Cameron Champ goes under the hood off the course

Cameron Champ was born in a state best known for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and the Silicon Valley’s innovative technology but as it turns out, he’s a country boy at heart.

“It’s funny because I’m from California but I live in Texas and my friends always make fun of me because I drive a big truck and wear boots and Wranglers,” Champ explains with a shy smile.

That truck is a lifted 2016 Chevy with a Duramax engine that Champ recently had rebuilt. Someday, he wants to be able to do all the work himself – he calls it his “escape” -- but right now the PGA TOUR rookie is too busy winning golf tournaments to spend his days picking up a wrench and looking under the hood.

Champ turned plenty of heads last week with a bevy of powerful drives that lifted him to victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship in only his second start on TOUR. But don’t look for him to splurge on a Ferrari or a Porsche any time soon.

“I'm different,” Champ says. “I'd rather build something versus like guys going out and getting (a fancy car).

“Obviously that'd be nice luxury to have but I'm more of like build an old classic like a ’69 Camaro or a ’78 Charger … or even an early 2000s decent car but then build up faster than those. I'm just that kind of guy.”

Champ’s cousin Brian Wolf and a family friend he calls Uncle Tim who used to drag race fostered his interest in tinkering with cars. Several of his friends in the Lone Star State – Champ attended Texas A&M and has settled in San Antonio – like working on diesels, too.

One thing he has noticed in working around cars is that there is always something better, bigger and faster on the horizon.

“It's almost like a cult in a sense,” Champ says with a grin. “Just because it's like, they always want to do something. There's always something wrong. Always something that you want to fix.

“So, yeah, it's been fun. It's kind of like I said, my escape when I'm home. That's kind of all I look forward to.”

On the rare occasion these days when Champ is home in Texas he likes to study how engines go together. His cousin, who can take an engine apart and put it back together in a matter of days, is a valuable resource.

“I'm still in that learning aspect of doing all that myself,” he explains. “When I'm home alone, I'll just look up how to do things just to learn because I haven't fully built an engine myself yet which is something I want to do one day.”

Eventually, Champ plans to get a builder car that he can find ways to enhance. He finds the work “peaceful” and says he’s always enjoyed putting things together, even as a child.

“I just kind of finished mine and it's more of a daily driver,” Champ says. “But I want something faster. That's how everyone I know in the racing industry is the same way. So it's just kind of like a second love besides golf.”

Champ has seen videos of Uncle Tim drag racing, and he’s also been to Sonoma Raceway several times. He likes Formula One racing and will watch NASCAR events, although he’s not as much of a fan of that sport.

Television shows like the Discovery Channel’s docu-reality series “Street Outlaws,” which offers an inside look at drag racing both on the road and behind the scenes in cities across the country, are also among Champ’s favorites.

“So it's just kind of all just added up,” Champ says simply.

Down the road, the 23-year-old sees himself potentially collecting cars. The low-key rookie would just like to add to his bank account before making any big purchases, though.

“It's a very expensive hobby,” Champ explains. “So I say just starting slow with my own and just kind of go from there.”

The way things are going right now, though, he might be able to add to his collection sooner rather than later.