Consistent winds ranging from 10 to 15 mph posed problems for players at TPC Twin Cities on Friday. While many were affected, Taylor Pendrith was not as the Canadian maneuvered around the par-71 layout without dropping a shot en route to the top spot on the leaderboard. Adding seven birdies along the way, Pendrith stands at 12 under and two clear of Matt NeSmith heading into the weekend at the 2024 3M Open.
Pendrith’s effort on Friday counted for his second straight bogey-free round at TPC Twin Cities as he remains the only man in the field yet to put a square on his scorecard this week. Lapping the afternoon wave when the golf course played more than 0.25 strokes over par, Pendrith leaned on his trusty putter and connected on birdie bids from 60 feet, 17 feet and 32 feet before ultimately signing for his 64.
“I’ve been hitting the ball really solidly, been hitting a lot of greens,” Pendrith said. “Today was pretty tricky with the wind, it was blowing pretty hard at times, so my speed was great all day and stayed really patient. I didn’t really have many good looks through the first hour of golf and was able to stay patient and make a couple, made a couple longer ones, which was nice. Yeah, played really solid, drove the ball well and hit a lot of greens.”
With a victory on Sunday, Pendrith would become just the fifth player this season to nab multiple wins and join Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre in doing so. He would push his name inside the top 15 in the FedEx Cup standings and all but secure his first trip to Atlanta where major championship exemptions and added bonuses await. He would also likely secure a spot on the International Presidents Cup team through either qualification or captain’s selection should a trophy fall into his hands.
But in order to get to the glory, Pendrith must first get through an eclectic chasing pack. NeSmith, Andrew Putnam, Jhonattan Vegas and Doug Ghim are among the hungry hunters behind him in need of a fast finish to their regular seasons just to make the postseason. Meanwhile, Americans like Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala and Tony Finau are still within arm’s reach of the lead and more than capable of making the most of their Moving Days to track down the top man.
The leader
1. Taylor Pendrith (-12)
Pendrith looked like a man playing with a ton of confidence on Friday, and why shouldn’t he. Coming into the week, the big-hitting right hander recently finished inside the top 20 at the U.S. Open and had just captured a top-five finish at the Barracuda Championship. This all came after he claimed his first win on the PGA Tour earlier this spring at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Statistically, it was as sound a round as one could wish for hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation and never really getting out of position off the tee.
“I think getting my first win was a huge boost of confidence for me,” Pendrith said. “I felt like I had been playing some really nice golf this year, so to finally get that done felt awesome and can hopefully draw on those experiences the next two days and be in contention on Sunday, that would be great, and have a chance to win. Yeah, just focused on tomorrow’s round and keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
Other contenders
2. Matt NeSmith (-10)
3. Andrew Putnam (-9)
T4. Doug Ghim, Lanto Griffin, Jhonattan Vegas, Stewart Cink (-8)
T8. Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, Kurt Kitayama, Andrew Novak, Matt Kuchar and six others (-7)
Burns’ bounce-back should be applauded as it appeared early in his tournament that he would be packing his bags on Friday. Carding a quadruple bogey on Thursday and dropping to 3 over, Burns battled to card a round in the red figures and carried this momentum into Round 2. Burns made birdies on half his holes — tied for the most of the week — and creeped towards the top of the leaderboard. For a man who entered the week at No. 30 in the FedEx Cup standings and among the potential selections for the U.S. Presidents Cup team, Burns’ toughness and willingness to not mail it in on Thursday could lead to more than just a trophy on Sunday.
Finau’s eventful Friday
The pre-tournament favorite had a little bit of everything on his scorecard on Friday. Carding five bogeys, five birdies and an eagle, the 2022 champion kept himself in the mix despite a bevy of mistakes. With the wind at its most intense while Finau was on the golf course, he was fooled a number of times and rarely hit approach shots pin high. Able to right the ship during the middle of his round, Finau tacked on two birdies in his last three holes to give himself a chance at his second tournament title.
2024 3M Open updated odds, picks
- Taylor Pendrith: 5/2
- Andrew Putnam: 9-1
- Tony Finau: 10-1
- Sahith Theegala: 10-1
- Doug Ghim: 11-1
- Sam Burns: 12-1
- Matt NeSmith: 12-1
- Jhonattan Vegas: 16-1
- Kurt Kitayama: 18-1
I was a believer at the beginning of the week. I was a believer Thursday evening, and despite an adventurous Friday, I am still a believer in Finau. He’s striking the ball well, making enough putts to make up the deficit, but he has yet to have the entirety of his game come together through two rounds. With so many unknowns atop the leaderboard, a known winner at this golf course should relish the opportunity to run them down over the weekend.
