3M Open DFS picks 2025: Why Chris Gotterup's cinderella run will end this week

After a thrilling two weeks across the pond, the PGA Tour returns stateside for the 3M Open in Minnesota. While there is often a natural exhale at the end of major season, the 3M Open is one of my favorite underrated events on the schedule, and there is still plenty of money to be made this week. For the seventh consecutive year, TPC Twin Cities, an Arnold Palmer design, will be this week’s host venue. The course features similar architecture to what we have grown accustomed to at many tournament courses in the TPC network. Yet what separates TPC Twin Cities from many of the other bentgrass birdie-fests we have seen over the past few weeks is the copious amount of water hazards. Water comes into play on 15 of the 18 holes at TPC Twin Cities, and this is really more of a golf course we would expect to see during the Florida Swing, where water is commonly accepted as a course’s defining identity.

While many of the PGA Tour’s best players will be taking a much deserved off week before the FedEx Cup playoffs, a few top players will be looking to bolster their place in the standings, as well as secure their spot on the Ryder Cup team. Sam Burns, Chris Gotterup, Maverick McNealy, Wyndham Clark, Max Greyserman, Davis Thompson and Tony Finau all fall into this category.

Here are my favorite plays and fades in each price range for the 2025 3M Open DraftKings slate.

$10,000 range

Play: Sam Burns, $10,500:

In a very small range at the top, Sam Burns is the most trustable option to me. The Ryder Cup hopeful has been playing some great golf over the past few months. In 11 starts since the Masters, Burns has recorded eight top-30 finishes, including a playoff loss at the Canadian Open and a seventh-place finish at the U.S. Open. Burns also has two top-12 finishes in three appearances at TPC Twin Cities.

Fade: Chris Gotterup, $10,000:

While I have been wildly impressed by Chris Gotterup over the last two weeks, I am expecting a bit of an exhale out of the big-hitting New Jersey native. This will be Gotterup’s fifth straight start in his fourth different time zone, and TPC Twin Cities is demanding enough off the tee to penalize any player who is a little bit off.

$9,000 range

Play: Si Woo Kim, $9,200:

I always have interest in Si Woo Kim on weeks where he is getting overlooked, and I expect the former Players champion to be one of the lowest-owned players in DraftKings’ $9,000 range. Kim remains a top-five approach player in this field, and while his course history at TPC Twin Cities leaves much to be desired, the 30-year-old actually ranks first in this field on TPC courses over the past three years. I’m expecting some positive regression and a strong performance this week out of Kim in the Twin Cities.

Fade: Tony Finau, $9,100:

Unfortunately, this feels like a lost year for Tony Finau, who always appears to be taking one step forward and two steps backward in 2025. Despite a strong opening two rounds at Royal Portrush, Finau plummeted down the leader board at Royal Portrush on account of a very poor driving performance. TPC Twin Cities is a demanding course off the tee that severely penalizes wayward driving, and I have very little faith in Finau’s driving accuracy at the moment.

$8,000 range

Play: Kevin Yu, $8,000:

Kevin Yu is quietly one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA Tour, and despite his course history at TPC Twin Cities being nothing to write home about, the 26-year-old ranks first in this field in strokes gained total at the three major comparative courses I am looking at this week. Yu has four top-25 finishes in four appearances at PGA National and TPC Deere Run, and he continues to drive the ball at an extremely high level.

Fade: Jake Knapp, $8,900:

While Jack Knapp has certainly been driving the ball, I still have legitimate concerns about his approach play, as he just lost over four strokes on approach at the Scottish Open. Knapp is also gaining strokes off the tee exclusively with his power, and I worry that his inability to find the fairway with any form of consistency will burn him at TPC Twin Cities in ways that it has not at Renaissance Club, TPC Deere and Detroit Golf Club over the last few weeks.

$7,000 range

Play: Rico Hoey, $7,800:

Rico Hoey is an absolute flusher, and his premium ball-striking has made the 29-year-old a fixture in my Daily Fantasy lineups all season. Hoey was the 54-hole leader last week at the Barracuda Championship before stumbling in the final round, which I will positively frame as more competitive reps for a budding talent. TPC Twin Cities, which acutely penalizes missed fairways and poorly struck approach shots, is the ideal venue for Hoey to showcase his ball-striking chops.

Fade: Haotong Li, $7,900:

Very similar to Chris Gotterup, I simply feel like this is a natural letdown spot for Haotong Li. Despite ultimately falling short to one of the greatest players of all time, Li hung tough in the heat of the battle until the very end. He essentially spent the entire tournament inside the top-five. This, however, will be Li’s first start on American soil all season, which may require a bit of a learning curve.

Flier: Austin Eckroat, $7,100:

I always have interest in Austin Eckroat on golf courses that feature a higher missed-fairway penalty, as one of his greatest strengths is his accuracy off the tee. Eckroat is also in great approach form at the moment as well, gaining over two strokes with his irons in each of his three measured starts, which includes an 11th-place finish at the John Deere Classic. I’m expecting another solid ball-striking week out of the Oklahoma native.

$6,000 range

Play: Carson Young, $6,600:

Carson Young is absolutely one of my favorite sleeper picks on the slate this week given his elite driving accuracy and performance on similar bentgrass birdie-fests. Young already has two top-five finishes to his name at the John Deere Classic, one of my favorite comparative courses of the week. TPC Twin Cities is an even more ideal fit for Young’s game than TPC Deere Run as well, as this week’s venue skews more in the favor of accuracy off the tee than putting.

Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. Andy is the founder and CEO of Inside Sports Network, a website devoted to the predictive quality of advanced analytics and golf course architecture. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports

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