CHAMP JUMPS TO WORLD NO.70
Week 39

24-year-old Cameron Champ won the Safeway Open on Sunday for his second PGA TOUR title. He made a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a one-stroke victory over Adam Hadwin moving to a career best of World No.70.

Victor Perez overcame Matthew Southgate in an enthralling final day duel to win his first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship breaking into the World’s Top 100 for the first time at World No.72.

Japan’s Toshinori Muto collected a seventh OWGR Eligible Tournament victory in style after closing with a second straight seven-under-par 64 to win by four shots at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship on Sunday, a tournament sanctioned by the Asian and Japan Golf Tour.

30TH SEPTEMBER 2019 | 12:00 AM

PGA Tour – Safeway Open

Playing while his grandfather fights cancer in nearby Sacramento, the 24-year-old Champ won the Safeway Open on Sunday for his second PGA TOUR title. He made a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a one-stroke victory over Adam Hadwin at Silverado Resort.

Champ raised both arms then shared a long embrace with his caddie before breaking into tears as he hugged his father, Jeff, on the green. Champ's grandfather, Mack, is battling stomach cancer and is in hospice. Mack introduced Champ to golf at a young age.

"For me to do something like this, for me to win, and for him to be able to witness and watch on TV, I know he was probably amped up," Champ said. "For him to be able to see me make that putt on 18 on the 72nd hole, that will go down as the greatest moment ever in my career.

"It was just kind of meant to be. Everything fell into place."

Champ's second victory in 33 events didn't come without its moments, especially down the stretch.

Three strokes ahead entering the round, Champ had five birdies and overcame a bogey on No. 17 -- "Adrenaline," Champ said -- to hold off Hadwin. Champ closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 17-under 271.

Afterward, Champ was handed a cell phone by his father. On the other end was Mack.

"With everything going on with my family, with my grandpa, I wasn't sure if I was even going to play," Champ said. "I showed up Thursday and teed it up with no practice round, nothing. The whole week there was nothing else on my mind. It just kind of blurred everything else."

Hadwin birdied the final three holes for a 67 to tie Champ at 16 under, then watched from nearby as Champ nearly chipped in for eagle on 18 before making the short birdie putt.

"At least I made him think about it a little bit," Hadwin said. "I knew I had to do something special. Put a little pressure on him and made him make birdie for it."

Champ missed every fairway on the front nine but made several big second shots to stay in front. None was more impressive than after he drove into the far left rough on the par-5 fifth, pitched up and over a tall tree and onto the green 17 feet away and two-putted for birdie.

Champ bogeyed No. 8, but rebounded with a birdie on No. 9. He had a short chip-in for par on No. 11 after chunking his approach shot.

"I just kept grinding," said Champ, who had 21 birdies in the four rounds. "I got some key up-and-downs. The chip-in on 11 was huge, and the up-and-down on 15 just kind of kept my round going."

Champ's only other TOUR victory came last October in Mississippi at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He hadn't finished higher than sixth since, missing the cut 12 times.

European Tour - Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Victor Perez overcame Matthew Southgate in an enthralling final day duel to win his first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship breaking into the World’s Top 100 for the first time at World No.72.

The Frenchman has been based in nearby Dundee since last year and used all the links expertise he has gathered in his 18 months living on Scotland's east coast to card a 70 over the Old Course at St Andrews and get to 22 under.

He and Southgate were tied at the top heading into the final day and they were still locked together on the 17th tee in a two horse race that ebbed and flowed throughout the afternoon.

A Southgate bogey on the penultimate hole handed Perez the initiative and the Englishman signed for a 71 to finish a shot back on the course where he had won the St Andrews Links Trophy as an amateur nine years previously.

Swede Joakim Lagergren finished at 20 under after a 69 for a third top four finish at this event, with England's Paul Waring alongside him after a 70.

Asian and Japan Golf Tour - Panasonic Open Golf Championship

Japan’s Toshinori Muto collected a seventh OWGR Eligible Tournament victory in style after closing with a second straight seven-under-par 64 to win by four shots at the Panasonic OPEN Golf Championship on Sunday, a tournament sanctioned by the Asian and Japan Golf Tour.

