3M Open: Keith Mitchell, 3 PGA Tour players on the bubble who could win
The PGA Tour is in Minnesota for the 3M Open, and these are the three players who could win and get off the FedEx Cup bubble.
The regular season FedEx Cup race is almost over. Two PGA Tour events remain before the playoffs begin. The first is the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.
Like Keith Mitchell, many of the golfers on the FedEx Cup bubble look to garner some much-needed points in the next two weeks.
The goal is to get inside the Top 70 by the end of the Wyndham Championship to qualify for the first of the three-tournament playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A way to do that is to win one of the following two tournaments. Of course, prevailing on the PGA Tour is easier said than done, but it is not impossible.
Nick Dunlap, who won the American Express as an amateur in January, earned his second PGA Tour victory last week at the Barracuda Championship. With that win, he becomes the first player in Tour history to record victories as an amateur and rookie in their first season.
His latest triumph exploded him from No. 95 to No. 64 in the FedEx Cup standings. Dunlap could improve his standing even more this week at the 3M Open.
However, he is not on the cusp of missing the postseason, so let’s look at three PGA Tour players who could win this week and extend their season.
Keith Mitchell
Mitchell currently sits at No. 75 in the FedEx Cup standings.
In 20 starts this year, the former Georgia Bulldog has three Top 10s, 9 Top 25s and made 14 cuts.
He missed three of his six cuts in his last five starts, but the two times he played the weekend, Mitchell finished T10 at the RBC Canadian Open and T18 at the John Deere Classic.
Mitchell ranks fourth in strokes gained off the tee (+0.790), fifth in tee-to-green (+1.404) and sixth in approach to the green (+0.737).
The two areas he struggles with are around the greens and with his flat stick. Mitchell is No. 157 in strokes gained putting (-0.445) and No. 126 in strokes gained around the green (-0.123).
These two areas have cost him higher finishes.
If he can get the flat stick to get hot this week and make plenty of birdies, Mitchell can win the 3M Open. He is only 64 points behind Davis Riley in the No. 70 spot, so a win will safely get him in the playoffs, but a T12 in either of the last two tournaments will earn him 65 points.
Michael Thorbjornsen
The next player who could take home the victory in Minnesota is Michael Thorbjornsen, one of the many young phenoms stealing the spotlight in 2024. He earned his card through the PGA Tour University program.
Thorbjornsen debuted at the Travelers Championship a little over a month ago, yet he is within reach of making the postseason.
"Just because you're from the northeast and it snows for more than half of a year, that's no excuse."
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 20, 2024
Ahead of his pro debut, Michael Thorbjornsen on inspiring the next generation of golfers pic.twitter.com/c7rJYQwbfm
The former Stanford golfer sits at No. 125 in the standings, but his runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic helped him amass 232 FedEx Cup points.
What makes him an attractive pick this week is Thorbjornsen has no pressure on him because no matter where he finishes in the standings, he will be exempt for the 2025 season.
That ability to play freely could benefit him in the next two events.
Thorbjornsen sits 369 points behind the No. 70 spot. If he wants to make some noise and get into the playoffs, it will take a win or two top-three finishes. Do not count him out because the youngster has the talent and the guts to shake up things.
Joel Dahmen
Lastly, Joel Dahmen could win this week in Minnesota even if the 2024 season featured plenty of highs and lows for him.
In 20 starts, Dahmen has one top-10 and three Top 25s while making 13 cuts.
He is No. 113 in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the 3M Open.
His best finish, a T10, came at the RBC Canadian Open. The Netflix star also recorded an impressive T11 at The Players.
Recently, he finished T25 at the Rocket Mortgage and T46 at the John Deere Classic.
However, The 36-year-old missed the cut at the ISCO and Barracuda Championship in his last two starts.
Dahmen’s short game has hindered him this season. He ranks No. 165 in strokes gained putting (-0.548) and No. 141 in strokes gained around the green (-0.191). The former Washington Husky needs a strong performance on the greens to contend.
A confident @Joel_Dahmen is a dangerous Joel Dahmen.
— Skratch (@Skratch) July 22, 2024
Watch Joel strike fear into @JerryFerrara, Josh Kelley (@holein1shots) and @MacBoucherGolf in this 3v1 thriller, presented by @BetMGM: https://t.co/qg1hA3Ej4I pic.twitter.com/TrNSwbOAMr
While a win seems far-fetched, it only takes one week to get hot, and if he does, watch out because Dahmen badly wants his second PGA Tour win.
If he wants to extend his season, the Scottsdale resident needs good karma in Minnesota and North Carolina at the Wyndham Championship.
Dahmen sits 286 behind the mark, so a solo second or win is the kind of surge he needs. Could he find some magic and do something remarkable?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.