Will Cameron Young be able to get the job done in this week's Hero World Challenge?
After all, Young has come close many times on the PGA Tour. He has already finished runner-up seven times in his young career, including this year's Valspar Championship, where he lost to Peter Malnati in a playoff. The New Yorker has five other players in the top 10 this season.
However, he has not played since the BMW Championship in Colorado in late August. It was a long break for Young. He has spent the past few months working on the fundamentals and honing his game. Perhaps their efforts are already paying off. At least that was the case Thursday when he shot a perfect 64 with no bogeys. made 8 birdies. He leads Justin Thomas by two points.
“It was a great drive,” Young said.
“Then I made a couple of putts early so it was good. I just got off to a good start putter-wise. There are a lot of par 5s and some driveable holes so if you get on there, especially I think I can get a lot of birdies off the tee.”
He did it. Young hit 12 of 13 fairways and ranked second in tee shot gains. But Young admitted he was a little surprised by how well he played Thursday.
“Yeah, kind of. I didn't play great yesterday,” Young said when asked if the start caught him off guard.
“You always feel like you can hit numbers like that, but I felt really in control. It's not necessarily surprising, but it's nice to be able to go out there and be myself. ”Yes, I am really satisfied. I think I felt really comfortable with the driver and that's the big key here.
When playing among the world's top players, staying relaxed is very important. Everyone has a match to contend for, but on the PGA Tour, winners and losers are determined by the match between the ears. The key is to relax during the biggest, most stressful moments.
The results show that Young is struggling in that regard, as he has yet to cross the finish line and win a PGA Tour trophy. But that's not to blame Young. The truth is, it's almost impossible to win on tour. But maybe he can try a new mental tactic over the next 54 holes in the Bahamas, and it could be the springboard for even more success in 2025. After all, everyone's been tinkering and testing things this week — just ask Scotty Scheffler about his putting. grip. But at the end of the day, this is just an exhibition. Still, even though Young did wire transfer, that reality does nothing to diminish his accomplishments.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