The 41-year-old Muto halted a winless streak of four years after firing eight birdies against a bogey to cap a winning total of 21-under-par 263, setting a record lowest 72-hole score in the tournament that is celebrating its 10th edition this week.

Starting the day with a one-shot edge, Muto rode on his fine form to pull away from the chasing pack at the Higashi Hirono Golf Club. His four-shot triumph would also match the largest winning margin record in the tournament set earlier by Daisuke Maruyama in 2009.

KPGA Korean Golf Tour - DGB Financial Group Volvik Daegu Gyeongbuk Open

Bio Kim won the DGB Financial Group Volvik Daegu Gyeongbuk Open, his second Korean title this season, scoring 6 birdies and two bogies with a total of 17 under par 271 strokes.

Kim earned 9 Ranking points moving from World No. 458 to World No. 302.

Challenge Tour - Hopps Open de Provence

Lars van Meijel won his first European Challenge Tour title, carding a bogey-free final round of 67, five under par, to win the Hopps Open de Provence.

The Dutchman, playing in just his second Challenge Tour season, only dropped one shot over the weekend at the Seve Ballesteros-designed Golf International de Pont Royal, recording rounds of 69-67-69-67 for a 16 under par total and a one stroke victory.

Van Meijel started the day as one of three overnight leaders alongside Canadian Aaron Cockerill and home favourite Antoine Rozner. While Cockerill and Rozner made mistakes on the front nine, van Meijel kept his cool and gained three shots ahead of the turn.

He maintained his form on the back nine as four consecutive pars were rewarded with a birdie at the par five 14th to remain in contention as players fought for position at the top of the leaderboard.

With Sebastian Heisele racing to the front and setting the target at 15 under par, van Meijel made one final birdie of the round at the 17th to move ahead of the German before two putts for par at the 72nd hole sealed the win.

“I’m speechless right now,” said van Meijel. “It feels incredible to win. I was grinding it out all day, trying to focus on every shot, and then you get to end, and realise you’ve managed to do.

“It hasn’t sunk it yet. It was the first time I was leading ahead of the final round. I’ve done it before but not on the Challenge Tour and that felt a lot different. I’m really happy to get across the line.

“I knew from yesterday that the scores would be changing all the time, so made sure to focus on my own game and try and go as low as possible. I felt 16 under par would be close to the winning score.

“After 12 holes I thought I would need to make a couple more birdies. I looked at the scoreboard on 17 and saw that Sebastian was in the clubhouse at 15 under but I had an eight foot putt for birdie, which I made and that felt great.

“At the start of the year I would’ve signed anything to have a Challenge Tour card and now I’m in a good position in the Rankings and that feels great.”

Abema TV Tour – Elite Grips Challenge

Peter Karmis won his first title this season at the Abema TV Tour’s Elite Grips Challenge earning 4 Ranking points, moving to World No.355.

Sunshine Tour – Vodacom Origins of Golf Humewood

Merrick Bremner made three consecutive birdies from 15 to 17 to move to 19-under-par as he went the full 54 holes without making a bogey to claim his victory this season at the

“When I was on 15, it was quite weird,” said Bremner. “It was supposed to be into the wind and it switched! God was smiling on me for some reason and so I hit two-iron and four-iron and two putted there.

“The tee was pushed up quite a bit on 16 so it was within reach with an iron. My tee shot was bad and a little bit right and I got lucky with the lie. I hit to about eight feet behind the hole and made that.

“And then on 17, the wind switched again and it played downwind which is unbelievable. I hit the two-iron of my life and hit a seven-iron to about 10 feet. I just missed the eagle putt and made birdie there, and that was it.”

It was his sixth career win on the Sunshine Tour, but only his first on a coastal course after second-place finishes at Langebaan in 2013 and at Fish River Sun in 2015.

“My first-ever South African Open was here at Humewood,” he said, “when Ernie Els won by a country mile in the end. I led the SA Open after three holes and then failed dismally. But I’m happy to get the win at a coastal course.”

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