The 3M Open truly was Golf That Matters.
Of course it was for Matthew Wolff, 20, who won the inaugural 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in just his third start as a professional golfer.
But did you know that the 3M Open was always more than just a golf tournament? All proceeds from the event will be donated to local charity partners through the 3M Open Fund to improve lives in Minnesota.
That means more than $1.5 million will go to local charities, including pillar partners the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the National Park Foundation.
· By giving back to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, grants from the 3M Open Fund will bring hope and healing to young patients and their families.
· By supporting the Science Museum of Minnesota, the grants will foster access to programs that promote science education within our communities.
· Grants made by the 3M Open Fund to the National Park Foundation will help inspire people to connect with and protect the historical, cultural and natural resources preserved in America’s national parks.
3M volunteers step up
In addition, 3Mers had a chance through the Community Caddie Program to get first-hand exposure to the impact the tournament and 3M can have on the community.
Since April, the 3M Community Caddies – 198 of them – put in 384 hours of volunteer time, impacting 3,595 community lives through events at the Masonic Children’s Hospital, the Science Museum and area parks for the National Park Foundation.
#GolfThatMatters
Even fans at the 3M Open and beyond were able to make a difference: 3M invited people to share their 3M Open experience on Twitter and Instagram between July 1 and 7 by using #GolfThatMatters. For each post, 3M donated $3 to the 3M Open Fund, for a maximum donation amount of $10,000.
The message was broadcast to viewers of CBS during the tournament, as well as being shared by @CBSSports on Twitter.
3M Open Ambassador
Helping to make the event memorable was the 3M Open Ambassador Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings, who attended the 3M Open and mingled with fans. Here’s he’s joined by Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild while the duo is quizzed by Braxton, a child from the Masonic Children’s Hospital, about 3M science innovations placed around the course. How do you think they did?
3M innovation brought to life
The 3M Open was a great platform to highlight some of the science and innovation from 3M.
Tucked along the approach of the 18th green, the 3M Open Social Hub tent drew in fans looking for a cool place to hang out. Greg Cleveland, chair and bag in hand, was surprised as he walked past an interactive flip-disc display. The display reacted to movement, so passerby suddenly saw an image of themselves created by thousands of individual discs. Greg turned to look as he heard the display clicking out his likeness.
“You hear it first, then you look to see, ‘What is it?’ and see your own silhouette as you go by. So that was pretty amazing,” said Greg, who was most closely following fellow left hander Phil Mickelson on the course this day.
Just outside, Blaine grade schooler Drew Lindquist tried his hand putting against a KUKA Robotics robot.
“I thought I was going to beat it …” Drew said, trailing off as he stared at his competitor. The robot bested the young golfer by one shot.
Does Drew think he’ll someday see robots out on the TPC course?
“No,” he said flatly.
Conor Kinsella, a 3Mer who worked with KUKA on creating the putting experience, said he’s seen firsthand how the tournament’s goal of creating “Golf That Matters” has come to life.
“I think the charitable aspect of ‘Golf That Matters’ is really important and a nice additional benefit to a great event – by actually being able to give back,” he said.
Brooks’ kicks
It wasn’t just fans and 3Mers giving back, either.
Golfer Brooks Koepka autographed a pair of shoes he wore for both the 3M Open and the Ryder Cup and auctioned them off to raise money for the 3M Open Fund. After just 17 bids, the shoes went for $10,000. Brooks will match that amount to make for a total of $20,000 going to the 3M Open Fund.
Helping veterans in need
Event sponsor Polaris made an impact during the 3M Open, too.
The company donated a rescue dog to K9s for Warriors, a group that takes dogs from high-kill shelters and trains them to be service animals for veterans in need.
The donation was made at the military outpost near the 17th hole at TPC Twin Cities.
A mind for science and golf
Bryson DeChambeau, who took the No. 2 spot at the tournament, is known as a golfer always looking for how science can affect his game – so much so that he toured 3M’s World of Innovation exhibit and met with John Banovetz, chief technology officer at 3M, ahead of the tournament.
“I love understanding and growing human potential,” he told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “That’s something I’m all about.
The dates for the 2020 3M Open will be July 20-26.
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