The timing of the Bernhard Langer celebrating his win at the 3M Championship in 2009. 3M Championship could attract some new (old) faces to the TPC in August. By Jon Roe T 28 he 3M Championship was named the best tournament on the Champions Tour circuit in 2009. A cynic could claim the Champions Tour did so not just because the 3M is the best tournament on the tour, but also because it wanted to stick the 3M with another challenging date for the 2010 season. The 3M was moved to August 6-8 at TPC Twin Cities in 2010 after being played in early July in 2009. At fi rst glance, the change in dates would seem to be advantageous, because August dates fi t more with family vacations and are more typical of golf tournament dates in Minnesota. But the fl y in the ointment for the 3M is the Champions Tour schedule both before and after those dates. Two weeks before the Minnesota tournament, the British Senior Open is played at Carnoustie in Scotland. The U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee in suburban Seattle is scheduled just one week prior to the 3M MINNESOTAGOLFER Summer 2010 Championship. Then, two weeks after the 3M is the Jeld-Wen Championship in Sunriver, Ore. That's three of the Champions Tour's fi ve majors that are scheduled immediately before or after the 3M. The players on the Champions Tour-who are all more than 50 years old-might not be anxious to tackle three majors and " the best tournament " on the tour in a span of fi ve weeks. But Hollis Cavner, the 3M's tournament director since the inception of the event in 1993, is the kind of optimist who could fall in a river and come out checking his pockets for fi sh. " Do I like the idea of three major events around the 3M? " Cavner asks. " No, I don't. But that's the way it is and we'll deal with it. We'll still have a great tournament. " And there's good reason for Cavner's prediction. The 3M has always been considered one Tom Lehman of the " must " stops on the Champions Tour because of the way Cavner runs the www.mngolf.org PHOTO BY MARK BRETTINGEN PHOTO BY MARK BRETTINGENhttp://www.mngolf.org