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Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the 3M Open gets underway.

1. Monahan drops bombshell memo

Joel Beal for Golf Digest…”PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent a wide-ranging memo to players Wednesday, informing membership of updates on its work toward a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund along with the tour’s stance against the USGA’s proposed rollback of the golf ball.

• “Monahan, who returned to his job last week following a health-related absence, announced initiatives on a “Player Benefit Program” to compensate players who remained with the tour and “Player Discipline” for LIV Golf members who seek to return to the tour.”

• “We have obtained player input that is helping to inform the potential structure, components and timeline,” Monahan said about player compensation. “This program, should we reach a definitive agreement, will be financially significant in total and incremental to our planned compensation package.”

• “As for potential discipline on LIV members should a deal with LIV come to pass, Monahan said a “task force” was being formed to decide what type of penalty players seeking to return would potentially face.”

• “Monahan also announced that the PGA Tour would not abide by a modified local rule from the USGA and R&A that would curb increasing distance gains in the sport.”

2. Defending the 3M Open, thinking about the Ryder Cup

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As he begins his title defense this week at the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, Finau finds himself in a sizeable hole as it relates to next month’s Ryder Cup.”

• “Finau, who played Ryder Cups in 2018 and 2021 while compiling a 3-3 record, sits No. 19 in the U.S. Ryder Cup point standings. With the top six players following the BMW Championship, four events from now, and six more players receiving captain’s picks after the following week’s Tour Championship, Finau needs a strong close to his season if he wants to have any chance of representing the U.S. in Rome.”

• “The Ryder Cup always has been on my mind from the start of the year,” Finau said Tuesday from Blaine, Minnesota. “It’s a goal of mine. I would say any American golfer playing, it’s a goal of theirs to be on this team; that hasn’t changed. But I’ve been in this type of position before, you know, where probably on the outside looking in. Going to have to play some good golf over these next few weeks and make my case.”

3. Harman on taunts from British fans

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Brian Harman won the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in runaway fashion, which irked many of the fans in attendance. According to Harman, he was heckled and taunted relentlessly throughout the weekend as he pursued the highly coveted Claret Jug.”

• “He appeared on the Dan Patrick show on Tuesday and gave some insight as to what went on. The former Georgia Bulldog said it was “brutal” and “they did not want me to win that tournament.”

• “They don’t care for an underdog over there I suppose… It was brutal man.. I’ve always appreciated the fans there cause they’re very knowledgeable, they know when to clap, they know the game… guys like me I can can go to Tour events in the U.S. & a lot of people have no idea who I am & that’s totally fine, but over there they cover golf a little bit differently & so I’ve always appreciated their knowledge of the game but boy, did they not want me to win that golf tournament!”

4. Open Championship ratings

5. Evian Championship power ranking leaders

Via Kent Paisley at Golf Digest…

• 2. Linn Grant…Rolex Ranking: 21 Starts: 1 Best Finish: T-8, 2022

• Grant grabbed her anticipated first LPGA title at the Dana Open earlier this month. Given her dominance on the Ladies European Tour, with five wins between 2022 and this year, why wouldn’t that major breakthrough be on the European continent?

• 1. Hyo Joo Kim…Rolex Ranking: 8 Starts: 8 Best Finish: Win, 2014

• For a decade Kim has consistently been in contention at the Evian. She finished T-3 last year and held the 54-hole lead in 2019 before ending up T-2. The South Korean leads the LPGA in scoring average (69.62) and in greens in regulation this year, making the 28-year-old South Korean the pick for her second major title.

6. More FedEx Cup playoff spots? Billy Ho wants ‘em

Golf Channel’s Max Schreiber…”With two regular season events left this season, the 36-year-old Floridian is teeing it up in this week’s 3M Open, sitting 119th in the FedExCup standings. If this was years past, the top 125 would make the playoffs and Horschel would be inside the threshold. However, this year, the first playoff event was shaved from the top 125 to the top 70.”

• “I sort of consciously realized I may not make the playoffs this year about a month, month and a half ago,” Horschel said Tuesday at TPC Twin Cities, “and I wasn’t going to worry about the FedExCup playoffs. As much as I want to be a part of it, as much as I love being in that arena and trying to win another FedExCup trophy, I just couldn’t stress about that anymore, I couldn’t worry about it anymore.

• “I’m fortunate enough I’ve got a card for the next three or four years based off the wins I’ve had the last couple years.”

7. Don’t mess with Argentina!

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Emiliano Grillo goes scorched earth on heckler who insulted him and his country”

• “On Tuesday morning, Emiliano Grillo responded to a troll on Twitter who said that he thought Grillo would “go down like The Belgrano after joint leading at Day 1.”

• “The Belgrano was a ship sunk by the British during the Falklands/Malvinas Islands conflict.”

• “Grillo responded with, “Seeing how much of an idiot you are I would love to ask your mother how many times she dropped you on purpose. CON ARGENTINA NO TE METAS PELOTUDO”

• “Grillo’s Spanish phrase translates to “Don’t mess with Argentina, you ass.”

8. Photos from the 3M Open

Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!

9. Reminder: Members Choice voting is live (and wraps this week)

Vote now!!!