Zach Thompson gets you set for this week’s 3M Open with his top fantasy golf cash game picks on DraftKings.
After last week’s Open Championship, the PGA TOUR is back in the States for two important events before the FedExCup playoffs. This week, the pros are in Minnesota for the 3M Open, which will be held at TPC Twin Cities. If you’re looking to bulk up your bankroll with with cash games, or double-up contests on DraftKings, there are some strong options to consider. My top fantasy golf cash game picks for the 3M Open are Maverick McNealy ($10,300), Jake Knapp ($8,900) and Andrew Putnam ($7,000).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups at the 3M Open in a companion piece to this post. Pivot plays for tournament lineups are usually more aggressive, while fantasy golf cash game picks are safer with higher floors and lower risk. The picks in this post generally have higher ownership than my pivot plays, but they are good selections for contests where the uniqueness of your lineup is less important. Think of cash game picks as laying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots and looking for a solid birdie. Tournament picks are going driver off the deck to try to reach the green in two — more reward if it works, but much more risk, as well.
These fantasy golf cash game picks are best used in “cash games,” which are contests that pay out to about the top half of entries. Typically, they are in the 50/50s & Double Ups or Head-to-Head sections of the DraftKings lobby.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR Single Entry $25 Double Up!
Maverick McNealy ($10,300)
McNealy is one of three golfers with salaries over $10,000 on this slate, and all three have strong arguments in their favor. I’m backing McNealy, though, since he combines recent form and course history at TPC Twin Cities.
In his three career appearances at this venue, McNealy made the cut each time with a pair of finishes in the top 20. He finished T3 last year just behind Jhonattan Vegas ($7,400) and Max Greyserman ($9,300). After his strong showing last year, McNealy continued to build momentum through the end of the year when he claimed his first PGA TOUR victory at The RSM Classic.
This year, he’s made 17 cuts in 20 events while logging nine top-25 finishes, and six top-10 finishes. He has three straight top-25 finishes, including the last two weeks in Scotland and Ireland. Earlier this season, he finished runner-up at The Genesis Invitational, T3 at the RBC Heritage, and T5 at the Memorial—all of which are signature events.
Over his last 20 rounds, McNealy ranks fourth in the field in Total Strokes Gained and ninth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. In all rounds over the last calendar year, he ranks second in the field in Total Strokes Gained and ninth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
Due to the setup of the course, success off the tee is especially important this week, and McNealy checks the box as an accurate and long hitter who should set up plenty of birdie chances in Blaine.
Jake Knapp ($8,900)
Knapp is another young player who excels off the tee and should be able to make birdies in bunches this week. He has proven he can win on the PGA TOUR in these non-main events, claiming his first PGA TOUR win last year at the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
He has 15 made cuts in 20 events this season, and he has notched eight top-25 finishes, including each of his last three tournaments. He didn’t have to deal with Royal Portrush last week and took the week off instead, but finished T22 the previous week at the Genesis Scottish Open. That strong showing came on the heels of a T4 at the Rocket Classic and a T21 at the John Deere Classic.
Last year, Knapp withdrew from the 3M Open after he made the cut but struggled to an 81 on Saturday due to a shoulder injury. Before withdrawing, he went 71-68 to qualify for the weekend.
Knapp will be back with unfinished business and comes in with good form after gaining strokes both off the tee and on the greens in each of his last four starts. In his last 16 rounds, he ranks fifth in the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting, and fourth in Total Strokes Gained.
His game should be a great fit for TPC Twin Cities, and he brings both a high floor and high ceiling as a result. He’s a strong optionin fantasy golf cash game picks from just under $9,000.
Andrew Putnam ($7,000)
Putnam is a player I’ll be cheering for in the next two weeks after he just missed the FedExCup playoffs last year, after a brutal three-putt on his final hole at the Wyndham Championship. He’s a good play for fantasy golf cash game picks after a very good season this year. He’ll look to write a better ending to his playoff chase this year. He starts this week at 87th in the FedExCup standings, with the top 70 earning a spot in the FedExCup playoffs.
He can put himself in good position if he can post a strong week at TPC Twin Cities like he has in his last two trips to the event. He finished in the top 20 with a T11 in 2022 and a T19 last year.
Putnam has put togther a solid season with a T15 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, T6 at the RBC Canadian Open, and T8 at the Rocket Classic. He had to withdraw from the John Deere Classic and missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open, but he bounced back with a better week last week, finishing T11 at the Barracuda Championship.
Over the last 24 rounds, Putnam ranks eighth in the field in Total Strokes Gained, third in this field in driving accuracy and seventh in Good Drive %. He also ranks second in the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green during that span, bringing a good blend of excellent driving and a strong short game.
Given his past success at this course and his good current form, he is in a good spot to produce this week, knowing that every position on the leaderboard has a big impact on how the race for the playoffs will play out next week.
