PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 7, 2020

Cameron Champ

Harding Park Golf Club

Flash Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, and welcome back to the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Pleased to be joined by Cameron Champ. Cameron posted a 64 today, tied for the lowest round of the championship thus far and sits at 5-under par halfway home here. Cameron, totally different score today than yesterday. Was that the golf course speaking or was that Cameron speaking?

CAMERON CHAMP: More so me. You know, yesterday I really drove it okay, but today I hit a lot more fairways than I did yesterday, and my iron play was a lot better. I think I only missed, I think, three greens today with the few fairways I missed. I just gave myself more opportunities, and I got some putts to fall today.

Q. Power is always going to be an asset; where was it an asset for you today?

CAMERON CHAMP: Today I hit the driver very well. It was just one of those days where out here you can't really guide it. You just have to play within your game, and me, usually whenever I swing a little harder it goes a little straighter. Throughout the start of the round, like I said, I think I missed one fairway on the front side, which is great. It just gave me a lot more chances to make birdies.

Q. We just asked Bryson the same question; do you feel like this is a golf course where you can let it go off the tee?

CAMERON CHAMP: For me personally, I think I have to. Again, I'm a lot more committed over it versus trying to hit a little low cut driver. Usually whenever I swing harder it goes straighter, and today kind of proved that.

Q. To go out there and post a 64, what did you have in mind when you drove over here today? Did you just want to play better and this was the result, or did you really aim to go low right from the get-go?

CAMERON CHAMP: I just wanted to put a solid round together. Yesterday I shot 1-over. I really did not feel like I played bad. Like I said, just some missed tee shots, some errant iron shots. I just wasn't able to score, and today I was able to do all those things.

Q. Seven birdies, was there one or two highlights? And then secondly, at what point in your development did you learn the harder you swing, the straighter you hit it?

CAMERON CHAMP: I think the birdie on 12, I hit it a little bit hard, and it hit the flag and went in. And then obviously just the finish, 16, 17 -- 16 I laid up today. It was just a very awkward number. I think it was 275. But the wind could either be kind of fluctuates from slightly across and helped to a little bit in, so I'm like, I'm just going to lay up, hit my wedge, hit my wedge to about five feet, made it, and then made a great birdie on 17.

To answer your question, yeah, I'm more committed over it. I'm not worrying about trying to keep it low and trying to make sure it cuts so it stays in the fairway versus if I just go at it -- if I miss the fairway I'm going to be a lot further up there and just deal with it, and then obviously if I found my groove kind of like I did today, then I'll hit a lot of fairways.

Q. They were making a little bit of a fuss about you laying up on 16 because it's playing so short today. When you say the number was awkward, it was just kind of in-between clubs situation or do you not feel that shot --

CAMERON CHAMP: No, I love that shot. It was just in between clubs. The wind I would have had to have smoked a 3-wood, and driver would have landed back of the green. It was just kind of like -- just a driver, wedge to a perfect front pin, I figured I had a better chance of making birdie there than maybe trying to finesse a driver right at the bunkers to try to get it to roll up.

Q. Obviously you grew up not too far from here. Did you play here much in junior golf, and how much does this week feel -- I feels you're an hour and a half from Sacramento, but does this week feel different being in northern California and sort of being home?

CAMERON CHAMP: Yeah, you know, I played here a little bit growing up, not as much as Olympic Club and Lake Merced and a few other courses. But yeah, it definitely feels kind of like home. Like I said, it's only an hour and a half, two hours. I've played a lot of golf down here, just all over California, honestly. It's just nice to be back here. Definitely the cool weather is new since I'm based in Houston, but it's definitely a nice change.

Q. You may have noticed in the media lately it's been Bryson, Bryson, Bryson. As a guy who was always the longest hitter, does that bother you at all? Is it kind of a sense of pride to be the big dog out here? Has it gotten under your skin a little?

CAMERON CHAMP: No, no. That's something I first got over when I first came out here. Everyone wants to talk about distance, yeah, it's our new modern era. The long ball is what attracts everyone. You know, which it should. Nowadays guys are hitting it longer and longer and longer.

But it's definitely not something that bothers me or anything like that. To me, yes, you can hit it far but you've still got to put up a score.

Q. Finau said he was going to try to swing a little harder. Have you been sort of egged on into doing anything like that?

CAMERON CHAMP: No, I'm going to play within my game. Tony is the longest one out here by far, and if he swung normal, he would fly me, and his swing only goes about half back. Like I said, distance is great, but it's not something that bothers me. I've hit it long for a long time now. It's something I just kind of got over, because again, like I said, everyone talks about it.

JOHN DEVER: Thanks for stopping by. Have a terrific weekend.