TL;DR: TPC Twin Cities rewards aggressive scoring, but the water-heavy layout makes precision just as important as birdie upside. For 2026 3M Open fantasy golf picks, prioritize Strokes Gained: Approach, proximity from 175-200 yards, birdie or better percentage, and players who can stay composed after the Open Championship. Scottie Scheffler is the safest elite anchor, Sahith Theegala offers tournament-winning leverage, and Tom Hoge, Eric Cole, and Ben Griffin bring useful value profiles.
3M Open Fantasy Golf Picks (2026)
The PGA Tour returns from Royal Birkdale and heads to Blaine, Minnesota, for the 2026 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. With the FedExCup Playoffs approaching, this is an important week for players trying to protect their position, climb into the postseason, or turn one hot stretch into a season-changing result.
It is also a tricky fantasy week. TPC Twin Cities produces plenty of birdies, but it is not a harmless resort-course shootout. Water is involved throughout the property, long approaches matter, and one loose swing can turn a promising round into a DFS problem quickly. The best lineups need scoring upside without taking on unnecessary penalty risk.
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TPC Twin Cities Course Preview
TPC Twin Cities is a par-72 layout listed at 7,164 yards in the tournament's 2026 materials. Arnold Palmer and Minnesota native Tom Lehman designed a course with generous scoring opportunities, but the water hazards and exposed landing areas create more volatility than the final winning score may suggest.
Recent champions have shown that there is more than one way to contend here. Power can create easier scoring chances on the par 5s, while elite iron players can separate by repeatedly finding the correct sections of large, well-protected greens. The common thread is aggression with control. Players need enough birdies to keep pace without donating doubles to the field.
| Course Factor | Fantasy Impact |
|---|---|
| Venue | TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota |
| Yardage / Par | Approximately 7,164 yards / Par 72 |
| Scoring Profile | Birdie-friendly when conditions cooperate, with winning scores commonly reaching the high teens or lower |
| Primary Danger | Water and penalty trouble can quickly turn a scoring round into a missed-cut risk |
| Core Skill Set | Strokes Gained: Approach, long-iron proximity, birdie rate, and controlled driving |
The schedule adds another layer. Players arriving directly from the Open Championship are changing time zones, conditions, grass types, and shot requirements in a matter of days. Use fatigue as a tiebreaker rather than an automatic fade, especially with elite players whose baseline remains far above the rest of the field.
Key Stats for 2026 3M Open Fantasy Picks
The 3M Open rewards birdie-makers, but raw scoring averages can hide the difference between repeatable ball-striking and one hot putting week. Build projections around the skills that create chances, then use putting and course history to separate similar players.
- Strokes Gained: Approach: The first filter for TPC Twin Cities. Players who consistently gain with their irons should create enough chances to survive an average putting week.
- Proximity from 175-200 yards: Long-iron control matters on a course where several important approaches come from this range.
- Birdie or Better Percentage: Pars protect a floor, but fantasy managers still need players capable of producing scoring streaks.
- Good Drive Percentage: Useful tee shots matter more than raw fairways because players need distance without bringing penalty areas into play.
- Putting on Bentgrass: Treat surface comfort as a tiebreaker. A neutral putter with elite irons is usually more reliable than a weak ball-striker living on a short-term putting spike.
League format should change the final order. Birdie-heavy DFS scoring increases the value of aggressive players, while cut bonuses and finishing-position points favor steadier tee-to-green profiles. Our fantasy golf scoring format guide can help you adjust the rankings to your league.
3M Open Betting Favorites and Elite Fantasy Anchors
The top of the board starts with an obvious decision: pay for Scottie Scheffler or use a more balanced build. Neither approach is automatically correct. The choice depends on contest size, ownership, and how much risk your value tier can absorb.
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler is scheduled to make his 3M Open debut, and his fantasy case does not require much imagination. He remains the cleanest tee-to-green player in golf, with the approach quality, scoring volume, and bogey avoidance needed to dominate a course like TPC Twin Cities.
In cash games and smaller season-long pools, Scheffler is the safest elite anchor. His salary will force compromises elsewhere in DraftKings lineups, but his floor is difficult to reproduce with two merely good players. If the putter is average, he has a clear route to the lead.
The only meaningful concern is the quick turnaround from the Open Championship. That makes him slightly less automatic in large-field tournaments where ownership matters, but fatigue alone is not a strong enough reason to fade the best ball-striker in the field.
Sahith Theegala
Theegala is the higher-variance alternative for managers who want to move away from Scheffler. His creative short game and aggressive scoring style fit a tournament where players must keep making birdies, and his ability to recover can soften the damage from an occasional loose drive.
The fantasy appeal is leverage. If Scheffler absorbs heavy ownership, Theegala can open a more balanced roster while preserving real top-five upside. He is better suited to GPP lineups and managers chasing a weekly win than conservative builds protecting a lead.
