Power suffers painful missed cut in Minneapolis
Seamus Power. Photo © Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Seamus Power’s hopes of building some momentum in Minneapolis ahead of next week’s Barracuda Championship suffered a painful blow as he signed for a seven-over 78 to miss the cut in the $6.6 million 3M Open.
The West Waterford man was tied for 27th after an opening 68 at TPC Twin Cities and looking to make the weekend and boost his FedEx Cup position as he plays out of the 126-150 category this season.
His conditional PGA Tour status is guaranteed for next term due to the COVID-19 pandemic but while he wants to do everything in his power to improve his chances of earning great status in 2020-21, this will go down as a chance missed.
Blustery, firm conditions made TPC Twin Cities a test but Power’s hopes of a good week took a nosedive when he found water left of the par-three 17th (his 8th) and made a double-bogey five to slip outside the cut line on one-under.
A birdie at the second gave him hope before a poor drive, followed by a three-putt from three feet led to a tournament wrecking quadruple-bogey eight at the 458-yard third.
Having played very well from the tee on Thursday, Power hit just five fairways in the second round with that wayward drive at the third last night proving costly.
The Tooraneena man (33) was forced to play three off the tee after losing his drive to the right and after bunkering his fourth greenside, he played a superb recovery to three feet only to three-putt.
Bogeys followed at the fifth and seventh and Power must now regroup ahead of next week’s opposite-field. $3.5 million Barracuda Championship in California.
The event has moved from Montreux Golf & Country Club in Reno to the Jack Nicklaus designed Old Greenwood Golf Course at Tahoe Mountain Club in Truckee, California this season.
The leading players will be in action in Memphis at the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
They will include defending champion Brooks Koepka and England’s Tommy Fleetwood, who both missed the cut in Minneapolis.
Koepka followed a 70 with a level par 71 to miss the two-under-par cut by a shot as Fleetwood missed by three after rounds of 71 and 72 in his first start since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
Michael Thompson shot 66 and overnight leader Rickie Werenski a 67 to lead by a shot on 12-under par from Tony Finau and Talor Gooch.
Defending champion Matthew Wolff is lurking, just three behind, after rounds of 65 and 68.
2020 3M Open
(The 29th of 36 events in the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season)
Blaine, Minnesota July 23-26, 2020
Purse: $6,600,000 (winner: $1,188,000)
TPC Twin Cities Par/Yards: 35-36—71/7,431
Second-Round Notes – Friday, July 24, 2020
Weather: Partly cloudy. High of 88. Wind S 13-18 mph, gusting to 25 mph.
Cut: 68 professionals at 2-under 140 from a field of 155 professionals and one amateur.
Second-Round Leaderboard
Richy Werenski 63-67—130 (-12)
Michael Thompson 64-66—130 (-12)
Tony Finau 65-66—131 (-11)
Talor Gooch 66-65—131 (-11)
Xinjun Zhang 65-67—132 (-10)
Things to Know
Michael Thompson and Richy Werenski hold 36-hole lead/co-lead for the second time on TOUR
Tony Finau trails by one after equaling his lowest opening 36-hole score; caddie and instructor, Boyd Summerhays, received good news earlier in the day as son, Preston, won prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur
Defending champion Matthew Wolff seeking to record first two TOUR wins at same event since Daniel Berger (2016-2017)
World No. 6 Brooks Koepka misses cut by one shot, while brother, Chase, enters the weekend T33
Second-Round Lead Notes
11 Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win in 2019-20 (most recent: Collin Morikawa/Workday Charity Open)
0 Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win the 3M Open
128 36-hole scoring record at the 3M Open (DeChambeau/2019)
Comparing the co-leaders (entering the week)
Player Richy Werenski Michael Thompson
Age 28 (12/22/1991) 35 (4/16/1985)
FedExCup 95 151
OWGR 248 218
PGA TOUR starts 98 227
PGA TOUR wins 0 1
PGA TOUR top-10s 7 17
Starts in 2019-20 12 15
Top-10s in 2019-20 1 1
Richy Werenski (T1/-12)
Followed career-low 63 with a 4-under 67, his seventh consecutive second-round score in the 60s
130 total represents his best 36-hole score on TOUR (2018 Mayakoba Golf Classic/131)
Holds his first 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR in a stroke-play event; also held the second-round lead at the 2017 Barracuda Championship (lost in a playoff to Chris Stroud in the Modified Stableford Scoring format)
Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (6.923) and T1 in Sand Saves (2/2)
In search of second top-10 finish of the season in his 13th start (T3/A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier)
Seeks first TOUR win in 99th start; two runner ups (P2/2017 Barracuda Championship, T2/2018 Barbasol Championship)
Michael Thompson (T1/-12)
Followed bogey-free, 7-under 64 with a 5-under 66 to move into a share of the second-round lead
Marks his second 36-hole lead/co-lead (2011 RBC Canadian Open/T34)
Seeking second career PGA TOUR victory (2013 The Honda Classic)
Tony Finau (T3/-11)
With longtime friend and instructor Boyd Summerhays on the bag this week, sits T3 after rounds of 65-66
131 total equals his lowest-opening 36-hole score on TOUR (most recently at The American Express in 2020/finished T14)
Holed out from 81 yards for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole
Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green, Strokes Gained: Approach The Green, Proximity, and Putts (GIR)
Summerhays’ son, Preston, won the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur earlier on Friday
Now has six rounds in the 60s in as many attempts at TPC Twin Cities; finished T23 in tournament debut in 2019
Finished eighth last week at Muirfield Village after holding outright first-round lead and a share of second-round lead
Miscellaneous notes
Talor Gooch (T3/-11) in search of first PGA TOUR victory in 66th start (best finish: T3/2019 Farmers Insurance Open)
Defending champion Matthew Wolff (T6/-9) is hoping to become the first player to win his first two PGA TOUR titles at the same event since Daniel Berger won back-to-back in Memphis (2016, 2017)
Bo Van Pelt (T8/-8) hoping to become the first player to record a hole-in-one (No. 8 in the first round) and go on to win in the same week since Webb Simpson at the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open
Danny Lee (T12/-7) celebrated his 30th birthday with a second-round 3-under 68
World No. 6 Brooks Koepka missed the cut by one shot while his brother, Chase, will enter the weekend T33 after rounds of 70-68 in his first 3M Open start
61-year-old Minnesota native Tom Lehman missed the cut by one stroke; consulted on course renovations at TPC Twin Cities where he played the 3M Championship on PGA TOUR Champions eight times with a T2 in 2011 his best result
University of Minnesota rising senior and reigning Minnesota State Open champion Angus Flanagan missed the cut with matching rounds of 2-over 73
Seung-Yul Noh (shoulder) and Chris Stroud withdrew during the second round
Bogey-free rounds R1 (7): Michael Thompson (64), Nick Watney (65), Bo Hoag (65), Patrick Rodgers (66), Bubba Watson (67), Kramer Hickok (67), Tom Lewis (68) R2 (4): Talor Gooch (65), Russell Knox (67), Matthew Wolff (68), Alex Noren (69)
Scoring averages
Front 9 Back 9 Total Cumulative
R1 35.090 35.335 70.426 --
R2 34.803 35.928 70.730 70.577
Toughest hole Easiest hole
R1 Par-4 9 th (4.529) Par-5 12th (4.277)
R2 Par-4 11th (4.257) Par-5 12th (4.566)
