The $8.8 million purse at this week’s 3M Open might not rival a Signature Event, but for players fighting near the FedExCup cutoff, TPC Twin Cities can feel as tense as any stop on the summer schedule. In Blaine, Minnesota, this tournament is not just a check-cashing opportunity. It is one of the last chances to turn a shaky season into a postseason berth.
Money grabs the eye immediately. The winner is projected to earn $1.584 million. Runner-up money should land at $959,200 if the event follows the standard PGA Tour, full-field payout model. A top-10 finish projects at nearly $240,000.
Those numbers matter. Yet the purse only tells part of the story.
Late July golf on the PGA Tour carries a different edge. Players are not only trying to win. They are checking FedExCup projections, calculating playoff paths, and deciding whether to attack a water-guarded closing hole with a season hanging in the balance.
Projected 2026 3M Open payout table
These projected payouts are based on the listed $8.8 million 2026 purse and the PGA Tour’s standard full-field payout pattern. Final checks will change if players tie, because the Tour splits prize money evenly across tied positions.
| Finish | Projected payout |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,584,000 |
| 2 | $959,200 |
| 3 | $607,200 |
| 4 | $431,200 |
| 5 | $360,800 |
| 6 | $319,000 |
| 7 | $297,000 |
| 8 | $275,000 |
| 9 | $257,400 |
| 10 | $239,800 |
| 11 | $222,200 |
| 12 | $204,600 |
| 13 | $187,000 |
| 14 | $169,400 |
| 15 | $160,600 |
| 16 | $151,800 |
| 17 | $143,000 |
| 18 | $134,200 |
| 19 | $125,400 |
| 20 | $116,600 |
The 2026 PGA Tour schedule lists the 3M Open for July 23 to July 26 at TPC Twin Cities, with the purse set at $8.8 million. Tournament week stretches from July 20 to July 26, ending with the final round and the champion’s ceremony on Sunday. TPC Twin Cities plays as a par 71 and measures 7,431 yards.
The financial stakes in Blaine keep rising
The 3M Open purse has climbed steadily since the event became a full PGA Tour stop in 2019. Last year’s tournament carried an $8.4 million purse, with Kurt Kitayama earning $1.512 million after beating Sam Stevens by one shot.
That 2025 finish gives this year’s payout chart a clear comparison. The purse rose by $400,000 from 2025 to 2026. Under the same payout pattern, the winner’s share rises by $72,000.
For a top star, that might sound like a modest bump. Much of the field will view it as a meaningful increase in weekly value.
The 3M Open still does not live in the same financial tier as the PGA Tour’s biggest events. Signature Events carry larger purses and stronger points incentives. Majors sit even higher, with the 2026 U.S. Open and PGA Championship both well above the Blaine payout level.
That contrast actually sharpens the tournament’s identity. This is a full-field event, not a closed-door showcase. Players arrive with different goals, different pressure points, and different levels of urgency.
Some are chasing a trophy. Others are fighting to extend their season. A few need one hot week to change everything.
TPC Twin Cities makes it hard to earn money
TPC Twin Cities does not simply hand out birdies. It invites aggressive golf, then punishes the player who takes on too much.
Water shapes the course’s personality. Its closing hole explains it best. The 18th is a risk-reward par 5 where the right decision depends on lie, wind, leaderboard position, and nerve.
Roger Sloan captured that pressure after his approach to 18 found the water during the 2021 tournament. “It’s a tough tee shot, too, so you’ve got to get the ball in play,” Sloan said.
That line still fits the place. Players see a scoring chance on 18, but they also see a number that can wreck a card. The hole can produce a late birdie, a huge roar, or a quiet walk to the scoring tent.
The recent 3M Open history backs that up. In 2024, Jhonattan Vegas birdied the 18th to beat Max Greyserman by one shot and end a winless drought of nearly seven years. One year later, Kitayama made the cut by a single stroke, then shot 60-65 on the weekend to win at 23 under.
The message is clear. Blaine rewards players who stay aggressive, not reckless.
The bubble watch: sixth through 10th place
The most overlooked money in the payout table sits from sixth through 10th. Those finishes rarely lead to highlight shows, but they can reshape a player’s FedExCup outlook.
Sixth place projects at $319,000. Seventh comes in at $297,000. Eighth pays $275,000. Ninth pays $257,400. Tenth still projects at $239,800.
For elite names, that range represents a solid week. Around the bubble, it can change the pressure a player carries into the next start.
A top-10 finish late in the regular season can create breathing room. It can move a player toward playoff safety, improve his position for future starts, and give sponsors something concrete to point toward.
TPC Twin Cities adds volatility because scoring can come in streaks. One player can climb with three birdies in five holes. Another can drop with one loose swing near water. The difference between the sixth and 10th projects at $79,200 before points even enters the discussion.
That is where the tournament becomes more than a payout chart. The middle of the top 10 can decide who travels to the regular-season finale with confidence and who arrives needing a result.
Fifth place: $360,800 and a real Sunday finish
Fifth place projects at $360,800, making it the first tier that feels like more than a successful week. It is the kind of result that helps a player’s schedule, ranking, confidence, and earning profile.
Still, fifth place often comes with one nagging thought. The winner’s projected check is $1.584 million, which means the gap between first and fifth sits above $1.2 million.
At TPC Twin Cities, that gap can form quickly. A player can protect fifth by laying up on 18. He can chase the tournament by taking on the green. Neither choice feels comfortable when water guards the miss.
That is the beauty of this event. It makes players define their appetite for risk in public.
A top-five finish remains valuable. The Sunday walk, however, usually tells the player whether he cashed in or left something behind.