3M Open Sleepers and Value Picks
The best 3M Open sleepers are not simply the cheapest names in the field. They are players with one or two bankable skills that match TPC Twin Cities and give them a realistic route to four rounds of fantasy scoring.
Tom Hoge
Hoge is the cleanest approach-first value in the supplied player pool. The Fargo-raised golfer has strong regional ties and the iron-play profile to attack TPC Twin Cities without relying on overwhelming power. When his approach game is sharp, he can generate enough makeable birdie looks to outperform his salary tier.
The putter remains the swing club. Hoge does not need to lead the field on the greens, but he needs to avoid losing so much ground that the iron advantage disappears. In lineups already built around reliable putters or short-game players, he provides a useful ball-striking foundation.
Eric Cole
Cole brings a scoring-friendly combination of approach play and short-game touch. His ability to rebound after mistakes matters on a course where water can create sudden bogeys, and his aggressive style gives him more fantasy upside than a pure cut-maker.
He is most useful when his DraftKings salary sits below the obvious mid-tier names. Cole can be volatile over four rounds, so he fits better as a complementary scorer than a lineup anchor. If his recent iron numbers remain positive at lineup lock, the course fit is strong enough to justify the risk.
Ben Griffin
Griffin is the balanced value option. His short game can protect him when the long irons are imperfect, while his birdie-making ability gives him a path to scoring bonuses rather than merely surviving the cut.
Do not lock him in based on an assumed salary threshold before pricing is released. The play is strongest if the market leaves him in a genuine value range. If his price climbs with ownership, compare him directly with lower-rostered approach specialists before finalizing the lineup.
DraftKings lineup angle: Scheffler builds require dependable value plays, not three random punts. Pair him with golfers who have a stable approach baseline, then use one volatile birdie-maker for ceiling. In large-field 3M Open DFS lineups, leaving salary unused can also reduce duplicated builds.
Players to Avoid in 3M Open DFS Lineups
Fades are not predictions that a golfer cannot contend. They are price and ownership decisions. At TPC Twin Cities, the most dangerous fantasy profiles are inaccurate drivers, players losing strokes with their irons, and expensive names whose recent results are being carried by unsustainable putting.
Open Championship Fatigue Traps
Be careful with high-priced players arriving from a demanding week at Royal Birkdale when the underlying approach numbers were already slipping. The travel itself is manageable, but the combination of fatigue, changing conditions, and a water-heavy course can magnify small mechanical misses.
This is a profile-based fade rather than a blanket rule. Scheffler's tee-to-green floor can absorb the schedule. A less reliable ball-striker priced near his ceiling may not have the same margin for error.
Accuracy-Challenged Bombers
Distance helps at TPC Twin Cities, especially on the par 5s, but uncontrolled speed is not enough. Players who regularly bring penalties into play can lose a tournament on a handful of swings. If a popular bomber is also losing strokes on approach, the supposed upside may be more fragile than it appears.
| Fade Profile | Fantasy Concern | TPC Twin Cities Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Fatigued premium player | Paying full salary for reduced concentration or preparation | Water punishes small misses more severely |
| Inaccurate bomber | Birdie upside comes with a low floor | Penalty strokes can erase par-5 scoring quickly |
| Putting-dependent riser | Recent finishes may not be supported by ball-striking | Long approaches expose weak iron play |
2026 3M Open DraftKings Lineup Strategy
Start 2026 3M Open DraftKings picks with a decision about lineup shape. A Scheffler build offers the highest individual floor but puts more pressure on the value tier. A balanced build lowers the risk of one cheap missed cut and can create better ownership leverage in large contests.
For cash games, prioritize made-cut probability and stable approach play. Scheffler is the preferred anchor, Hoge offers an iron-driven value profile, and Griffin can fill a balanced scoring role if the salary is reasonable. Avoid stacking too many volatile drivers simply because they project for birdies.
For GPPs, embrace controlled variance. Theegala offers a pivot at the top, Cole adds scoring upside, and one lower-owned long-iron specialist can separate the lineup. Weather and tee-time waves are less likely to dominate than at a links venue, but check the final forecast before lock for thunderstorms or meaningful wind differences.
Final Roster Strategy for the 2026 3M Open
The 3M Open is a birdie event with real consequences for loose golf. Build around approach play and scoring ability first, then use Bentgrass putting, driving control, and post-Open fatigue as tiebreakers. The mistake is treating TPC Twin Cities as either a pure putting contest or a pure bomber's course.
Scheffler is the safest elite start, Theegala is the tournament-style pivot, and Hoge, Cole, and Griffin provide three different value paths. Recheck the final field, salaries, and weather before lineups lock because the best version of each pick depends on price and ownership.
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