Cameron Champ shoots 65, takes one-stroke lead at Sanderson Farms

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Rory McIlroy shot his second straight 4-under 66 in the third round of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at steamy TPC Southwind. At 6 under for the tournament, he’s too far back to win. A top-10 finish? Maybe. But the real question was which scores are more indicative of how he’s playing, the 66s or his opening 72? “Oh, the last two rounds,” said McIlroy, who is sharing a house this week with his caddie, Harry Diamond, and Sergio Garcia, who has been doing the cooking. “The first round was – I switched lob wedges, I got TaylorMade to overnight me a lob wedge yesterday because obviously the conditions here are way different than the conditions we’ve been playing.” McIlroy duffed two chips in his 2-over 72 on Thursday, and he realized it was because the grass at TPC Southwind is so different to the courses he has been playing. From Torrey Pines South (U.S. Open) he flew overseas for a brief stretch of links golf followed by the Olympics in Tokyo. “And then I got here with a lob wedge with a sole that just completely was no good in Bermuda,” he said, “and I chunked a few chips on Thursday and I just was like, I’m usually a pretty good chipper of the ball. I just went back to a sole that I’ve used before, especially that I’ve done well with in Bermuda conditions, and it’s been a little better around the greens the last couple days.” McIlroy has gotten up and down to save par seven times in nine attempts the last two days, and also has returned to his dominance with the driver. After admittedly struggling for months, he hit 12 of 14 fairways Saturday thanks in part, he said, to a return to his natural athleticism. “I know what I do well with the driver,” he said. “I’ve done it my whole career. I turn big, wide, sort of wind up and then sort of hang on my right side and throw my arms and my body at it. You know, I was trying to go away from using my talent and my hands and trying to just sort of do it all with body turn and try to make it very mechanically efficient. “But I sort of came to the realization that I’m pretty good with my hands,” he continued, “and I’m pretty good at matching it up and it’s okay to rely on your talent.” The two-time FedExCup winner plans to take next week off before the start of the Playoffs, THE NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National, Aug. 19-22.

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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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The LPGA Tour’s Cambia Portland Classic will be played as scheduled Sept. 17-20 without fans at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, and the Kia Classic has been postponed until March.

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