BLAINE, MINNESOTA – JULY 23: Scottie Scheffler of the United States looks on from the ninth green during the first round of the 3M Open 2026 at TPC Twin Cities on July 23, 2026 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Crowds swelled early Thursday at the 3M Open, with some tees and greens packed 10-deep as Scottie Scheffler competed in the tournament for the first time.
Scheffler’s appearance marks the first time since 2019, when Brooks Koepka played, that the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer has teed it up in Minnesota at a PGA Tour event. Koepka missed the cut in 2019 after shooting 1-under par through the first two rounds.
“Yeah, I got to see all 18 holes, so that’s good. I took the day off Monday, took a pretty light day yesterday, just came out, hit a couple, played nine and left. Just trying to get some rest before the tournament starts coming after two longer weeks in the U.K.,” Scheffler said during his pre-round press conference on Wednesday.
“The course seems really nice. The greens are really good. The rough is pretty healthy, so fairways are going to be at a premium this week. Yeah, the golf course is in really nice shape, so everything looks pretty good from my view.”
At the completion of the first round, Scheffler ranked second in strokes gained: putting and was tied for first in scrambling around the greens. He followed through on his game plan, missing only four fairways while shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65.
It came as a surprise to many golf fans that the world’s No. 1 player chose to compete in the tournament with the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs approaching.
“For me it was good scheduling. Like I said, we had two weeks in the U.K., and three weeks off before the Playoffs didn’t seem like the most ideal way to set up my schedule,” Scheffler said.
“This was a tournament that I’ve heard a lot of good things about, and so far everything seems pretty true, which is nice. So I’m excited to get the week started and, yeah, play some golf.”
BLAINE, MINNESOTA – JULY 23: Scottie Scheffler of the United States walks to the first tee during the first round of the 3M Open 2026 at TPC Twin Cities on July 23, 2026 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Minnesota has seemingly rolled out the red carpet for Scheffler. While speaking with reporters, Scheffler shared that he was approached by fans while out to dinner with his family before the tournament. The fans asked to take a photo with him, but he respectfully declined so he could enjoy the evening with his family. Even so, he said he was impressed by their kindness, noting they apologized for the interruption and were gracious throughout the interaction.
“That’s been really nice for us and our family. We’ve seen our neighbors this week, and everything so far has just been simple and easy, and the people have been really nice. The fans have been really nice,” Scheffler said. “There was a decent amount of people out yesterday for a practice round.”
Scheffler’s pro-am round was played alongside Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. He wasted no time asking O’Connell about the Vikings’ outlook for the 2026 season and who would be at quarterback this year.
Scheffler tees off for his second round today at 12:44 p.m. CT on the front nine. He will encounter the same crowd swell as ticket sales are up over 25% this year, attributed to Scheffer’s participation.
Timothy is a founding member of Break80 Golf and a contributing golf and sports writer for Forbes with PGA Tour and LIV Golf media credentials. Timothy can be reached at break80podcast@gmail.com for inquiries or story leads.