BLAINE, Minn. (August 9,2018)- The final 3M Championship was played last weekend at the TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. After 26 years the PGA Tour Champions will not be coming back to Blaine next summer. Instead Blaine and the TPC will be home to a stop on the regular PGA Tour. The Champions Tour players put on one last show for the fans that came out over the weekend.
The greats of golf competition highlighted a rainy Saturday. The team of Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus got the loudest cheers from the crowd. As for the actual tournament, Kenny Perry lit up the course on Saturday with a record tying 60. That round of 12 under par gave him a five shot lead heading into Sunday.
“I just didn’t want to give it away,” Perry said, “My goal was to make pars make him come catch me. I knew I had a five shot lead over Glen Day and I was eight up over the rest of the field.”
Going into Sunday with a comfortable lead any thought that it would be a walk in the park quickly faded as Wes Short Jr. charged up the leader board and got within one shot of Perry. Perry admits he was nervous about the outcome.
“It was pretty nerve wracking, but it was nice to finish up when I made the birdie on 16 that relaxed me and I hit a nice quality shot on 17,” Perry said.
Perry put together a nice closing stretch with two birdies in the final three holes to win his third 3M Championship by three shots over Short Jr. In eight appearances at the 3M Championship, Perry finished in the top 10 seven times and now has three wins. He explained that the course suits his style of play.
“Well I just think it’s my length really helps me and I’m great this week, you know I made a lot of putts. Normally when I put well I usually pretty good,” Perry said.
Perry, like many of the players, expressed sadness at the tournament ending its run. But, he said he will use his special exemption to come play in the inaugural 3M Open next July.
“It’s sad to know I’m going to be coming back here to play a championship anymore,” Perry expressed, “but I will come back next year and play that PGA, it’s going to be a totally different golf course. I saw where they were putting the tee box on two. It’s about a 100 yards back across the road on the right.”
Course modifications will begin immediately to make the course more difficult for the PGA Tour. But before any work could begin Kenny Perry got to celebrate as the last ever winner of the 3M Championship.
