Tom Hoge, Hayden Springer and Stefano Mazzoli give TCU three compelling rooting interests at the 3M Open, with Mazzoli arriving fresh off a PGA Tour win Sunday.
Three former TCU golfers are bringing a purple edge to the 3M Open this week, and this isn’t simply a sentimental alumni roll call.
Tom Hoge, Hayden Springer and Stefano Mazzoli are all competing at TPC Twin Cities, giving Horned Frogs fans three very different reasons to keep one eye glued to the PGA Tour leaderboard.
Hoge is the established name of the group. The veteran owns a PGA Tour victory and has recorded four top-10 finishes during the 2026 season.
He entered the tournament 75th in the FedExCup standings, making every birdie in Minnesota valuable as the playoff race begins squeezing players near the cutoff.
Long before becoming one of the Tour’s most dependable iron players, Hoge earned honorable-mention All-America recognition at TCU in 2009.
Now he’s trying to turn another solid season into a late charge toward the FedExCup Playoffs.
Springer arrives with even more urgency.
He has one top-10 finish this season and needs a serious move before the PGA Tour postseason arrives.
The Trophy Club native finished his college career at TCU after beginning at Texas Tech, then captured the 2019 Big 12 individual championship with an 8-under 202 at The Greenbrier.
Springer has shown that his game carries a dangerous scoring gear.
At a tournament where players can’t afford to spend four days grinding out pars, that ability to catch fire could be his ticket to a badly needed leaderboard surge.
Then there’s Mazzoli, the wild card who suddenly looks like the hottest former Horned Frog in the field.
Mazzoli earned his first PGA Tour victory just days before the 3M Open, charging from four shots behind with a final-round 66 to win the Corales Puntacana Championship at 20-under 268.
He buried a 24-foot birdie on the final hole, won by one stroke and secured PGA Tour membership through 2027.
That’s one way to arrive in Minnesota without needing an introduction.
Mazzoli’s TCU resume was already loaded. He was a two-time All-American, earned All-Big 12 recognition twice and shared medalist honors at the NCAA Austin Regional.
Now he gets an immediate opportunity to prove his breakthrough victory wasn’t a one-week ambush.
The 3M Open is a pressure cooker for players chasing FedExCup points, job security and momentum. Hoge has the experience. Springer has the urgency. Mazzoli has the fresh trophy and absolutely no reason to play scared.
Three former Horned Frogs entered the week—and each has something very different on the line.
