Jonathan Wall / Golf
The past 18 months on the course have been unforgettable for Cameron Champ. Entering AT&T Byron Nelson this week, the 3-time PGA Tour winner has missed the cut on 23 occasions in his last 34 starts, dating back to the 2021 Fortinet Championship. Along the way, Champ has struggled with a left wrist injury — which forced him to suspend him after one start during the fall portion of the 2021-22 season — and a clumsy batter that has made things incredibly frustrating at times.
While the wrist fully recovered — Champ leads the round in driving distance (321.4 yards) and clubhead speed (126.37 mph) — the club continued to overwhelm the 27-year-old. But there is hope that the flat has turned a corner.
During the LPGA’s Chevron Championship, Champ, who currently resides in Houston, Texas, stopped by a Ping equipment truck to work with Tour representative Dylan Goodwin on a possible solution to his putter problems.
“He’s expressed some thoughts about trying a longer racket and a different grip,” Goodwin said. “We tried the wrist-locking grip and discussed the pros and cons of it. But what really caught his eye was something else on the truck.”
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Along with countless club heads and shafts, the Ping Truck keeps several spare putters on hand for the staff, including Viktor Hovland.
The hero happens to grab Hovland Hammer Ping PLD DS72 And I immediately picked up on something that “felt right.”
“He really liked the shape of Victor’s fist and wanted to give it a try,” Goodwin continued. “It wasn’t the feel of the fist he liked so much as the length of the fist that made him feel like it could be an option.”
Hovland’s putter is 36 inches long, which is slightly longer than the “standard” length, which allows him to choke on the handle 1.5 inches to achieve, in his eyes, a firmer feel when hitting his putter. Champ began to feel the same way when he was working with the putter on the practice green.
By the end of the session, Champ had a backup Anser “30”—30 denoting the degree of toe suspension—built on a 37-inch with a 15-inch Winn grip from Hovland for testing at home.
“when [Cam] “It choked the grip a little bit, and it gave it a balanced feel,” said Goodwin. “He loves a heavy club and always has, so a heavier grip and longer length works. We also added lead tape to the bottom of the club to increase swing weight as well. It’s more stable in his hands. He’s very quick to decide if he likes the club or not.”
In fact, Champ liked the spare putter so much, he added Hovland’s Winn grip to his fielder as well as to his Wells Fargo tournament. Goodwin also added an additional 7 grams of lead tape to the sole, and moved the swing weight from F1 to G3.
Champ, who recently finished T8 at the Mexican Open, is the latest name to join a growing tour trend that has seen pros find the winner’s circle with longer-length racquets that allow them to choke on the handle for added stability.
In addition to Hovland and Champ, Goodwin said Tony Finau (37-inch), Sahith Theegala (37-inch) and Stewart Cink (39-inch) are currently using a similar setup on the greens.
“A few guys at the end of last season I had an experience with [the longer length] “It’s kind of stuck,” Goodwin said. “Since then, a few more guys have followed suit based on those guys’ feedback. It’s seeing something from another player who’s had a hit and wanting to try it. Tony Finau, Victor Hovland and Saith Thigala are just a few of the guys who have handled so well with a longer racket that they choke “.
Outside of Champ, who prefers a heavier racket build, Goodwin said other pros have simply gone for a longer grip and then moved their hands further down the handle to achieve a balanced feel.
“It’s a balancing idea without the extra weight in the back of the club,” Goodwin said. “She gets that stability without feeling the need to add a lot of weight. When you see guys like Tony and Victor have success with her, it’s obvious to wonder if he might be a good fit for your game, too.”
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