2026 Majors are in the books. The boys in Red & Black had some good showings, but it is time to put that behind you, as the end of the season and the big payout in the FedEx Cup playoffs looms.
Tournament: 3M Open, July 23-26, 2026.
Course: TPC Twin Cities, par 71, 7,431 yards. On the outskirts of Minneapolis.
Purse: $8.8 million total, $1,584,000 to the winner.
Defending Champ: Kurt Kitayama. The UNLV Rebel got his 2nd Tour victory here in 2025, after getting into contention on Saturday and then a blistering
opening stretch on Sunday put him way out in front.
Fun Fact: The course is technically in Blaine, MN. They say it’s in the Twin Cities, but that is not Blaine. But the Tour was in the “Quad Cities” a couple of weeks ago for the John Deere, and the Quad Cities is made up of 5 cities. Seems UNC Chapel Hill isn’t the only place where they can’t math.
TV Times: Back to regularly scheduled programming. Thursday and Friday on Golf Channel from 4-7 pm ET. Saturday and Sunday on Golf Channel 1-3 pm, then CBS from 3-6 pm ET.
‘Dawgs in the Field: 4. Brian Harman, Chris Kirk, Keith Mitchell, Davis Thompson.
Most of the other Classic City alums are both weary from a compressed 2026 golf season and sitting pretty in the FedEx Cup points race. Remember that only the top 70 players make the opening playoff event, and some of our boys are lucky enough to take time off due to their position.
The same can’t be said of Chris Kirk. He’s currently 146th in points, and would need at least a 2nd place finish in the next 3 weeks, or 3 top 5s. Otherwise his season will end in early August.
Davis Thompson is a little better off in 100th place. But he will still probably need a top 10 finish in the next couple of events to qualify.
Brian Harman is officially on the bubble in the 74th spot. At a minimum, some top 25 finishes would help move him up a few spots into that coveted top 20. A top 10 or top 15 would go a long way too.
Keith Mitchell is 46th. And with the way players are logjammed between 20-60, he’s pretty much assured of getting to the post season.
Other former Bulldogs not playing this week and their spot in the points race:
Russell Henley – 14th
Sepp Straka – 36th
Harris English – 48th
Brendon Todd – 217th (so basically only a win would help, and Todd has a conditional status currently so it doesn’t look good. He might not even be trying.)
The Tour season winds down just as college football talking season. Either way, Fall Is Coming.
As always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
