BLAINE, Minn. – (Aug. 11, 2016) – After some early week rain the 3M Championship was played under beautiful conditions last weekend. The players were going low and the crowds were cheering birdie after birdie. In the end it took an extra hole to determine the winner but Joe Durant outlasted the competition to take home the championship. “I was hitting the ball so well today, I was just trying to stay out of my own way a little bit. I had some really good iron shots and was rolling the ball nicely. I was just trying not to over think honestly. Just trying to hit solid golf shots and I was fortunate to get a four on the last one to put a little heat on Miguel, then he made birdie so we go to the playoff and I was lucky to make a three on the last but it was a lot of fun. It was a big shoot out, he just couldn’t make enough birdies,” said Durant.
On the first hole of the playoff with Miguel Angel Jimenez, Durant hit his approach shot about 10 feet from the hole. Jimenez just missed his eagle opportunity and then it was Durant’s turn. “I hit a good put, I knew it was tracking nicely but until it hits the bottom you don’t want to count your chickens to early,” said Durant. Durant win was his first individual win on the PGA Tour Champions, a win that he was starting to doubt would ever happen. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve won an individual tournament and I’ve honestly played some really good golf out here. Been nipped out here and there so I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to win one of these and traditionally the scoring is so low here I didn’t know if I could score low enough for three days but I was fortunate I was able to this week,” said Durant.
Durant was appreciative of the large crowds and the week long experience in Blaine. “Well number one the hospitality here in Minnesota has just been fantastic. I had a great time at the pro-am, the whole week has been special with the legends playing yesterday, getting to watch them play, it just has a great atmosphere and we’re all lucky to be a part of it,” said Durant. Next summer will be the 25th 3M Championship and tournament organizers have promised big things to celebrate the milestone.
