Golf_Digest_USA_-_May_2019

champ top left:

matt Sullivan/Stringer/getty image

S •

champ with truck

S: chri

S arm

S

38 golfdigest.com | may 2019

Play Your Best Equipment

age 23

livesSan Antonio

story Won 2018

Sanderson Farms

Championship.

Second on tour

in average driving

distance at more

than 316 yards.

early education

Some might be sur-

prised to know I

grew up playing a

par-3 course. I went

every day. It helped

me develop a good

iron and short game

at an early age.

giving back

I wanted to be able

to give back. The

Cameron Champ

Foundation uses

golf as a means to

provide a positive

influence on the

lives of youngsters.

—with e. michael johnson Srixon Z-Star XV

controllable in the

wind. I always carry

six balls in my bag,

so I’ve never come

close to running out.

the mechanic

▶ Working on trucks

and cars is a nice

escape from tour

life. I’m working on

something new right

now. It’s a special

build that I’m really

excited about.

driver

specs Ping G410 Plus, 8.9 ̊, 45.75 inches,

Fujikura Pro White TS 63-X shaft, D-4 swingweight

▶ This driver is similar to my previous gamer

but has a movable weight I put in the heel

position. I cut the ball, so that weight helps

me turn the ball over more easily. The shaft

is tipped one inch to keep the flight down.

fairway wood

specs Ping G400, 14.3 ̊, Project X HZRDUS

Black 6.5 shaft, D-3 swingweight

▶ I don’t need this club off the deck very

often, but it’s a valuable weapon to have off

the tee. I know I can hit this straight and be

far enough to be useful on most holes.

irons

specs Ping i500 (4-iron), Ping Blueprint (4-iron

through pitching wedge), True Temper Dynamic

Gold X-100 shafts, Lamkin UTX Cord grips with

seven wraps left hand and five wraps right hand

▶

like a 3-iron. When Ping brought out the

Blueprint blades, I got excited. When you hit

a blade it’s a different feel than something

with more forgiveness. The lofts are slightly

weaker than standard to get the flight I want.

wedges

specs Ping Glide Forged (52 ̊, 57 ̊, 62 ̊), True

Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X-100 shafts

▶ My 56-degree wedge is bent 1 degree

weak and my 60-degree 2 degrees weak

to produce a 5-degree gap between clubs.

That not only helps with distance control,

it gives me more spin on the higher-lofted

wedges. I have Papa Champ stamped on my

62-degree wedge in honor of my grandfather.

He’s the backbone of our family.

putter

specs Ping PLD Prime Tyne, 34.5 inches, 2 ̊ loft

▶ I prefer mallets, and I’ve used this one

all season, including during my win at the

Sanderson Farms event. I like a heavier

putter. I have a long and slow-pace stroke,

and something with a bit more weight

matches up well with that. It’s allowed me

to become consistent on the greens.

club yards*

driver 310

3-wood 280

4-iron 250

4-iron 230

5-iron 210

6-iron 195

7-iron 180

8-iron 165

9-iron 155

pw 145

52 ̊ 125

57 ̊ 115

62 ̊ 95

* carry distance

breaking drivers

▶At my swing

speed, I bust a few

drivers, including

before the final

round of the

Sanderson Farms

Championship.

That was a bit of

a shock, but luckily

I had a backup in

the car I was com-

fortable with. To

know I could man-

age it off the tee

allowed me to hit it

well that day, and

I went on to win.

Photographs by Giovanni Reda