3M Championship Pro-Ams Set the Stage for a Great Weekend for Golf
August 3, 2017
Bright blue skies greeted the players on Tuesday for the first practice day at the 3M Championship at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. That had to be a nice change for the 37 players entered who finished up the Senior British Open this past Sunday in the wind and rain in Bridgend, Wales.
World Golf Hall of Fame member Nancy Lopez headlined Tuesday’s Accenture Executive Women’s Pro-Am, where amateurs teamed up with professionals beginning at noon. Perfect golfing weather made for a fantastic afternoon on the course.
Tuesday night also saw the EMC Draw Party, presented by Treasure Island Resort & Casino at the KQRS tent. A perfect August evening made for a fun and festive night as drawings were held for the EMC Pro-Ams to be held on Wednesday and Thursday.
The EMC Pro-Ams are an excellent opportunity to see many of the best golfers in the world hit shots from just a few feet away. Admission is free all week long at the 3M Championship, so come on out and enjoy the great weather and see some fantastic golf! Pro-Am play begins at approximately 7 a.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Tournament play begins on Friday morning at approximately 10:30 a.m. Joe Durant, the 2016 champion, returns to defend his title against a stacked field that includes 16 of the top 20 players in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup money list. Bernhard Langer heads the field as the tour’s leading money winner, having won four times already in 2017 including three majors.
Other contenders should include two-time 3M winner Kenny Perry, Steve Flesch, David Toms and Minnesota native and crowd favorite Tom Lehman. Heading the pack, however, might be Steve Stricker, the 50-year old Wisconsin native, who’s had several great showings on the PGA Tour this summer, including a great showing at the U.S. Open.
Tournament organizers are paying tribute all week long to golf legend and 3M Championship staple Arnold Palmer who passed away last fall. His likeness is all over the TPC Twin Cities, including on a large sign showing a shadowed Palmer giving his signature thumbs up welcoming fans near the entrance.
For the fourth year in a row, 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus will play in Saturday’s Greats of Golf Challenge alongside Gary Player, Lee Trevino and 15 other golfing greats. The Greats of Golf Challenge will be the last four groups of the day on Saturday.
It promises to be another spectacular week of golf at the 3M Challenge at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. A great field should provide for another exciting tournament, with the added bonus of the golf legends playing on Saturday afternoon.
EMC is thrilled to once again be a title sponsor of the 3M Championship, the premier golf event in the state of Minnesota. We hope you’re able to come on out and say “hi” and enjoy some fabulous golf!
