3M Open: 18th hole proving to be a monster thanks to wind
Jul. 25—The final hole at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine is proving difficult, as it scored over par on Saturday at the 3M Open and played home to multiple collapses.
Adam Hadwin, who co-led with Ryan Armour on Friday, was on his way to an eve- par round until a double bogey at 18 dropped him to a 73. Rickie Fowler, surrounded by fans during his round Saturday, took a solo lead at 11 under after tabbing a birdie on the par-4 10th, energizing the crowd.
But back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14 preceded a disastrous triple bogey at 18, which put Fowler into a tie for 29th (-6) after shooting a 70. Bo Hoag, who held a solo lead at 12 under, double bogeyed on 17 and bogeyed again on 18 for a 72.
"It's a tough hole. I think if you're out of position off the tee, the layup can be a little tricky with as much wind as there is. And then the third shot with the pin right in front; it's sort of a diagonal green, so it's just tough to be 100% sure on the yardage," said Cameron Tringale, the leader at 12 under. "I think guys are taking their chances if they hit a good drive. If you're in the fairway on your third, you've got to try to hit one in there."
Tringale managed a par save at 18, allowing him to head off the green as the solo leader. Woodland also put together a par at 18, despite a shot way to the right off the tee.
"Eighteen's a tough golf hole. It was nice in the practice round, it was downwind. Now it's coming into the wind. ... It's a tough tee shot. It's a great finishing hole," he said.
While many players struggled at the 18th, Keith Mitchell had no trouble at all starting on the back nine. He birdied seven consecutive holes — a tournament record — shooting a 7-under 29 on the back. He finished his round with a 66 and sits 8 under.
"There's going to be a lot of guys within maybe four of the lead, and on a course like this when you have the opportunity to make seven birdies in a row, or it plays really tough, it really gives guys a lot of opportunities tomorrow," Mitchell said.
After Tringale at 12 under, Woodland and Maverick McNealy are tied at 11 under with eight more players tied for fourth at 10 under. There will certainly be a lot of opportunities to gain ground in a tightly congested pack on Sunday.
