BLAINE (Minn.) – Cameron Champ doesn’t fear the bright lights of the PGA TOUR’s final-round competition. A Texas A&M graduate, Champ has won three times on TOUR. He was most recently victorious at the 2021 3M Open. This title will be up for grabs at TPC Twin Cities. Champ, 27, is preparing for Minnesota. He is currently No. He is currently ranked No.157 in the FedExCup standings. There are three events left in the regular season. The Playoffs berths will be awarded to the top-125 after the Wyndham Championship ends. Champ sustained a wrist injury in fall last year and has struggled for contention since his return to competition in January. Champ finished in the top 10 at the Masters Tournament and Mexico Open At Vidanta this spring, but he begins his 3M Open title defense with five missed cuts. He is the No. 1 player on the TOUR in driving distance this season. Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee: 9 He is No. He ranks No. 181 in Strokes Gained – Putting for the season. He was 115 in regulation greens, but he feels he is making progress, even though he admits he can understand the doubters. Champ stated, “If you look at my stats or how I’ve played, you’d think I’m crazy.” Champ said that there have been many things going on in my life, as well as the fact that I broke my wrist in the fall. It was unclear for a long time if the situation would be serious or not. It wasn’t too serious, Champ said. Champ talked about the difficulties of finding the right work-life balance and investing enough time in his relationships as well as his craft. Champ said that feeling good about his life helps him find the right head space which allows him to focus and excel on the course. Champ stated that when things are going well back home, it calms you down and makes it easier to not worry about the future. You can enjoy yourself and it gives you that extra drive to keep improving. The past 10 months have been difficult for me personally. It was difficult for me to overcome a lot of issues and get through some obstacles. But, like I said, we’re now on the up-and-up and we’re just going after it.” He plans to use that perspective to help him get to the Playoffs in the late season. Below is a list of five players who are not in the top-125 FedExCup standings. There are three events left in the Regular Season. Stephan Jaeger holds the No. 125 position with 318 points. Rickie Fowler (No. 129) Starts. 18 Cuts: 11 Top-25 finishes. 3 Best finish: T3, The CJ Cup @ Summit FedExCup points. 309 Fowler currently trails No. By nine points, the equivalent to a single 49th-place finish or better, 125 is in second place. The five-time TOUR winner, regardless of whether he qualifies to the Playoffs is exempted through 2023 via tournament winner category. He will be aiming to rectify his 11 consecutive FedExCup Playoffs appearances that ended last season, when he finished No. He is currently ranked 134 in the season-long standings. After making five cuts in six of his previous starts, the Oklahoma State alum will enter the 3M Open. He also received a T23 at PGA Championship. Fowler was seen having a good time with Wesley Bryan on Tuesday as he practiced bunker shots. He hopes to bring those positive vibes to competition days at TPC Twin Cities. Martin Trainer (No. 139) Starts. 28 Cuts: 10 Top-25 finishes. 3 Best finish. T5, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open FedExCup Points: 267 Trainer currently trails No. 51 points to 125, which is equivalent to a single 17th-place finish. He’ll be aiming to have that kind of week in the final stretch of the regular season. His top 25 finishes this season were all T11 or higher, which shows a propensity to take advantage of hot weeks. A University of South California alum won 2019 Puerto Rico Open as an amateur to receive a TOUR exemption for two years. This exemption was extended by COVID-19 one year. To finish outside the top-125, he would need to return to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He would still have some TOUR status as a past champion. Trainer admitted at Vidanta’s Mexico Open (T11), that the top 125 bubble was always on his mind throughout the season. Trainer stated that “it’s always on me, unfortunately.” It’s quite unhealthy. It’s hard to think about, but you just do your best and see what happens.” Harry Higgs (No. 142) Starts. 27 Cuts. 12 Top-25 finishes. 3 Best finishes: T9, THE CJ CUP@SUMMIT FedExCup points. 257 Higgs is ahead of the No. 125 by 61 points, which is the equivalent to a two-way or higher T12 or better. He is a friendly Kansas City native and just finished his Barracuda Championship T11, his best finish in 2022. He was also T14 at Masters. Higgs, a 30-year-old, won the 2019 Price Cutter Charity Championship, Korn Ferry Tour, to secure his first TOUR card. He also proved a great talent for TOUR competition, finishing in the top 70 on the FedExCup each of his two TOUR seasons. Higgs doesn’t hide the fact that he is fighting for his job during the final stretch of the regular season. He looks forward to testing his skills under these circumstances. Higgs stated at the Barracuda Championship, “There comes time when talk is not cheap. Now you’re going have to show it.” Higgs said, “More so to me; I don’t really care to share it with anyone else.” Cameron Champ (No. 157) Starts 16 Cuts: 6 Top-25 Finishes: 2 Best finishes: T6, Masters Tournament FedExCup Points: 200 Champ trails No. 125th position by 118 points. This is the equivalent to a T4 or higher in a two-way. He will be fully exempt from the 2022-22-23 PGA TOUR if he does not gain Playoffs access due to his exemption for two-year tournament winners. Champ is confident that he will be able to make an impact on the Playoffs. Champ described TPC Twin Cities as “just one of those places it doesn’t really matter if you play good or not, it just makes it very easy,” Champ stated. Scott Gutschewski (No. 179) Starts. 20 Cuts made. 7 Top-25 finishes. 2 Best finish. 5th, Barracuda Champion FedExCup points. 136 Gutschewski trails No. 125 position by 182 point, which is the equivalent to a T3 or higher in a 2-way. However, the 45-year old is on the rise, jumping from No. 204 to No. After a career-best solo fifth place finish at the Barracuda Championship last week, Gutschewski is now ranked 179. Gutschewski, who is a father to four children, secured a top 200 FedExCup position, which guarantees him a spot in Korn Ferry Tour Finals (another chance to regain TOUR status). He’ll be aiming higher over the next three weeks to either secure a top 125 spot to gain FedExCup Playoffs status and fully exempt 2022/23 TOUR status, or a top 150 position to guarantee conditional TOUR status for next season.
By: Kevin Prise
Title: Five players looking to jump into FedExCup Playoffs position at 3M Open
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/news/2022/07/20/five-players-looking-to-jump-into-fedexcup-playoffs-position-at-3m-open-rickie-fowler-cameron-champ.html
Published Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:00:00 -0400
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