It will be the first time the Tour will play a regular event in Minnesota since the St. Paul Open/Minnesota Golf Classic was last played in 1969. Dates for the 3M Open will be announced in the coming weeks as the 2018-19 schedule is set.
The final 3M Championship in Minnesota will be played August 3-5 this year. The PGA Tour event will be held on the same course, the TPC Twin Cities.
A press conference on the announcement is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Monday.
For the first time in 50 years, Minnesota will host an annual PGA Tour event.
"Minnesota has showcased how good golf is here", said Hollis Cavner, executive director of Pro Links Sports, which will manage the 3M Open.
Minnesota is known for its fervent support of golf, which extends to the U.S. Women's Open in 2008 and the Solheim Cup in 2002, both at Interlachen. Look at how successful we've been on the Champions Tour.
"It's hard" to recruit top PGA Tour players for an event, Cavner said. "We know the players will want to come here and play", he said, noting representatives for several players - notably Rory McIlroy - had already contacted him to congratulate him on landing the event.
Cavner expects the event to host most of the PGA Tour's top players.
With two existing events moving to the fall portion of the schedule, the PGA Tour has two vacancies in play for the 3M Open that are in the prime portion of the schedule.
Cavner cited PGA Tour research saying events generate between $50M and $75M in host markets.
It will play between 7,400 and 7,600 yards for the PGA Tour event; plans are to add "six to 10" new tee boxes to add "300 to 600 yards" to the course over the next couple of years. Cavner said tickets for the PGA Tour event will be "reasonably priced" and children will be admitted free.
Cavner took over the struggling Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., just north of Tampa, and coaxed Tiger Woods into playing this year's tournament in early March.
