Monday was media day and there was plenty of focus was on the host city.
“When we have our broadcast on CBS or the Golf Channel, they’ll mention the city of Blaine,” said Mike Welch, 3M Open Tournament Director. “They’ll mention Anoka County. How do you get that from a national perspective?”
City council members value their connection to this major golf event which garners lots of publicity for Blaine.
“It’s just phenomenal,” said Tom Newland who is on the Blaine city council. The city tries to milk this moment and capitalize on being in the national spotlight.
“It’s a priceless return on our investment for just the city itself and the golf course is phenomenal too,” Newland said. “It gives us as a city the opportunity to thank businesses that are here. We invite businesses that we would like to see come into Blaine. It’s great exposure for the city and for us to show everybody what makes Blaine the city that it is.”
The 3M Open is ecstatic about the treatment the tournament gets in the North Metro.
“We truly have a unique relationship with the city of Blaine and Anoka County,” Welch said. “It’s different than a lot of events on the tour. Not only do they support our tournament from the perspective of they have a suite on 18 where they bring their key stakeholders and all the companies that they’re trying to enhance relationships with, which just does great things for us. To have that support from those key groups just helps this tournament in spades.”
Preventing cabin fever
Welch believes the upcoming 3M Open will continue to be a marquis event in the Twin Cities.
“I think this year is just an extension of what we’ve been doing the last number of years,” Welch said.
His goal is make sure the event keeps growing and appeals to as many fans as possible. This year there will even be a country music concert.
“We’re just adding year after year to make sure that this event is a can’t miss event for the folks in the city of Blaine, Anoka County, the seven counties surrounding this area,” Welch said. “How do we make sure that you don’t go to the cabin? You scratch that weekend off and come to the 3M Open and we think that we’re doing that.”
Defending champ Lee Hodges is coming back to play the 3M Open. His only PGA Tour win came at the TPC and he has fond memories of the North Metro.
“I love it here,” Hodges said. “This place is awesome. Seems like every time I come the weather’s unbelievable. I’m sure it’s not sometime in the year. Every time I come here there is sunshine and it is warm.”
Another reason Hodges likes Minnesota is because he received over $1.4 million for winning the 2023 3M Open.
The 3M Open runs July 25th through the 28th.
