The 3M Open field continues to undergo changes with late withdraws. Now, one veteran golfer has withdrawn during the tournament due to a back injury.
Additionally, notable golfers like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and The Open Championship winner Ryan Fox withdrew prior to the 3M Open. The PGA Tour announced that Patton Kizzire has withdrawn from the 3M Open after playing the first round.
Kizzire is dealing with an unfortunate back injury that is preventing the golfer from finishing the rest of the tournament. Prior to withdrawing, Kizzire finished with a 6-over-par 77 in the first round.
Kizzire has earned more than $14 million over his career. The veteran golfer has notched three PGA Tour wins during this span.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest PGA Tour golf news.
Star Golfers Like Rory McIlroy & Jordan Spieth Are Not Playing in the 3M Open
It is an interesting stretch of the PGA Tour schedule given the gap between the four majors and the playoffs which begin on August 13, with the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis. Star golfers like Rory McIlroy are taking time off to recharge before the stretch run.
Scottie Scheffler is headlining the 3M Open field. The star golfer pointed to wanting to avoid a long layoff before the playoffs begin as a major reason for playing the event.
“Well, I think having the three weeks here before the playoffs, for me, was a big part of it (decision to play 3M Open),” Scheffler noted in a July 22, press conference. “I didn’t really want to have three weeks off before the playoffs.
“And like I said, this was a tournament that I’d heard a lot of good things about. And so far, everything seems true. The people here have been tremendous. The fans have been really, really nice to me so far. And the tournament seems to do a really good job just taking care of everybody.”
Ben Kohles Leads the 3M Open After the 1st Round With Scottie Scheffler Among the Top Contenders
Scheffler headed into the 3M Open as a sizable favorite to win the event, but it appears the star will have plenty of competition. After the first round, Scheffler sits at T5 with a 6-under-par 65.
Ben Kohles leads the field at 9-under-par followed by three golfers who are tied for second. Gary Woodland, Jackson Koivun and Emilliano Grillo are all tied for second at 7-under-par.
Scottie Scheffler Is Aiming to Improve His Putting Ahead of the PGA Tour Playoffs
Heading into the 3M Open, one of the early questions was whether Scheffler could get his putter working again. The early results are positive at the 3M Open.
“Golf’s funny. Some days you’re hitting your lines and the line seems to be tracking toward the hole and other days it feels like you’re doing the same thing and it kind of goes around the hole,” Scheffler noted after the opening round, per PGA Tour.com.
“But today was a day in which I was able to hole some nice putts and that’s why I was able to make some birdies out there.”
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