NAPA, Calif. – Cameron Champ’s shoes belie a heavy heart this week at the Safeway Open.
Champ strolled the fairways Friday in a pair of white Nikes, having written across the bottom “POPS Champ” with a marker. The inscription is an ode to his grandfather, Mack, who taught him the game at a young age and is currently in hospice while battling terminal, Stage IV stomach cancer.
The quick deterioration of the illness has thrown Champ’s schedule upside down this week in Napa, which sits about an hour away from his hometown of Sacramento. Rather than stay on-site early in the week at Silverado Resort and Spa, Champ skipped Wednesday’s pro-am and has opted to make the commute each day in order to maximize his time with family.