Tom Hoge was entering the 3M Open at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. He had missed a 36-hole cut in six straight tournaments, dropping the FedEx Cup standings after an incredibly hot start to the 2021-22 season.
Luckily for Hoge, there’s a level of comfort with being back in the Midwest. Although he’s technically a native of Fargo, ND, he may also be a Minnesotan after winning back-to-back state amateur titles more than a decade ago.
“I’d love to be back here,” Hoge said on Thursday after a solid start. “I just feel comfortable being in the area.”
This was shown over the weekend as Hoge finished the 3M Open in a tie for fourth place at 13 under par. What changed for him this week?
“I wish I had a good answer for this,” Hoge said. “Nice to be closer to home again. It may have played a role in this. ,
No doubt his acquaintance with TPC Twin Cities played a part in his success. He played the course several times rising up the ranks, indicating that he was level in every round this week.
“It was a good week for me,” said Hoge, who is currently ranked No. 16 in the FedEx Cup standings. “Hopefully I can make it to the playoffs.”
champion’s charge
It was an absolutely terrible start to the 3M Open for defending champion Cam Champ. Which makes the fact that he made the tournament even more impressive at 7 under par.
The score seemed almost impossible in the middle of Round 1 as the champ disappointingly went 6 over par at No. 10 in the tee box. Though he was clearly in his own head at the time, the champ slowly found himself back on track before redeeming an eagle putt at No.
That gave him some confidence going into Round 2, and when he was once again struggling early, the champ cut down on the number by making a birdie on his last three holes. He matched with 4-under 67 in Round 3 and 4-under 67 in Round 4.
Although he failed to defend his title over the weekend, the champ will try to take the positives from the 3M Open as he tries to position himself for the FedEx Cup playoffs with only a few weeks left in the regular season.
Kim’s chase
After earning a special temporary membership last week for the rest of the 2021-22 season, Johyung “Tom” Kim still has some work to do to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2022-23 season. He finished the 3M Open at 5 under par, which could have been a lot better if he hadn’t hit his tee shot at number 18 in the water.
With only the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Wyndham Championship left this season, Kim needs to finish in the top 125 of the 2021–22 FedExCup standings to secure her spot on the PGA Tour next season. He has 327 points to his name after the 3M Open, just behind Webb Simpson, who is currently ranked 125th with 343 points.
No matter what happens over the next few weeks, the 20-year-old South Korean looks like a future star on the PGA Tour. He is the youngest player to earn a special temporary membership since Joaquin Niemann received the same honor during the 2017-18 season.
put of pan
CT Pan closed out the 3M Open in style on Sunday afternoon, removing a birdie putt from 87 feet, 7 inches to end the tournament at 4 under par. That putt from Pan was the second longest made by any player on the PGA Tour this season, trailing only Graeme McDowell, who found the bottom of the cup 88 feet away at the West Management Phoenix Open.
