ERIN, Wis. – The 2017 U.S. Open Championship at Erin Hills proved to be a test for some of the top players in the world, but 2016 Patriot All-America Champion Cameron Champ, along with other Patriot alumni, showed they were ready to compete.
The 22-year-old from Sacramento, Calif. was one of only two amateurs to make the cut into the weekend, after an impressive five-under (70, 69; 139) start Thursday and Friday.
Champ, a rising-senior at Texas A&M University, struggle Saturday and Sunday to finish even on the tournament (70, 69, 73, 76; 288) but wowed spectators as he topped all players in driving distance at an average 337.30 yards, over 30 yards more than the rest of the field.
2011 Patriot All-America participant Brooks Koepka won his first major title at 16-under, tying Rory McIlroy’s 2011 U.S. Open score as the best finish to par.
Former 2011 Patriot All-America participant Justin Thomas finished tied for ninth with a four-day, eight-under score, with a record nine-under, 63 on Saturday for the lowest single round in relation to par in U.S. Open history.
Other Patriot All-America players featured in the Open included Daniel Berger (2012), Bryson Dechambeau (2013), Trey Mullinax (2011, finished tied ninth as well), Jordan Niebrugge (2012), John Oda (2016), J.T. Poston (2014), and Sahith Theegala (2016).
With his amateur status, Champ is exempt into the 117th U.S. Amateur Championship, set for Aug. 14-20 at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.