These players have the weekend off at the 2022 3M Open
Cameron Champ looked to be toast.
The defending 3M Open champion opened with 75 and was 6 over through 26 holes. The odds weren’t in his favor to play the weekend this time. But the 27-year-old Northern California native refused to quit. He snagged a birdie at No. 18, his 27th hole of the tournament, before catching fire on the final nine holes. He closed with four birdies on his final five holes, including a 21-foot birdie putt at No. 9 to shoot 68, which secured him weekend plans in the Twin Cities.
A gutsy performance, indeed. Same goes for Rickie Fowler, who straddled the cutline most of the day and made it on the number after a bogey at No. 16, posting a 36-hole total of 1-over 143. So did Maverick McNealy, who had missed just four cuts all season. Double bogeys at Nos. 9 and 11 stacked the deck against him, but he canned a 40-foot birdie putt at 17 and an 8-foot birdie at 18 to give himself a one-strike cushion and lock up a tee time for Saturday.
Here’s a look at some of the players in the field at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota, who weren’t so lucky.
Davis Riley
Davis Riley of the United States plays his shot from the bunker on the 12th hole during the second round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 22, 2022 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Riley snapped a streak of eight straight cuts made on the PGA Tour. The 25-year-old rookie entered the week No. 23 in the FedEx Cup standings and in the conversation for the Tour’s Rookie of the Year. However, he didn’t help his chances this week, shooting 73-71—144. Riley hit only 8 greens in regulation on Thursday as his iron game let him down, while on Friday, his putter couldn’t bail him out.
Harry Higgs
Harry Higgs hits an approach shot from the fairway on the 7th hole during the first round of the 3M Open golf tournament. (Photo: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports)
Higgs missed his ninth cut in his last 12 cuts – and two of the made cuts were 69th and T-70. Last week’s T-11 at the Barracuda Championship stopped the bleeding momentarily and he was cruising along at 3-under through 17 holes on Thursday when he deposited a sleeve of balls in the drink and made a 10 on the par-5 finishing hole and signed for 2-over 73. His Friday round traded three birdies and three bogeys and resulted in another weekend off. Higgs entered the week No. 142 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala reacts after missing a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament. (Photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
Theegala’s tremendous run was bound to come to an end at some point and it happened at the 3M Open.
He had made 12 straight cuts in individual events (he missed the cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans) dating to the Players Championship in March, including a T-2 at the Travelers Championship and making his first appearance at the British Open last week (T-34). He made bogeys on four of his first seven holes on Thursday en route to shooting 2-over 73. The 24-year-old Tour rookie was 2 under through six holes on Friday at TPC Twin Cities, but made four more bogeys and a double at No. 10. It was too much to overcome (73-73—146).
Dylan Frittelli
Dylan Frittelli reacts to his tee shot on the 6th hole during the second round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament. (Photo: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports)
Dylan Frittelli had made 13 of his 14 cuts since the WM Phoenix Open in February.
But this wasn’t the week the 32-year-old South African native was hoping for. He tripled his second hole on Thursday after driving into the water and was 6 over through 12 holes of his first round and couldn’t dig himself out of that hole, shooting 75-72—147.
Richy Werenski
Richy Werenski of the United States lines up a putt on the seventh green during the first round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 21, 2022 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Richy Werenski finished T-3 at the 3M Open in 2020, then one week later won the Barracuda Championship, his lone PGA Tour title. Last week, he ended a streak of eight starts without making a cut by finish T-44 at the Barracuda. But it didn’t spark better play at the 3M. Werenski opened with 77 and though he came home in 2-under 69, it still added up to another “MC Hammer.”
He entered the week at No. 195 on the FedEx Cup point standings, making only six cuts in 23 starts, and is running out of time to retain his Tour card for next season.
Adam Svensson
Adam Svensson of Canada plays his tee shot on the 11th hole during the final round of the Barbasol Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club on July 10, 2022 in Nicholasville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Canadian Adam Svensson was a trendy pick for those participating in Fantasy Golf this week, but he turned out to be a fantasy flop for those who took him. Svensson, 28, shot 73-74—147. It snapped a streak of seven consecutive cuts made and was coming off a season-best sixth-place finish at the Barbasol Championship. He was done in by big numbers – a triple at 9 on Thursday and a double at 18, and a double at No. 10, his first hole of his second round.
Jeff Overton
Jeff Overton hits his drive on the 15th hole during the second round of the 2016 AT&T Byron Nelson golf tournament at TPC Four Seasons Resort – Las Colinas. (Photo: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports)
Overton was making his first start on the PGA Tour since the 2017 Honda Classic. Overton, 39, who played for Team USA at the 2010 Ryder Cup, has been sidelined following the development of an epidural abscess.
“It was definitely emotional,” Overton said after his first round on Thursday. “I hate to say shooting 77’s a win, but in a way it’s a win. You’ve got to start somewhere, for sure. I’m just excited to be here.”
He added: “If we don’t make the cut tomorrow, at least we’ll know where we’re at and we’ll have some work to do and continue to get ready for Korn (Ferry Tour) finals.”
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