Three local players looking to eventually play their way to full-time status on the PGA Tour are in the field for this year’s 3M Open: Minneapolis-native Derek Hitchner, Blaine’s Caleb VanArragon and North Oaks’ Frankie Capan III.

The 3M Open is the PGA Tour debut for Hitchner and VanArragon. Capan made his debut way back in 2016 at the Puerto Rico Open, then qualified for this year’s U.S. Open earlier this summer.

The trio were granted sponsor exemptions to play in this year’s 3M Open.

Hitchner, a Blake-grad, is currently playing on the PGA Canada Tour in his first season as a pro. He played a 3M Open practice round Tuesday with his former Pepperdine University teammate Sahith Theegala. Pepperdine had an NCAA national championship, NCAA semifinal and quarterfinal appearances in his last three seasons.

Click the video box above to watch KSTP Sports chat with Blake-grad Derek Hitchner as he prepared to make his PGA Tour debut at the 2023 3M Open

KSTP Sports also spotlighted Hitchner a year ago when he made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship.

VanArragon heads into the 3M Open coming off record-shattering, back-to-back runaway wins in major Minnesota Golf Association events.

He won the Minnesota Open three weeks ago by nine shots, then took the Minnesota State Amateur Championship by twelve strokes.

VanArragon will play his fifth season at Valparaiso University in Indiana this fall.

Capan is currently pursuing a full-time PGA Tour card playing on the Korn Ferry Tour – the top minor circuit that feeds the Tour.

He’s currently ranked 36th. The top 30 receive Tour cards for next season.

He played college golf at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Click the video box below to watch interviews with Frankie Capan III, Caleb VanArragon and North Dakotan Tom Hoge as they prepare to play in front of a home crowd at the 3M Open