Fourth place: $431,200 and a different kind of attention
Fourth place projects at $431,200, and that check belongs to someone who spent most of the week near contention. Once a player reaches that tier, the tournament starts to feel different.
Cameras find him. Galleries grow around his group. Leaderboard updates carry his name across the property.
That attention brings pressure, especially in a course with late scoring chances. A player in fourth knows he does not need a miracle. He needs one clean stretch, one converted birdie chance, or one mistake from the group ahead.
The professional value is obvious. Fourth place can push a player toward playoff safety and validate weeks of quiet progress.
Still, golf makes near-misses hard to process. A wedge that finishes 20 feet instead of eight can feel expensive. One cautious swing can look sensible in the moment and costly an hour later.
Third place: $607,200 and the near-miss tier
Third place projects at $607,200, a major jump from fourth. That number reflects how close the player came to owning the week.
Ties complicate the math, though. In 2025, several players finished tied for third at the 3M Open, and each received $410,025 after the Tour split the relevant payout slots. A solo third in the projected 2026 table looks much larger, but Sunday leaderboards rarely stay that tidy.
Fans checking the payout after the final putt should remember that distinction. A T3 finish does not pay like a solo third. The Tour combines the tied positions and divides the money evenly among those players.
Competitively, third place lands in a strange spot. The result brings a huge check and a strong points haul. It also leaves a player replaying the two shots that kept him from the playoff or the trophy.
At the 3M Open, that replay often starts on the back nine.
Runner-up: $959,200 without the trophy
The runner-up projects at $959,200, which makes second place both a massive payday and a brutal reminder. One shot can separate a player from the trophy, the winner’s exemption boost, and more than $600,000 in additional prize money.
Stevens lived that narrow margin in 2025. He chased Kitayama with a strong Sunday push and made three straight birdies from the 14th through 16th. Kitayama still held him off by one.
That is the shape of a runner-up finish at this tournament. The player usually does plenty right. He just runs out of holes.
From a career standpoint, second place can still be enormous. It brings money, points, confidence, and visibility. Such a finish can move a player closer to the playoffs and change the way his season feels overnight.
No competitor dreams of finishing second, though. A large check softens the blow. The trophy keeps the wound open.
Winner: $1.584 million and the season-changing prize
The projected winner’s check for the 2026 3M Open is $1.584 million. That is the headline number, and it deserves attention.
Victory at TPC Twin Cities delivers more than a wire transfer. It brings 500 FedExCup points, a jump in status, and the kind of schedule security that changes how a player plans the rest of his year.
For a bubble player, a win can end the playoff chase instantly. Rising players can use it to confirm a breakthrough. Veterans can use it to extend their careers.
Kitayama’s 2025 win showed how quickly the tournament can flip a season. He barely reached the weekend. Then he tied the course record with a Saturday 60 and backed it up with a Sunday 65.
That is the 3M Open at its best. A player can arrive searching for form and leave with a trophy.
The 2026 champion will understand the same possibility. One week in Blaine can erase months of frustration. A controlled swing on 18 can turn a nervous walk into a career moment.
Why the payout matters beyond first place
Prize money stories often start with the winner’s check because the number is clean, large, and easy to understand. The better 3M Open story sits deeper down the board.
A 12th-place finish projects at $204,600. Fifteenth place still projects at $160,600. Even 20th place projects at $116,600.
Those checks matter because this field includes players at very different career stages. Some are chasing a first PGA Tour win. Plenty are trying to protect their playoff position. Others need enough points and money to keep their schedule from shrinking.
The event’s charitable footprint also gives the week a stronger local identity. Since 2019, the 3M Open Fund has contributed $9 million and impacted more than 1.25 million youth and young adults.
That community piece does not decide a Sunday leaderboard. It does explain why the tournament has built roots in Minnesota beyond purse size.
The PGA Tour schedule needs events like this. Not every week can be a major. A healthy schedule also needs full-field stops. Full-field tournaments create different drama because more players have something urgent to gain.
In Blaine, urgency is the product.
The final stretch will decide more than a check
The 2026 3M Open purse gives players 8.8 million reasons to attack TPC Twin Cities. The course will not let them do it carelessly.
That tension makes the week work. The 18th hole offers a late birdie chance, but it also brings water into the decision. Leaderboards can change with one bold shot, one safe layup, or one nervous miss.
For fans, the payout table gives the quick answer. The winner gets a projected $1.584 million. Runner-up money checks in at a projected $959,200. Every player in the top 10 projects to clear nearly a quarter-million dollars.
Players read those numbers differently. They come attached to FedExCup points, future starts, exemptions, and the reality that the season is running out of room.
Roger Sloan’s warning about the closing hole still cuts through the noise: “It’s a tough tee shot, too, so you’ve got to get the ball in play.” That is the whole tournament in one sentence. The money is real. So is the water on 18.
One final swing can decide both.
READ MORE: How to Watch the 2026 3M Open and Catch Every Drive
FAQs
Q1. How much is the 2026 3M Open purse?
A. The 2026 3M Open purse is listed at $8.8 million. The projected winner’s share is $1.584 million.
Q2. What does the 2026 3M Open winner earn?
A. The winner is projected to earn $1.584 million. Final payouts can change if players tie.
Q3. Where is the 2026 3M Open played?
A. The 2026 3M Open is played at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. The course plays as a par 71.
Q4. Why does the 3M Open matter for the FedExCup?
A. The 3M Open comes late in the regular season. Players near the bubble can gain valuable points before the playoffs.
Q5. Why is the 18th hole at TPC Twin Cities important?
A. The 18th is a risk-reward par 5 with water in play. One swing can change the payout and the leaderboard.
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