Aided by a hot putter, Cameron Champ lit up TPC Twin Cities over the weekend, closing with rounds of 67, 67 and 66, to claim victory at the 3M Open.
Entering Minnesota with a world ranking of No. 119, amid a horrendous season, the controversial golfer lit up the scoring sheet to claim a two-shot victory over a trio which included Venezuala’s Jhonny Vegas (68) and South Africans Louis Oosthuizen (66) and Charl Schwartzel (68).
Champ finished Sunday with a bogey-free scorecard, featuring five birdies en route to a four-round total of 15-under par.
“Again, coming down the stretch I felt very calm, very relaxed and kind of in my zone,” said Champ, who had posted just a single top-25 finish all year (T11 John Deere).
“Obviously 18 made it a little interesting. I felt like I hit a great second shot from where that lie was, and obviously hit a great approach there into about two feet and made the putt.”
With the win, the 26-year-old Champ earned $1,118,000 and 500 FedExCup points to move to 49th in the points race and No. 56 on the money list. He also secured 40 OWGR points and will jump to No. 66 (from 119) in the Official World Golf Rankings – a career best.
3M Open
Final-Round Leaderboard: Top-10
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 4)
1. Cam Champ -15 (-5)
2. Louis Oosthuizen -13 (-5)
2. Jhonattan Vegas -13 (-3)
2. Charl Schwartzel -13 (-3)
5. Keith Mitchell -12 (-4)
6. Mito Pereira -11 (-4)
6. Adam Hadwin -11 (-3)
6. Brian Stuard -11 (-2)
6. K.H. Lee -11 (-2)
6. Ryan Armour -11 (-1)
PGA Tour Media press releases, post-round notes, transcripts, and statistics were used to compile this report.
