Golf Glance: FedEx Cup playoff chase heats up in Twin Cities

Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.

PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: The Open Championship (Xander Schauffele); Barracuda Championship (Nick Dunlap)
THIS WEEK: 3M Open, Blaine, Minn., July 25-28
Course: TPC Twin Cities (Par 71, 7,431 Yards)
Purse: $8.1M (Winner: $1.458M)
Defending Champion: Lee Hodges
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 8-6 p.m.
X: @3MOpen
NOTES: There are two events remaining before the start of the three-event FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the top 70 players in the standings qualifying for the first leg. … Hodges, who is 73rd in the standings, is attempting to become the first player to successfully defend a 3M Open title. He set the tournament scoring record of 260 in winning wire-to-wire by seven shots last year. … Florida State junior Luke Clanton, who has made the cut in all four events this year, is in the field on a sponsor exemption. He joins Neal Shipley, who beat Clanton for low amateur honors at the U.S. Open and finished sixth at the ISCO Championship two weeks ago.
BEST BETS: Tony Finau (+1100 at DraftKings) won the event in 2022 and finished T7 last year. … Sam Burns (+1800) was in contention at The Open before an 80 on Sunday. He also finished T9 at the U.S. Open. … Akshay Bhatia (+2200) missed the cut at Royal Troon, but that did follow consecutive top-5 finishes on tour. … Keegan Bradley (+3000) returns to the 3M Open for the first time since 2021. The recently-named 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain sits 42nd in the FedEx Cup standings. … Michael Thorbjornsen (+6500), who finished first in the PGA Tour University to earn his tour card, finished T2 at the John Deere Classic.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Olympic Men’s Golf Competition, Paris

LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Dana Open (Chanettee Wannasaen)
THIS WEEK: CPKC Women’s Open, Calgary, July 25-28
Course: Earl Grey Golf Club (Par 72, 6,856 yards)
Purse: $2.6M (Winner: $390,000)
Defending Champion: Megan Khang (Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, Vancouver)
Race to the CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel, Peacock); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (GC, Peacock)
X: @CPKCWomensOpen
NOTES: The Earl Grey course, originally founded in 1919 as a five-hole course, is playing host to its first professional golf tournament. It is the 15th venue for the CPKC Women’s Open across Canada since 2001. … The field includes six of 14 winners this season along with 23 of the 26 rookies on tour.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Portland Classic, Aug. 1-4

PGA Tour Champions
LAST TOURNAMENT: Kaulig Companies Championship (Ernie Els)
THIS WEEK: The Senior Open Championship, Carnoustie, Scotland, July 25-28
Course: Carnoustie Golf Club
Purse: $2.85M
Defending Champion: Alex Cejka
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Ernie Els
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: TBA
X: @ChampionsTour
NOTES: Carnoustie has played host to The Open Championship on eight occasions, the Women’s British Open twice and the Senior Open Championship twice. Bernhard Langer won in 2010 and Paul Broadhurst in 2016. … Els will not play this week due to a back injury. … Padraig Harrington finished T22 at last week’s Open Championship.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Boeing Classic, Snoqualmie, Wash., Aug. 9-11

LIV Golf League
LAST TOURNAMENT: Andalucia, Spain (Individual: Sergio Garcia; Team: Fireballs GC)
THIS WEEK: LIV Golf UK, United Kingdom, July 26-28
Course: JCB Golf and Country Club (Par 71, 7,255 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Individual), $5M (Team); $4M (Individual), $3M (Team)
Defending Champion: Inaugural event
2024 Leaders: Players, Joaquin Niemann; Team, Crushers GC
HOW TO WATCH
TV: Friday, 9:15 a.m. ET (CW App, LIV Golf Plus); Saturday, 9:15 a.m. (CW Network, CW App, LIV Golf Plus); Sunday, 9:05 a.m. (CW Network, CW App, LIV Golf Plus)
X: @livgolf_league
NOTES: This is the 11th of 13 events in the race for the individual championship. The season will conclude with the Team Championship in Dallas Sept. 20-22. … The shotgun start will begin at 9:15 a.m. ET on Friday and Saturday and 9:05 a.m. Sunday. … The 54-player field will compete in a three-day event with shotgun starts. There are 12 four-player teams and two independent wild card players.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Greenbrier, W.Va., Aug. 16-18

–Field Level Media