Seven-year agreement brings the world’s top golfers to TPC Twin Cities
3M and the PGA TOUR today announced an agreement to bring an official PGA TOUR event to the Twin Cities beginning in 2019. Hosted by the nonprofit 3M Open Fund, the seven-year deal will bring the world’s top golfers to TPC Twin Cities in Blaine for a new FedExCup Season event, the 3M Open, beginning next summer.
The 2019 dates for the 3M Open will be made official in the coming weeks as part of the PGA TOUR’s 2018-19 schedule announcement.
The 3M Open will build off the success and momentum of the 3M Championship, the current PGA TOUR Champions event at TPC Twin Cities. The 3M Championship, which dates back to 1993, will be contested for the last time on August 3-5, 2018, with Paul Goydos defending his 2017 title.
In 2019, the playing of the 3M Open will mark the first official PGA TOUR event in Minnesota since the 2009 PGA Championship, won in thrilling fashion by Y.E. Yang over Tiger Woods at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.
“3M is honored to welcome the top players on the PGA TOUR to the Twin Cities, and we look forward to the many opportunities this tournament will bring to support our community,” said Paul Keel, 3M senior vice president of Business Development and Marketing-Sales. “We’ve formed a great relationship with PGA TOUR Champions over the last 25 years and are excited to build on that partnership with the 3M Open.”
“We are delighted to partner with 3M for this new PGA TOUR event in the Twin Cities, a community that has shown tremendous support for professional golf over the years with PGA TOUR Champions, the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, and has deservedly played host to the biggest events in sports – Super Bowls, Final Fours, among them,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The 3M Open will also continue 3M’s commitment to charity and positively impacting lives.”
3M’s long-time PGA TOUR Champions partner Pro Links Sports will manage the 3M Open. Together, over the past 25 years, the 3M Championship has raised more than $26 million for Minnesotans and their families to lead healthier, fuller lives. Dollars raised from the event have built new operating rooms, funded cancer and heart research and improved emergency rooms in the Twin Cities. As the tournament transitions to the 3M Open, the 3M Open Fund will donate all the proceeds from the tournament to local organizations.
“I would like to thank 3M for their tremendous support of PGA TOUR Champions golf, and with their continued commitment we now have the opportunity to bring PGA TOUR golf to the fans of Minnesota every year,” said Pro Links Sports Executive Director Hollis Cavner. “We’ve been able to donate millions of dollars to charity and we expect to do even more with the 3M Open. This is a true win for Minnesota.”
About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $32 billion in sales, our 91,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR co-sanctions more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Series-China. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 27 countries outside the United States (87 active international members). Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 226 countries and territories in 23 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving. In 2017, tournaments across all Tours generated a record of more than $180 million for local and national charitable organizations, bringing the all-time total to $2.65 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
About TPC Twin Cities
Consistently ranked by Golf Digest among the top 20 golf courses in Minnesota, TPC Twin Cities’ par-72, 7,164-yard championship golf course was designed by legendary golfer and golf course architect Arnold Palmer to blend seamlessly with the natural rolling terrain. Located just minutes north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Palmer sculpted a serene masterpiece spread across 235 acres of breathtaking countryside, featuring Bentgrass tees, fairways and greens, native prairie grasses, picturesque wetlands and 27 bodies of water, all framed by stately stands of mature oak, spruce and pine trees. The course was collaborated with PGA TOUR player consultant and Minnesota native Tom Lehman, and has served as proud host to the PGA TOUR Champions 3M Championship since 2001.
About Pro Links Sports
Since 1993, Pro Links Sports has worked with companies throughout the world to implement customized, full-service golf programs to fit their particular needs and objectives. Companies turn to us for our knowledge of golf, our unparalleled service and our attention to detail. We are a dynamic sports marketing firm that specializes in providing partners with first class service. We take a client-first approach when partnering to provide our expertise in event management, sponsorship activation, corporate hospitality, and/or corporate consulting. In addition to the 3M Open, Pro Links Sports manages two other PGA TOUR events, three PGA TOUR Champions events and serves as sports agency of record for several Fortune 500 companies and other professional golf events. To learn more about Pro Links Sports, visit www.prolinkssports.com.
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