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3M Open: Power ranking the top 10 at TPC Twin Cities

By Mike Randleman

BLAINE, MN - AUGUST 01: General view of a tee box marker on the seventh hole during the first round of the 3M Championship at TPC Twin Cities on August 1, 2014 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
BLAINE, MN - AUGUST 01: General view of a tee box marker on the seventh hole during the first round of the 3M Championship at TPC Twin Cities on August 1, 2014 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JUNE 30: Joaquin Niemann of Chile plays his shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Country Club on June 30, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JUNE 30: Joaquin Niemann of Chile plays his shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Country Club on June 30, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The former world No. 1 amateur is regaining the sparkling form from 2018. The 20-year-old Chilean parlayed his sponsor’s exemptions into five top-10s last year that helped him earn his PGA Tour card for this season.

He made his first five cuts of the 2018-19 season including a T10 in November in Las Vegas. Niemann hit a bit of a sophomore slump after that as he failed to finish better than T37 in 11 straight events.

That’s fully excusable for a player who’d be a junior in college. Niemann found some confidence with a third-place finish on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. He posted a T38 at the Wells Fargo Championship and is now back on the horse with five straight top-31s.

Niemann has two T5s in the last two weeks heading into the 3M Open. He carded eight straight rounds in the 60s at the Travelers Championship (69-65-69-66) and Rocket Mortgage Classic (68-66-69-68).

He ranks 29th in strokes gained approach and 42nd off the tee (31st tee to green). Niemann isn’t crazy long, but he’s long enough to score on this wet TPC Twin Cities track.

Niemann has found success without a good putting year (177th SG). I think that disadvantage could be negated a bit this week as he’s learning new greens just like the rest of the field.

He’s only 43rd in the Presidents Cup standings, but if he keeps playing well he could be in the mix for Ernie Els to roll with him as a captain’s pick.

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