The world No. 4 and No. 6 respectively, Johnson and Koepka are the only two top-10 ranked players in action this week, but both arrive into the tournament on the back of a disappointing weekend at the Memorial Tournament.
Johnson missed the cut at Muirfield Village last week after carding consecutive 8 over par scores of 80 in the opening two rounds, while Koepka was involved for all four days but finished tied for 62nd.
Since the PGA Tour resumed in June after a three-month hiatus because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Koepka has finished in the top 10 just once, with a seventh-place finish at the RBC Heritage sandwiched between a tied for 32nd finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge and a missed cut at the Workday Charity Open.
To compound his poor form, the former world No. 1 is still struggling with a knee injury that has bothered him for almost 12 months.
The four-time major winner underwent stem cell treatment after the Tour Championship in August last year to address an issue to his left patellar tendon, which he aggravated when he slipped on concrete at the CJ Cup in South Korea just over a month later.
He missed three months at the end of last year, but an MRI scan he underwent last week showed there has been no significant improvement. Koepka, however, insisted his knee was not an excuse for his underwhelming displays.
“I just need to play good,” he was quoted as saying by Golf Channel earlier this week.
“I’ve played so bad lately. Just trying to find things. Every week I feel like the results aren’t there, but it’s getting better and better. My good shots are good, but I’ve got to bring that bottom level up.”
Unlike Koepka, Johnson has a clean bill of health, which made his performance at the Memorial Tournament even more surprising.
The world No. 4 won the Travelers Championship at the end of last month and few would bet against him bouncing back this week, particularly given the field is significantly weaker than any of those of the five events played since the resumption.
The omens are good for Johnson, who has won a tournament in his next start after a missed cut on three separate occasions.
Fleetwood, meanwhile, makes his return to the PGA Tour for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak ground the sport to a halt mid-March.
The Englishman, the current world No. 12, finished tied for third at the Honda Classic in March and admitted he may have to adapt to playing without fans, something his rivals have grown accustomed to over the last five weeks.
“It’s been interesting to watch how people go about things without crowds,” he was quoted as saying by ESPN.
“I’m definitely going to find out this week. I’ll probably be more qualified to answer that question after I’ve played without crowds. But I’m not really sure.”
No. 17 Tony Finau is the next highest-ranked player in the field, followed by world No. 27 Paul Casey and No. 29 Bernd Wiesberger. Defending champion Matthew Wolff, the world No. 55, is also among the participants this week.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the tournament.
When is the 3M Open?
One of the few tournaments to have retained its original spot on the calendar despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the 3M Open runs from July 23 to July 26. The purse for this year’s event stands at $6.6 million.
Where is the 3M Open?
The 3M Open will be staged at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. Opened in 2000, the 18-hole championship was designed by Arnold Palmer together with Minnesota native Tom Lehman. The par-71 course stretches over 7,431 yards.
3M Open TV coverage
The tournament will be broadcast by Golf Channel and CBS, with the latter carrying the final two rounds.
Thursday, July 23 (All times ET)
2:30 - 6:30 p. m. —Golf Channel
Friday, July 24
2:30 - 6:30 p. m. —Golf Channel
Saturday, July 25
1 - 3 p. m. —Golf Channel3 - 6 p. m. —CBS
Sunday, July 26
1 - 3 p. m. —Golf Channel3 - 6 p. m. —CBS
3M Open live stream
All four days of the tournament can be watched on PGA Tour Live, which will broadcast featured groups from 7:45 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Live stream of featured holes will be available on PGA Tour Live between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the weekend, while a live stream of the final two rounds will be available via CBS’ digital platforms.
3M Open odds
Dustin Johnson is the bookmakers’ tip to win in Blaine this weekend. The world No. 4 is a 10/1 favorite with Bet MGM and an 11/1 favourite with both DraftKings and FanDuel, followed by Tony Finau and Brooks Koepka.
The pair are both 12/1 with DraftKings, with FanDuel offering the same odds on Koepka, while the four-time major winner is 16/1 with Bet MGM. Finau, meanwhile, is a 14/1 second-favorite with both FanDuel and Bet MGM.
Behind Koepka and Finau, Tommy Fleetwood is a 16/1, followed by defending champion Matthew Wolff and Paul Casey at 25/1, while Harris English, Russell Henley and Lucas Glover are all 33/1 outsiders.
