Surprise Canadian Open leader has been battling something other than his swing

His physical gifts have never been in doubt.

Even before the first of his three PGA Tour wins, Cameron Champ was known as a prodigious hitter, a reputation he has only reinforced since that breakthrough victory in 2018. He remains one of the game’s longest bombers.

But playing golf at the highest level requires more than elevated ball speeds. Mechanics matter. So does mindset.

And Champ has been battling the latter.

“The last couple years for me, it’s mostly been off-the-course stuff,” Champ said. “It’s been a little rough for me to even be out here.”

It was late-day Friday, with two rounds in the books at the RBC Canadian Open , and Champ, who’d gained entrance into the field as the eighth alternate, stood before the press in a surprising position—12-under par and with a two-shot