ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Cameron Champ’s driving distance may be unprecedented, but Davis Love III can relate to the advantage Champ has over his peers. Three decades ago, Love was the rookie whose length was the talk of the TOUR. He led in driving distance during his debut season, averaging 286 yards off the tee. That’s almost 50 yards less than Champ’s eye-popping figure this season, but in 1986 Love was 9 percent longer than the TOUR average (262 yards). Champ is averaging 335 yards, nearly 13 percent longer than the TOUR’s early-season average of 297.1 yards. They played together Thursday at The RSM Classic and, as testament to the myriad ways golf can be played, Love came out one-stroke ahead. Love, 54, is the tournament host and a World Golf Hall of Famer. Champ, 23, is just five starts into his rookie season. The living legend sits tied for fourth at 5 under while the electrifying rookie is tied for seventh place after carding a 68. “It was fun. A lot of memories of when I was the rookie long hitter,â€� Love said. “No 3-wood, that was pretty cool because that was me in 1986.â€� The tree-lined Plantation Course was protected from the high winds that blew in off the Atlantic and made the other course in use this week, Sea Island’s Seaside layout, play a stroke over par. The cold weather is expected to continue as Love and Champ tackle Seaside on Friday. Love called Thursday’s weather the worst he’s seen in tournament history. Love would be the oldest winner in TOUR history if he could finish atop the leaderboard on Sunday. Champ would put an exclamation point on a breakout fall season. He also would tighten his grip on the Rookie of the Year award, for which he is the early front-runner. Champ already won this season’s Sanderson Farms Championship and finished 10th at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He is ninth in the FedExCup standings. Love and Champ had Thursday’s largest gallery. Fans didn’t brave Thursday’s cold temperature just to see the long-hitting rookie. They also came for Love, who doubles as the tournament host and is a longtime resident of the area. Champ started the round with a double-bogey on the first hole. He played the final four holes of his front nine in 5 under, though. He birdied Nos. 15-17 before chipping in for eagle on the par-5 18th. He made two birdies on his back nine before closing his round with a bogey. Champ’s comeback illustrated the maturity that has helped him succeed in little more than a year as a pro. That attribute may be just as important as his ballyhooed driving distance. “I think prior in my golfing career, I probably would have went very south from there, but we had 17 holes and plenty of golf to make it up,â€� Champ said. Love had four birdies and two bogeys on his front nine, then added three birdies on his back nine. He has challenged for his hometown TOUR title just once before. He shared the 54-hole lead with Jim Furyk in 2012 before shooting a 1-over 71 in the final round. Love showed promising signs two weeks ago, though. He led the field at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Strokes Gained: Approach. He was second-to-last in Strokes Gained: Putting, though. “I putted well today and it saved me,â€� he said. The longest club in the bag can draw inordinate attention, but the shortest one should not be overlooked. Â
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