Featured Groups: 2018 Wells Fargo Championship

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Cameron Champ’s booming drives have made him quite the curiosity during his short time on the PGA TOUR. The rest of his improved game has turned him into a contender this week at the Country Club of Jackson. Champ shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead Thursday in the Sanderson Farms Championship. Cameron Tringale was a stroke back, and Rory Sabbatini, D.J. Trahan, Andres Romero, Chad Ramey and Robert Streb followed at 67. There were still 12 players on the course when play was suspended because of darkness. Seth Reeves was at 5 under through 16 holes. Champ’s drives sliced through the wet, windy and unseasonably cool conditions without much of a problem. On the par-4 18th, he blasted a 347-yard drive and hit his approach to 4 feet to set up his fifth back-nine birdie. The 23-year-old earned his PGA TOUR card on the Web.com Tour last season. Even more impressive about that 347-yard drive? He wasn’t really going for distance because of the weather conditions. “Today I was just trying to hit the fairways,” Champ said. “The rough out here is pretty thick.” Champ played in college at Texas A&M and said the windy conditions in that area of the country have given him plenty of practice for dealing with what he experienced on Thursday. He kept most of his drives in the fairway, which allowed him to have a solid day with his short game and putting. “It’s great that you can hit it far, but if other parts of your game aren’t good you’re not going to be able to play the game,” Champ said. “That’s just kind of the way I look at it now.” The slender 6-foot, 175-pound Champ doesn’t look like he’d be one of the TOUR’s biggest hitters, but he’s consistently among the leaders in that category. He averaged 328 yards per drive on his way to a tie for 25th at the Safeway Open this month, which is the only other event the rookie has played this season. The 31-year-old Tringale made the cut at the Safeway Open three weeks ago and had another good performance during Thursday’s first round. It’s an encouraging start to the season for someone who made just seven of 26 cuts last year. Tringale said better drives have allowed him to be more competitive. “It’s definitely nice to have a good opening round like this in this tournament and just something to build off,” Tringale said. “I’ll take all the positives I can and replay the good shots in my head tonight. “Hopefully I can have a few more days like it.” The soggy conditions in Jackson are expected to give way to much better weather during the final three rounds.

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Jhonattan Vegas (+250 for a Top 20) … Yes, Vegas in Vegas. With the requisite acknowledgment of that cute (but tired) connection out of the way, what shouldn’t be cast aside is his fit for The Summit Club. His driver and irons are his moneymakers, and they yielded over $2 million in 2020-21 with a trio of runner-up finishes among eight top 25s. The Venezuelan concluded the regular season with three top 20s and a T16 at the Olympics. Also rested since the entire month of September and first two weekends of October. Kevin Streelman (+250 for a Top 20) … The 42-year-old arrives having cashed in six consecutive starts, the first two of which top 20s. He has six top 20s in his last 12, three of which in majors. That’s what veteran moxie and taut ball-striking can do even as he embarks on his age-43 season. Completed 2020-21 ranked inside the top 35 on TOUR in total driving, greens hit, proximity, Strokes Gained: Approach and adjusted scoring. Alex Noren (+185 for a Top 20) … Now as an established fifth-year member of the PGA TOUR, the 39-year-old Swede presents as a threat just about every time he appears and despite having yet to connect for a victory in 112 career starts on the circuit. That’s because he’s a 10-time winner on the European Tour where he finished T12 at the Dunhill Links two weeks ago. Prior to it, he completed the Playoffs by going T4-T9 to land at a career-best 33rd in the FedExCup. For the season, he recorded 12 top 25s in 25 starts, largely on the strength of his patented putter (13th in Strokes Gained: Putting). Emiliano Grillo (+225 for a Top 20) … Although he’s fallen off the pace in recent months, the 29-year-old from Argentina always makes sense on unfamiliar greens. His tee-to-green precision slotted him 17th in total driving and third in greens in regulation last season. He also co-led the PGA TOUR in proximity to the hole. Best of all, a midseason improvement with his putter swung the needle into positive territory in Strokes Gained: Putting for a couple of months into the summer. Joohyung (Tom) Kim (+800 for a Top 20) … If you haven’t been introduced to the talent from South Korea, you’ve been missing out. At just 19 years of age, he’s 151st in the Official World Golf Ranking and fourth from his homeland. Only Sungjae Im (21st), Si Woo Kim (46th) and K.H. Lee (59th) slot higher. Nicknamed after Thomas The Tank Engine, Kim is a two-time winner on the KPGA where he’s currently second in Genesis Points (with seven top fives in the last six months) and first in both scoring average and birdie average. He’s also 13th in fairways hit, fifth in greens in regulation and 22nd in putts per GIR. In five starts on the PGA TOUR in 2020-21, he cashed four times, including a solo 64th in THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK and a personal-best T15 in Puerto Rico when he still was 18. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. For live odds, visit betmgm.

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