2021 PGA Championship: Cameron Champ Struggles Big Time
By Tim Letcher
Cameron Champ is one of the most talented young players on the PGA Tour. But on Thursday at the 2021 PGA Championship, Champ experienced a very tough day.
It started badly and just got worse for Champ. Starting on the back nine, his tee shot on the 10th hole went way left (at least he avoided the water). He was forced to pitch out with his second and eventually made a double bogey. He was 2-over par after just one hole.
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On the 11th hole, Champ overcompensated for his drive to the left on his first hole. His drive on the 11th went way right, into the native area. He took a drop on his way to a bogey six. He was 3-over par through two holes.
Champ bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 12th hole, getting back to 2-over. He would par the next two holes to stay at that number.
On the par-4 15th hole, Champ went right with his drive again. His second shot got him close to the green but he was unable to get up-and-down. A bogey five dropped him back to 3-over par.
He bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 16th hole and closed his first nine with two pars. Champ shot a 2-over par 38 on his first nine.
On his second nine is where things went off the rails for Champ.
He parred the first hole before running into serious trouble at the second. On the par five, Champ hit his drive into the water. After a penalty, he dropped in a waste bunker. His third shot got him back into the fairway, but he was still 190 yards from the green. His fourth shot went way left but he recovered, getting his fifth shot near the green. But he needed three more shots to get in, finishing the hole with a triple-bogey eight. He dropped to 5-over for his round.
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Champ would double bogey the fifth hole and recorded bogeys on the seventh and ninth. He finished his second nine with a 44, giving him a 10-over par round of 82.
When he finished, Champ was ahead of only John Daly, who is playing largely in a ceremonial role this week. It was a tough experience for Champ, one that he will hopefully learn from moving forward.