1 Bogey, 9 Birdies and 144 Feet of Putts Earns Werenski the Lead at the 3M Open

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BLAINE, Minn. (July 23, 2020) – On a day when the scoring average was half a stroke under par (70.426), Richy Werenski carded a career-low tying 63, 8-under par to lead the field at the second annual 3M Open held July 23-26 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn. Werenski, 28, of Springfield, Mass., is seeking his first win in his 99th start on the PGA Tour. The defending champ Matthew Wolff, 21, out of Agoura Hills, Calif., opened with a 6-under 65, and commented afterward, “I think this may have been my best first round of my career.” Brief yet spectacular career he may have added, as Wolff captured the inaugural 3M Open last year by draining an eagle putt at the 72nd hole to thwart Bryson DeChambeau who was anticipating a play off.  

One shot back and chasing Werenski is Michael Thompson, 35, of Tucson, Ariz., who carded 32-32—64, 7-under par. Six players are tied with Wolff at 65, 6-under par, including the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Public Links champ, the latter held at Rush Creek Golf Club in 2004, Ryan Moore. The lone amateur in the field, University of Minnesota Gopher golfer Angus Flanagan, is tied for 120th, after posting 35-38—73, 2-over par. Flanagan is one of three Gophers in the field, Tom Lehman (T82) and Erik Van Rooyen (T133), and the latter two are also part of an exclusive club: former Minnesota (MGA) Amateur champs: Lehman (1981), Van Rooyen (2012), and Tom Hoge (T41, 2009-2010).

The purse is $6.6 million with $1,188,000 going to the winner.
Notable scores from the first round July 23 at the TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
1st. Richy Werenski, 31-32—63
T3. Matthew Wolff, 33-32—65
T3. Ryan Moore, 33-32—65
T41. Tom Hoge, 33-36—69
T82. Tom Lehman, 36-35—71
T82. Rich Beem, 36-35—71
T98. Tim Herron, 36-36—72
T120. Troy Merritt, 36-37—73
T120. Angus Flanagan, 35-38—73
T133. Erik Van Rooyen, 36-38—74.
For complete scores, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html