Hodges Goes Wire-to-Wire at 3M Open for First PGA Tour Victory

• 2023 3M Open Round 4
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• 2023 3M Open Round 2
• 2023 3M Open Round 1

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  BLAINE, Minn. – In just his 65th PGA Tour start at this week’s 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, Lee Hodges claimed his first career victory—and he did so in record-breaking fashion.

Hodges’ seven-stroke win over Martin Laird, Kevin Streelman and J.T. Poston Sunday marks the largest margin of victory in the tournament’s five-year history, and he becomes the first player to go wire-to-wire.

The 28-year-old from Alabama also set a new 72-hole scoring mark, shooting 24-under 260 to better Matthew Wolff’s record by three strokes set in the championship’s inaugural season of 2019.

“It's just a dream week, the whole thing,” Hodges said following his win Sunday. “I mean, from Monday to Sunday I played really good golf, even in practice rounds. The pro-am I made a bunch of birdies and then I made a bunch of birdies in the tournament with not many bogeys, so it was just one of those weeks.”

With his win Sunday, Hodges moves up 41 spots on the FedEx Cup standings to officially clinch his spot inside the top-70 at No. 33, qualifying for the second consecutive season.

“I think we're as ready as we can be,” Hodges said, looking forward to the first playoff event at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Tennessee beginning Aug. 10. “I'm playing some really good golf. I'm excited to have the opportunity to do some special things in the playoffs now. Anytime you win, you really set yourself up for some special stuff.”

Entering Sunday’s final round with a five-stroke advantage over Poston, Hodges rolled in an early birdie chance before sinking an eagle putt from inside of 12 feet at the sixth to move to 23-under for the tournament.

Carding just his third bogey of the week at the ninth, Hodges bounced back by carding his second eagle of the final round at the par-5 12th to reach 24-under.

Giving back a stroke after failing to get up-and-down to save par at the 17th, Hodges closed out the championship by wedging his approach at the 18th inside of two feet for one final tap-in birdie for his first PGA Tour win.

“I played some outstanding golf today and all week,” he said. “The process I went through, I'll take this week forever. I'll just try to keep replicating this week every time I show up to a tournament.”

Hodges’ previous best finish came at the 2022 American Express in LaQuinta, Calif., when he finished tied for third, three shots back of winner Hudson Swafford.

He claimed a second top-10 finish in October at The CJ Cup in South Carolina, finishing tied for seventh.

A native of Ardmore, Ala., Hodges began his collegiate golf career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham before transferring to the University of Alabama prior to his junior season. He turned professional after graduating in 2018.

With a runner-up finish Sunday, Laird claims his best finish on the PGA Tour since a third-place finish at the Barracuda Championship last year.

The 44-year-old Streelman notched his best finish since he placed in a tie for 10th at the Charles Schwab Challenge in late May.

Owner of two PGA Tour victories, the 30-year-old Poston claimed his sixth top-10 finish of the season Sunday.

Tom Hoge, a Fargo, N.D., native and two-time Minnesota Golf Association champion, led all Minnesotans this week, firing his lowest round of the week Sunday, a 4-under 67 to finish tied for 19th place.

Hoge played his opening nine with one birdie against one bogey, before sinking his second birdie of the round at the par-4 10th.

Taking advantage of three birdie opportunities over his final four holes Sunday put Hoge in the clubhouse at 12-under 272 for the week.

Making the cut for the first time in his three PGA Tour starts this week, 2020 MGA Amateur champion Frankie Capan III posted a final round of even par 71 to place tied for 62nd.

Playing his first nine holes in 2-over par Sunday, Capan gained momentum briefly with birdies at the 12th and 13th holes to move to even par for the round.

Back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th dropped the North Oaks, Minn., native to 2-over, but Capan rebounded by sinking a pair of birdie chances over his final three holes to finish at 4-under 280.

“It was a pretty special week,” Capan said Sunday. “Obviously to make my first cut on the big boy tour in my home state's pretty special, but to have pretty much my entire family out here supporting not only myself but my mom, I'm just really thankful for them.

“It was really, really cool to be playing in such a big tournament and having that many people support you while you're walking the fairways and, on the greens just everywhere.”



THE 5TH 3M OPEN
TPC TWIN CITIES
BLAINE, MINN.
7,431 YARDS, PAR 71


SUNDAY’S FINAL ROUND RESULTS
1. Lee Hodges, United States, 63-64-66-67—260
T2. Martin Laird, Scotland, 68-68-67-64—267
T2. Kevin Streelman, United States, 64-68-69-66—267
T2. J.T. Poston, United States, 66-66-66-69—267
T5. Dylan Wu, United States, 70-67-67-64—268
T5. Keith Mitchell, United States, 68-66-67-67—268
T7. Sam Ryder, United States, 70-66-65-68—269
T7. Tony Finau, United States, 66-66-67-70—269
T7. Aaron Baddeley, Australia, 69-66-65-69—269
T10. Cam Davis, Australia, 68-67-70-65—270
T10. Sam Stevens, United States, 69-69-66-66—270
T10. Emiliano Grillo, Argentina, 65-68-71-66—270

T20. TOM HOGE, FARGO, N.D., 68-69-68-67—272
T62. FRANKIE CAPAN III, NORTH OAKS, MINN., 68-68-73-71—280
MC. ERIK VAN ROOYEN, UNIV. OF MINN., 68-71—139
MC. TROY MERRITT, SPRING LAKE PARK, MINN., 72-71—143
MC. DEREK HITCHNER, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., 73-71—144
MC. THOMAS LEHMAN, SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ., 76-68—144
MC. CALEB VANARRAGON, BLAINE, MINN., 76-70—146
MC. ALEX GAUGERT, UNIV. OF MINN., 77-71—148
MC. ERIC ROLLAND, AUGSBURG UNIV., 73-78—151


For complete tournament results go to: www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2023/3m-open/R2023525/leaderboard