Some Minnesota golf fans might have sneered at the lack of the sport's biggest names in Blaine this year because golfers either wanted to rest after the British Open or were headed to Tokyo for the Olympics.
But nowhere else on the planet this week could you find a men's golf Olympic medalist teeing it up in competition.
The four golfers who represented the United States as the men's golf team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson — all competed at the 3M Open in Blaine. Kuchar was tops of the bunch, taking home the bronze medal after a scorching 8-under 63 on the final day.
"What an incredible experience," said Kuchar, who made a hole-out eagle on the second hole in Friday's second round but missed the cut by a stroke. "I look back and still beam with pride just thinking about it."
Fowler didn't have his best stuff in Rio, finishing 37th out of 60 golfers, but that hardly diminished his time there. The Opening Ceremony, he said, was a "spectacle" and because the tee times for the Games were generally in the middle of the day he and other golfers were able to attend several events.
That included Fowler being front-row poolside for the 4x100-meter medley relay final, Michael Phelps' 23rd and final gold medal.
Fowler got an Olympics rings tattoo on his right forearm after he retuned home, a few weeks before representing the United States in the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National.
"It was pretty special because you're around people that, that's everything that they've worked for; the pinnacle of their sport," Fowler said. "It wasn't necessarily a dream of golfers growing up to be in the Olympics. [But] it's a super cool experience."