Cameron Champ lives up to name at Sanderson Farms Championship

Cameron Champ won his first career PGA title over the weekend at the Sanderson Farms Championship. After only nine starts on tour, the 23-year-old is showing that he’s ready for the big show.

At the Jackson Country Club in Mississippi, Cameron Champ proved he was more than just a big hitter. Known for his prowess off the tee, Champ won not with his driver, but with his putter. He managed birdies on five of his last six holes Sunday, and won by four strokes. He posted a final score of 21-under, with a four under 68 on Sunday’s final round.

Champ always gave it away during the first nine holes. 26-year-old Canadian Corey Connors shot three under on the front. Pairing this with Cameron Champ’s strugglesome one over found them in a tie after those first nine holes.

There was a real concern that Cameron Champ might struggle on Sunday. During his pre-round warm-ups that day, he broke the head off of his driver. For someone who is a long hitter, comfort with your driver is a must. Champ didn’t think it had anything to do with the accuracy issues Sunday, putting it down to nerves and adrenaline. “The front side, there were some nerves, but on the back side, I brought it all together and finished strong. It was awesome.”

Cameron Champ was able to take control of the tournament once they got to the 13th hole. He made four straight birdies to find himself two up with two left. He ended up winning by four, and showed that he is going to be a player to watch during the 2019 PGA season.

More from Pro Golf Now

The win for Champ gives him more than just a nice champion’s purse. His winnings from Sanderson are $792,000, quite the purse for the first time winner. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup points, which puts him on a great path for the upcoming season. Perhaps most importantly, Champ is now a full member on the PGA TOUR through the 2020-21 season.

The weekend started off great for Cameron Champ. He shot a seven under on day one to take the lead, and it was something he didn’t relinquish all weekend, as he lead wire-to-wire. Thursday wasn’t even his best round, as he was able to put together an eight under 64 on Saturday. When all was said and done, Champ birdied over a third of the holes, totaling 28 birdies and seven bogeys.

All golf fans should keep an eye on Champ, if they aren’t familiar with him already. Known for being a huge hitter off the tee, Champ is able to cut down the length of courses with ease. He averaged just over 328 yards on his driving distance at Sanderson, consistently hitting bombs. He managed to win the tournament, even though he only found the fairway half of the time. Champ is drawing comparisons to a long-drive champion with a world-class short game, which is a brutal combination to beat.

Next. 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open: Power Rankings. dark

It has been a great start to the season for Cameron Champ with his first ever PGA Tour win. If the youngster can keep the ball in the fairway more often than not, his name is one that you are likely going to continue to see on the leaderboard.

Home/Golf News