Cameron Champ wins 3M Open tournament
The 26-year-old had five birdies in a bogey-free round to finish at 15-under 269 at TPC Twin Cities.
BLAINE, MINN. >> 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.
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.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS >> Stephen Dodd birdied the final hole for a one-stroke victory in the Senior British Open, holding off challenges from Miguel Angel Jimenez and Darren Clarke to win his first major title.
Dodd closed with a 2-under 68 at Sunningdale for a 13-under 267. The 55-yearold Welshman hit his approach from the right rough to about 10 feet on the par-4 18th. and holed the putt to earn a spot next year in the British Open at St. Andrews.
Jimenez, the 2018 winner, shot a 65 to finish second. Clarke was another shot behind after a 67. EUROPEAN TOUR >> Nacho Elvira of Spain beat Justin Harding with a par on the first hole of a playoff in the Wales Open after blowing a six-stroke lead.
Elvira finished regulation with a bogey for an even-par 71 and a 16-under 268 total at at Celtic Manor. Harding, from South Africa, shot a 65.
Elvira dedicated the victory to Celia Barquin Arozamena, the Spanish player who was murdered in 2018. Barquin, who won the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship in 2018, was a student at Iowa State University when she was found dead on a course in the state in September that year.
College athletics
TEXAS, OKLAHOMA TO JOIN SEC >> Barring a dramatic change of direction, Texas and Oklahoma are moving toward taking the Red River Rivalry to the Southeastern Conference in a seismic shift that will have repercussions in college sports from coast to coast.
According to multiple reports, the first and very significant formal step of the process could come as soon as Monday with the two schools informing the Big 12 they will not renew the contractual agreement that binds conference members until 2025.
After that, lawyers can take over. An early departure by Texas and Oklahoma could cost the schools more than $100 million combined to get out of that grant of rights.
But a pot of gold awaits in the SEC and having the Longhorns and Sooners linger as lame ducks doesn’t have much upside for the Big 12.
There is a good chance that come kickoff of the 2022 college football season, Texas and Oklahoma will be in the Southeastern Conference.
Motor sports
MOTORCYCLE RACER DIES >> A 14-year-old Spanish rider died after being struck by another rider in a motorcycle race in Spain, organizers said.
Hugo Millán was run over after going down in the middle of the track on the second lap of the European Talent Cup race at the MotorLand Aragón Circuit.
Although a few riders were able to avoid Millán as he tried to get up and move out of the way at the exit of a turn, organizers said Oleg Pawelec on the No. 5 bike hit him straight on.