Champ Lives Up To His Name As He Claims PGA Tour's 3M Open Title

Blaine (AP) Cameron Champ fended off dehydration and crisply putted his way to a 5-under 66 on Sunday, winning the 3M Open by two strokes for his third career victory. The 26-year-old Champ had five birdies in a bogey-free round to finish at 15-under 269 at TPC Twin Cities. Louis Oosthuizen, Jhonattan Vegas and Charl Schwartzel tied for second.

Champ jumped from 142nd to 49th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 125 getting into the playoff opener. “I got dehydrated. I could just tell. My body started to, kind of, just getting, I do not know, not weak, but I can just feel it (his body) kind of (getting) light-headed and stuff like that,” said Champ.

“And the Gatorade definitely helped on the 16 (16th hole). It kind of gave me that extra push. And on 18 (18th hole), I am going to hit a driver every time, no matter what. It is a very difficult driving hole for me. “But, again, it is one of those holes where, if I hit it left over there, then the majority of times, I have a chance to punch out. And the times I do hit the fairway, it will be an easy par-five to get into. “But again, obviously, I kind of made it a little interesting there at the end (as his fourth shot was key in setting him up for par at the 18th hole).” Oosthuizen shot 66, too, in a much stronger finish than the previous weekend at the British Open, where his 54-hole lead turned into a tie for third after a fourth-round 71. Playing six pairs ahead of Champ, Oosthuizen birdied three of the last four holes to give himself an outside chance. His approach to the 18th green almost yielded an eagle on the PGA Tour’s hardest par-5 hole, but the ball lipped out. He made a 2 1/2 foot putt for birdie instead.

Schwartzel, his fellow South African, posted a 68 to match Vegas in the final round. During another 90-degree day, Champ was far from his physical best. He felt some dizziness along the back nine, putting his hands on his knees at one point as he hung his head to try to regain some composure. (AP) .

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