Reopening the Gates

While several big tournaments were postponed last season due to COVID, this summer they return­—with golf spectators now joining in on the fun.

July 1, 2021 | 3 min.
By Joseph Oberle

After a year of watching golf tournaments from their living room couch, golf fans can now experience the excitement of the game up close outside the ropes once again. COVID mandates removed fans from the sidelines in 2020, but those restrictions have begun to loosen with the spread of vaccinations, meaning golf fans can now return to the courses.

The relaxing local gathering rules are a boon for golf fans in Minnesota, where a handful of big tournaments promise to provide excellent golf spectating this summer. From the courageous golfers competing in the United States Blind Golf Association’s regional tournament in Fergus Falls to the PGA Tour pros assembling in Blaine for the 3M Open, golf fans can witness a variety of tournaments featuring talented golfers from around the country and world. Here is a preview of what to look for in the coming months.

3M Open
TPC Twin Cities, Blaine
July 22-25


The PGA Tour returns to the TPC Twin Cities course in Blaine this summer with the third 3M Open. Last season, the second installment was held without spectators, so local golf fans are gearing up for in-person viewing. By press time, few PGA Tour pros had committed, but it’s a safe bet that the two previous champions—inaugural champion Matthew Wolff and defending champion Michael Thompson—will be in the field. In 2019, Wolff made a long eagle putt on the final hole to best subsequent major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Colin Morikawa, while Thompson outlasted Adam Long for a two-stroke win (and nine other competitors three strokes back) last season.

Wolff set the tournament record of -21 under the first year, and Thompson’s winning number was two shots higher at -19 the following season, after the course was toughened up a bit in the interim. According to Tournament Media Director Lee Patterson, no alterations were made to the course this offseason. So, when fans return this summer for the tournament, they will see the course as Thompson and his cohorts found it in 2020.

Speaking of the fans, they will make a welcome return to TPC Twin Cities course to cheer on the competitors. The number of fans allowed to attend is still unknown. Patterson says that while some fans will be allowed on the course, the percentage of capacity is yet to be determined and changes weekly. The PGA Tour regulates that number, so watch for more information as the tournament nears at 3mopen.com/posts/3m-open-hospitality-and-grounds-tickets-on-sale-starting-may-19. For tickets, visit 3mopen.com/spectators/tickets. 

Land O’Lakes Legends Classic
The Meadows at Mystic Lake, Prior Lake
August 2-7


The inaugural Land O’Lakes Legends Classic brings local and national star power to The Meadows at Mystic Lake in August. This first-time event on the LPGA Legends Tour is co-owned and operated by local golf luminaries Michele Redman, former LPGA star and former coach of the University of Minnesota Lady Gophers golf team, and Jim Lehman, former MGA President and two-time MGA Player of the Year. 

“I wanted to get women’s golf back up in Minnesota and showcase the better known and best players that women’s golf has had,” Redman says. “I don’t think the women’s Senior Tour has enough exposure, and this is definitely a good start to that.”

Originally scheduled for last season, the event was postponed due to the pandemic, a decision applauded by Redman. Now, she and Lehman are excited to get fans to the course this summer, beginning with the pro-am scheduled for August 5.

“We can have up to 36 pro-am teams, including four amateurs and one pro,” Redman says. “And we are going to have junior clinics that day. The plan is to get a lot of younger players involved in the game and draw a lot of people out to the event. We’ve got to get back into going to golf tournaments again.”

The Legends Tour was founded in 2000 with the goal of showcasing the talents of some of the greatest women golfers of all time—including 15 LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members and players who have combined for more than 750 LPGA Tour victories. LPGA legend Nancy Lopez is committed to play in the event along with Redman, who had a good season in 2019 with a fourth in the Senior Women’s Am and a top 10 in the LPGA Senior Championship.

“I’m ready to get back out there and play again,” Redman says. “It will be a very competitive event, coming a week after the Senior Women’s Open, so a lot of the women will … let’s just say we won’t have a lot of rust on our game.”

Tickets are $25 for adults, while fans 17 and under are admitted for free. Tickets can be found at legendsclassicmn.com/spectators/tickets/. For more information, log onto legendsclassicmn.com/.

Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship
Windsong Farm Golf Club, Independence
July 6-9


Golf spectators in Minnesota are the beneficiaries of tournaments being held in the state a year after the pandemic postponed them, and the Trans Mississippi is another example. The 2021 version of the event will be conducted at Windsong Farm GC, one of the premier courses in the state.

One of the oldest and most prestigious golf organizations in the U.S., The Trans-Mississippi Golf Association was formed in 1901 and has been conducting its tournaments ever since. A list of past champions features four consecutive wins by local Harry Legg from 1909-1912, Jack Nicklaus (1958) and Ben Crenshaw (1972) and bodes well for the field coming to Independence in July. The list of recent winners includes current PGA Tour pros Cameron Champ (2017), Will Zalatoris (2014 and 2016) and major champions Colin Morikawa (2015) and Bryson DeChambeau (2013). The 2020 champion Pierceson Coody has been the defending champion for two calendar years now. 

The field has yet to be set for 2021 Trans-Miss, but it should be a great show—and local golf fans will be on hand to see it. For more information, visit trans-miss.org/index.php.

USBGA Midwest Regional 
Pebble Lake Golf Course, Fergus Falls
July 18-20


A golf tournament in Fergus Falls may be a long hike for many Minnesota golf fans, but consider the path the competitors haven taken to reach it. In mid-July, upwards of a dozen blind golfers will compete in the U.S. Blind Golf Association’s Midwest Regional tournament, and this unique competition will be worth the trek to witness it.

Curt Jones of Battle Lake, Minn., is a blind golfer, a member of the USBGA board and host of the regional tournament, which is taking place in Minnesota for the first time (see Backspin on page 40 for more on the competition). Spectators will recognize the game of golf being played, with just a few minor rules alterations.

“The rules are basically the same,” Jones says. “The only difference is a coach can line up your shot. Then they stand back and say ‘hit it.’ Hopefully you hit the ball. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you take a real nice divot. And you also can ground your club in a bunker.” 

According to Jones, tournament organizers are expecting 12-15 competitors and their coaches for the regional. Jones, with the help of Pebble Lake GC head pro Kevin Swenson, held a fundraising tournament in June and some junior clinics in the run-up to the event. 

“We couldn’t have done this without Kevin,” Jones says. “He’s been the key. There’s a lot more work that goes into it than we thought.”

There’s plenty of golf to watch in Minnesota this summer. But for the most unique golf tournament you will see in your lifetime, make the trip to Fergus Falls for this great mid-summer event. For more information, visit usblindgolf.com.

Joseph Oberle

Joe Oberle is an award-winning author, sportswriter, and has been the managing editor of Minnesota Golfer magazine since 2002. He’s covered the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL, Minnesota Twins and spent six seasons as publications manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he co-authored “Unstoppable: The Story of George Mikan.”

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