Pros battled the elements Friday at Royal Birkdale

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Scott Piercy shot a 6-under 65 to share the 3M Open lead with Sungjae Im after the first round Thursday. Tony Finau was two strokes back, with three near misses of birdie putts over his last four holes, along with Brice Garnett, Doug Ghim, Emiliano Grillo and Tom Hoge. On a dry, windy, 86-degree day at the TPC Twin Cities in suburban Minneapolis, the course’s penchant for producing low scores held up once again. Playing in the second group of the day off the first tee, Piercy made 151 feet worth of putts. He birdied four of the first five holes on his back nine. The 43-year-old Piercy, who led the 3M Open in 2019 by two strokes after the first round, is one of several on-the-fringe players in the field this year seeking a late-season lift in the FedEx Cup race. Piercy arrived in Minnesota in 138th place, with the cut for the playoffs at 125 and two events left after this to qualify. In four of his last six starts, Piercy has failed to advance to the weekend. On TOUR since 2009, Piercy has four career wins. Just last week, he switched his caddie, his swing coach, his driver and his putter — an uncharacteristically drastic series of decisions for him. “Every shot counts, and it’s time to buckle down,” Piercy said. “Not that we don’t try to buckle down all the time, but there’s extra buckling down, I guess. To start off this way is really nice.” Im, who’s 19th in the FedEx Cup standings and 24th in the world, birdied four of his last six holes. The 24-year-old from South Korea tied for eighth at the Masters this year but tied for 81st last week at the British Open. Finau, the lone member of last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team and the 17th-ranked player in the world, has two top-five finishes this summer. The Utah player missed a 3-foot birdie putt on 15 and left a 4-footer for birdie just short on 16. Then on the 18th, his tee and approach shots were spot on, but an 8-foot birdie putt lipped out and settled 4 inches from the cup. Making two of those three would’ve put him in the lead. The highest-ranked player in the field, Hideki Matsuyama, withdrew. He cited a sore wrist after shooting a 77 to match his worst round of the season, his Saturday at the Masters on April 9. Entering the week in eighth place in the FedEx Cup race and the world’s No. 14 player, Matsuyama hit into the water three times on the unforgiving and lakeside 18th hole and took a quadruple-bogey 9. Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters winner and a fourth-place finisher at the U.S. Open this summer, tied for seventh at the first edition of the 3M Open in 2019. Mardy Fish, the former tennis star who’s playing on a sponsor exemption, was tied for last at 81.

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For Cameron Champ, if it felt personal, it's because it was. After all, it was a place where he'd been going for as long as he could remember. There were photos of him up as a 10-year-old there. Someplace where an hour, sometimes two, could pass by just like that. It was home. So, when Champ, the Cameron Champ Foundation, and his partners at SAP made the decision to support Black-owned small businesses as part of a new initiative, who got the first call was an easy decision - it'd be to Chris Cannon, owner of Prostyle Barber Shop, in Champ's hometown of Sacramento, California. "During Black History Month this year, I wanted to do something a little different," Champ said. "For me, with the COVID situation, it's really hurting the small business owners all around the nation. ...I'm excited to be able to do it, especially with the first one hitting home to me." During each week of the month of February, in collaboration with the SAP Spotlight Black Businesses program, the two-time PGA TOUR winner will be supporting a select Black-owned small business by displaying their logo on his golf bag and golf ball, and bringing awareness to their business via his social media channels. SAP and SRS Distribution have given up their logo space on Champ's golf bag to help amplify these small businesses, and Srixon and PING have contributed the custom golf balls and golf bags. Additionally, for each tournament that Champ, 25, betters his 320-yard driving distance average during the month, SAP and the Cameron Champ Foundation will make a $10,000 donation to that week's featured business. The first to receive a $10,000 donation, you ask? Chris Cannon, of course. "Cameron and SAP's Spotlight Black Business initiative has been a blessing to me and Prostyle," Cannon said. "The hard work I've put into my business went unnoticed for a long time, but the initiative has shined a new light on me and my small business. "The pandemic almost closed our doors for good. The recognition and donation gave a well needed boost to the shop. It got the word out that we're open and ready for work." Three of Champ's four selections have been shared publicly thus far, each with a nod to his California roots. RÊVE Bistro in Lafayette, California - about an hour outside Champ's hometown - followed Prostyle Barber Shop. At The Genesis Invitational this week, the former Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient - since 2009, awarded by the tournament to a golfer representing a minority background and honoring the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African American to compete on the modern-day PGA TOUR - went with the local flavor, choosing Jackfruit Café in Los Angeles. "This last year has been one of immense challenges for us personally and as restaurant owners," said Paul Magu-Lecugy, owner of RÊVE Bistro. "Keeping a positive attitude for our family, our guests, and our team as well as finding ways we could give back regardless of what we are dealing with has been the highest priority for us and kept us going. To be chosen by Cameron Champ...is humbling and such a huge blessing." For Champ, the blessings will continue on for another week. His impact on the racial equity and inclusion conversation, however, will last long beyond. "I'm super excited to be able to do this," Champ said, "just to show the support and love." To learn more about the Cameron Champ Foundation and its collaboration with the SAP Spotlight Black Businesses program, please click here.

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Steven Alker and Bob Estes share the lead after the first round of the Senior PGA Championship after both golfers shot 64 on Thursday.

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