2026 3M Open: Top DraftKings Showdown Plays & Live Bets Ahead of Round 2
The 2026 3M Open is officially underway, with TPC Twin Cities producing the low scores we’ve all come to expect from this event. Ben Kohles leads the way at 9 under par, proving that accurate ball-striking and a hot putter continue to be the recipe for scoring in the Twin Cities. Pre-tournament favorites Scottie Scheffler and Jackson Koivun remain towards the top of the odds board through the first 18 holes, with plenty of time to gain ground on the leaders.
Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 2 gets underway on Friday. Conditions were largely calm on Thursday, but the course will continue to get firmer as the week goes on. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 2 breakout.
Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the 2026 3M Open DFS contests and live betting opportunities.
DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy
DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.
Round 2 3M Open Showdown Pillar Plays
As expected, birdies have been easy to come by at TPC Twin Cities. That is a change of pace since returning from the links swing overseas, and we’ve seen the players who remained stateside in opposite events over that stretch keep the hot hand. TPC Twin Cities has a reputation for being a birdie-makers dream, but we saw in round 1 that blowup holes are easy to come by too, with water lurking on the majority of holes here. That places a heightened importance on driving accuracy and ball-striking, as the leaders have displayed in the opening round. Looking ahead, it is going to take a combination of driving accuracy, elite iron play, and a streaky putter to go low at TPC Twin Cities.
Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 2 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Scottie Scheffler ($14,600)
The World No. 1 was projected to be a man amongst boys heading into the 3M Open, considering he is the only player inside the OWGR top-30 in this field. That is exactly how it’s panned out so far, as Scheffler fired an effortless bogey-free 6-under-par opening round at TPC Twin Cities. For whatever reason, this course continues to be kind to players who enter in ailing form on the greens. Scheffler looked completely lost with his putter just one week ago at Royal Birkdale, but ranked 3rd overall in SG: Putting in his opening round at the 3M Open.
When Scheffler has his putter rolling, he is nearly impossible to beat, as his tee-to-green game has remained sharp all season, despite him underperforming in the win column. The scary thing for the rest of the field now is that Scheffler has yet to get his tee-to-green game going in the Twin Cities. He ranked 37th in SG: T2G, an area we should all expect to see improvements as he gets his second look at TPC Twin Cities on Friday.
Michael Brennan ($7,700)
Of all the courses Brennan has faced yet in his early PGA Tour career, I believe it is TPC Twin Cities which favors his game the most. Just like past champion Cameron Champ, Brennan leans on his elite driving ability to separate from the field on driver-heavy tracks like this. Brennan has ranked top-10 in SG: OTT in virtually every tournament he’s played this season, and he’s on pace to continue that trend this week, ranking 6th in SG: OTT and 2nd in SG: Ball Striking in his opening round.
The putter has been the greatest concern for Brennan this year, and it looked serviceable on Thursday, ranking 57th in the field in SG: Putting. His ball striking is good enough to win this event with a field-average putter, and he’s put himself in great position to make a charge on Friday, currently only three strokes off of the lead.
Keita Nakajima ($7,000)
Ball Striking is paramount at TPC Twin Cities, and it’s those who are in form and confident who stand the best opportunity to play aggressively. Nakajima ranks 3rd in the field SG: Ball Striking and 4th in SG: APP, a very encouraging start to his 3M Open debut.
This hot start did not come out of the blue either; he’s finished top-30 in four of his last seven starts, including a T3 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open. Accuracy is the name of Nakajima’s game, and on a course like TPC Twin Cities, which steeply penalizes wayward misses, that is a profile that should serve him well for the rest of this tournament.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 2
Round 2 Matchup: Kurt Kitayama over Maverick McNealy
Best Available odds: -118
In this battle between the two pre-tournament favorites outside of Scottie Scheffler, it’s hard not to side with the defending champion in Kurt Kitayama. Kitayama got the better of McNealy in the first round, with the two firing rounds of 68 and 71, respectively. Kitayama naturally has the course history edge as a defending champion, but McNealy has looked less than perfect here too, missing the cut at this event last year.
The strength of Kitayama’s game is also the weakest area of McNealy’s: iron play. That is of premium importance at TOC Twin Cities, which features a high volume of approaches with water hazards threatening. Neither player looked strong with their irons in the opening round, but it’s Kitayama who appears most due for a round 2 rebound.
Leader After Round 2: Jackson Koivun
Best Available odds: +900
With so many blow-up opportunities waiting around TPC Twin Cities, it is a tall order to go wire-to-wire at this event. So with all due respect to the outright leader, Ben Kohles, I’m dubious as to whether he can follow up his explosive opening round 62 with another low one.
If one of the chasers is to surpass Kohles, I believe Koivun lines up with the best opportunity to do so. Koivun profiles remarkably similarly to Matthew Wolff, who also took a fearless approach several starts into his PGA Tour career to triumph at TPC Twin Cities. And while Koivun’s game may not look completely polished yet, there is no doubting the talent. He ranked top-20 in both SG: APP and SG: Putting in his opening round, and if he’s able to repeat that, he a second consecutive round of 64 will be plenty to claim the outright lead.
Best of luck with your 3M Open DFS lineups and bets!
Photo Credit: REUTERS
