A bumpy watery first round here to start the 3M open, as water balls, and then water (rain) would wreak havoc on the players and the golf course. In total, about a 90 minute to two-hour delay, just towards the end of the morning wave. It would push back the day, finishing until well past 9:00 PM EST, giving a very short turnaround time for PGA DFS showdown contests for Round 2.
Be sure to check out 3M Open Round 2 Awesemo’s expert PGA DFS Showdown projections and ownership.
PGA DFS Showdown Picks: 3M Open Round 2
Previous Round Recap
Morning Wave
Robert MacIntyre was one of the first on the course today. He failed to really get started on the day, as did most of the golfers in the featured groups in the morning. Rickie Fowler, however, bucked that trend and shot an opening-round 64, his best round on the PGA Tour all year. He made every putt he looked at while also gaining another two strokes tee to green on top of his four strokes gained putting.
Troy Merritt also returned to form in Round 1, combing a very hot approach game with a good putter. Scott Stallings and Adam Schenk also put together quality rounds. Stallings stalled after getting to 8 under, while Schenk came out of the rain delay and absolutely tore up the course from there with a back nine 32.
Notables
The big names of the tournament, Tony Finau and Dustin Johnson, both really struggled in Round 1. Johnson’s putter losing almost a stroke and a half and another three-quarters of one around the green. But all hope is not lost. He gained 2.4 on his approaches, typically a great sign of things to come. Finau was the complete opposite, having multiple water balls and not much else to speak off; he lost almost three strokes with his irons today.
Afternoon Wave
At the time of writing this, Jhonattan Vegas had gotten it to 6 under with four holes left, including a par 5. He led the afternoon wave at 6 under and has a great chance to get one if not two more. Chez Reavie continued his form, shooting 66 in Round 1, as did Chris Baker. Michael Gellerman, who has been hot with his irons lately, was 5 under through 13. Others that finished in the top 10 from this wave included Bo Hoag, josh Teater, Chesson Hadley and possibly Nick Watney, who was -4 through 14.
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Round 2 Cut Prediction
Very late in the day, the golfers at -1 saw their position go to 66th, with the average score coming in just at just about 70. However, with a few big scores, the better part of the field was at 2 under or better, likely taking us toward a -3 or -4 cut tomorrow.
Round 1 Stat Recap
Stats are incomplete for Round 1, given that play has not finished.
Strokes Gained Tee to Green
- Adam Schenk
- Josh Teater
- Troy Merritt
Strokes Gained Off the Tee
- Ryan Armour
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Patton Kizzire
Strokes Gained on the Approach
- Ted Potter Jr.
- Michael Gellerman*
- Kevin Stadler
Strokes Gained on the Around the Green
- Tyler McCumber
- Chris Baker
- Sergio Garcia
Strokes Gained Putting
- Cameron Tringale
- Rickie Fowler
- Ryan Brehm
PGA DFS Showdown Picks: Slate Preview
Lock Time
7:50 a.m. ET
Fantasy Golf Contest Preview
DraftKings
- DraftKings is offering $25,000 to first place and $100,000 guaranteed for the second-round slate.
The 3M Open PGA DFS Picks
The wind is supposed to pick up mildly tomorrow, similar to the weather pattern today. Most of the good scores should come from the morning wave but should be mixed in with some from the afternoon as well—no huge advantage.
PGA DFS Picks for Round 2 of the 3M Open
- Matthew Wolff ($9,300): The thing about Wolff is that he is so volatile and aggressive, it yields so many different numbers. He ended with four birdies and an eagle on today’s round and had a chance on 18 from 6 feet for his second of the day. But mixed in with those birdies and eagle were four bogeys. All four of them were from pour tee shots. Two are par 3’s with his irons and two on par 4’s with his driver.
- Chez Reavie ($7,400): Any time Chez starts putting well; the field has to be put on notice. Especially when it is in the midst of him being in form, as he is now, gaining almost two strokes with the flat stick today. The rest of his game has been in great shape over the last month or so, so even if we get the expected regression, the other parts should help pick him up.
- J.T. Poston ($7,400): Having lost in the playoff last week to Seamus Power, Poston was in a sure letdown spot, similar to what happened to Troy Merritt a few weeks back. But he took it the other way and carried the momentum into this week. He was 2 under heading to 18, and on the day gained over a stroke with his irons and was right here with his putter again. If he can find more fairways tomorrow, he could jump to the top of the leaderboard in a hurry with his putting prowess.
Sneaky Pick for the Round 2 Showdown
- Ryan Armour ($6,800): Hitting 93% of his fairways in Round 1, while also putting it in great spots, Armour, incredibly, led the field in Strokes Gained off the tee in Round 1, something he has not done much in his career. He also played well last week, which signals his form is here to stay for a bit.
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