Rising Star: Spotlight on Cameron Young
A quick browse of the early leaderboard at the Genesis Invitational would confirm what everyone would have perceived: the world’s best vying for the lead.
Joaquin Niemann takes a healthy advantage heading into the second round, as his eight-under 63 has opened a three-shot gap between himself and a cluster of players T2 at five-under.
Scottie Scheffler – fresh off his maiden PGA Tour win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open – is kept company by Jordan Spieth and Max Homa at five-under – but there’s a name among them who’s not quite as established.
Cameron Young is 24 years old and earned his PGA Tour card through the Korn Ferry Tour, where he finished 17th in the regular season.
Before we detail his journey on the premium tour, let’s reflect on his amateur and professional career so far.
Amateur
Young has experienced a wonderful amateur career, winning tournaments at college and even before he started his advanced education.
Before college, he was selected for the Junior World Cup and the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup teams in 2014.
A year later, he made it to the second round of the 2015 U.S. Amateur but he was eliminated by Jon Rahm.
Young also became the first amateur victor of the New York State Open, a tournament held at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course.
The 24-year-old continued his success in the sport when he attended college, where he won the U.S. Collegiate Championship and the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational in his freshman year.
These two consecutive victories resulted in Young becoming the first Wake Forest golfer to win successive tournaments since Bill Haas in 2002-2003.
In 2019, he was victorious in the General Hackler Invitational, the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational and he also triumphed at the Stitch Intercollegiate to finish his college career with five wins – tying fourth for the most in the institution’s history.
Professional
Young initially played in the PGA Tour Latinoamérica tournaments, where he progressed to the weekend at two events and finished in the top 10 on one occasion in 2019.
The following year brought instant success, as he won the Mackenzie Tour Q-School tournament, before the tour was cancelled later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the 2021 season started, Young had no playing status but he finished that term with the Korn Ferry Tour, finishing 17th in the regular season OoM and secured his PGA Tour card for the 2022 season.
Young was victorious twice during this year; firstly, he picked up the AdventHealth Championship title after leading the way through all four rounds.
He then became the 10th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to secure back-to-back victories after he won the Evans Scholars Invitational.
His five-stroke victory was the largest winning margin on the tour since 2019 – where he held a share of the lead after the first round before independently setting the pace for the remainder of the event.
Another notable highlight was his T5 at the Live and Work in Maine Open, making six birdies and one eagle to craft a five-under 66 that would force his way into the top 10.
Having graduated from the aforementioned Korn Ferry Tour, Young has his sights set on a lucrative maiden PGA Tour title – and he has already come very close.
When he entered in the Sanderson Farms Championship, he was only making his fifth start on the PGA Tour, but that didn’t faze the youngster at all.
After making his first cut on the tour, he was flowing with confidence, resulting in four rounds in the sixties (67-65-67-68) to finish T2 and only one-stroke behind eventual winner Sam Burns.
He has played in two majors – both U.S. Open – and he failed to make the cut either time, although he was an amateur during his first experience.
His best finishes this season are the T2 at Sanderson Farms, T20 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T26 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
After a comprehensive start at the Genesis Invitational – coupled with his marvelous finish at Sanderson Farms – expect to hear more about the propitious golfer that is Cameron Young.