Scheffler’s Dominance Meets Minnesota’s Curse
Scheffler is literally the only world top 10 player in the entire field. He’s coming off a tie for fourth at the British Open, which marks his tenth top-four finish *this year*. Think about that: ten top-fours! Yet, he only has one victory, back in January in his season debut. Still, the guy is leading the Tour in Strokes Gained: Total, so the raw talent and consistency are absolutely there. But here is the wild part: according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Scheffler is only the fifth world No. 1 to play a PGA Tour event in Minnesota since the world golf rankings began in April 1986. And get this: *none* of the previous four were able to win. This tournament itself only dates back to 2019, but even looking at major championships held in Minnesota, a world No. 1 has never snagged a win. Scheffler is facing a serious historical hurdle this week.
The Rest of the Field: Kitayama and the Major Winner’s Hangover
Beyond Scheffler, the field is, as expected, pretty thin. Kirt Kitayama, the defending champion, is still a player to watch. He finished at 23-under 261 last year, one stroke better than Sam Stevens. Kitayama shot a career-low and tournament-record-tying 60 on Saturday last year, then followed it with a 65 on Sunday for his second career PGA Tour win. He has not added a third victory yet, but he is having a pretty solid season with four top-10 finishes. Kitayama is even the +1800 favorite on the “Without Scheffler” market to win the tournament. Meanwhile, Sunday’s surprise British Open winner, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, was originally in the field but wisely withdrew. You cannot really blame him for celebrating that first major title; major winners rarely play the very next week, with U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark being the only one to do so this year because the Travelers Championship was nearby and a Signature Event.
So, as we head into the weekend, the big question looms: Can Scottie Scheffler not just win, but actually break this decades-long curse for world No. 1s in Minnesota? Or will Kitayama capitalize on the attention Scheffler brings and pull off a repeat, something that has never happened at the 3M Open? It is going to be a fascinating watch to see if history finally gets rewritten.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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