Cameron Young has finally broken through on the PGA Tour, and now Keegan Bradley has another name to consider as decision day for the Team USA Ryder Cup roster nears.
Young left the field in his dust, tearing up Sedgefield Country Club to win the Wyndham Championship by six shots. Young, who set a 54-hole scoring record, turned in a comparatively pedestrian 2-under 68 in the final round to waltz to his first career win.
Cameron Young’s First Career PGA Tour Win Comes After Close Calls
For someone like Young, who has seven career runner-up finishes in his career, he didn’t just open the door — he kicked it down. The tournament wasn’t really ever in doubt certainly on Sunday, and the weekend was more or less a formality after he went 63-62 over the first two rounds.
Getting to finally put his hands on a trophy had to have been a relief, but Young made it clear he doesn’t feel like this was some sort of life-changing breakthrough.
“It’s not like a burden that I hadn’t won, it’s just something that I hadn’t done and I’d like to,” he told reporters after the final around.
Young wouldn’t be the first golfer — or professional athlete, for that matter — to finally get it over the line and have the floodgates open. For Young, if that is the case, it couldn’t come at a better time. He’ll look to build momentum in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he’s now at a point where Bradley and the Team USA staff have to take an even closer look at the 28-year-old.
Cameron Young’s Case for Ryder Cup Consideration
Young came into the week ranked No. 19 in the Team USA points list. He’ll get a nice boost from the Wyndham, of course. He’d have to go nuclear to get in on points, and his best chance remains being one of Bradley’s six captain’s picks. (He’s among those who probably hope Bradley doesn’t pick himself.)
The win helps strengthen an already decent case. A missed cut at The Open aside, Young had been playing better over the last three months. He finished tied for seventh at the Truist, a run that included three top-10 finishes in five starts, including the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. It’s still not consistent enough, as the valleys — like missing the cut at The Open — are still too pronounced.
But he fits the course, too. Young bombs it off the tee, which certainly plays at Bethpage Black. Young, a New York native, knows the course very well. He calls it one of his favorites.
“I have a lot of good memories there playing the New York State Open, and I’m sure a New York crowd would be, I at least hope on my side to some extent,” Young told reporters after his Round 3 performance.
A day later, after Young put the finishing touches on win No. 1, two of Bradley’s assistants who were in the Wyndham field, gave rave reviews.
“I mean, Cam’s a New Yorker, I know he loves that golf course,” Team USA assistant captain Webb Simpson told reporters after he finished tied for 27th. “Anytime you’re about to win by 10, you’ve got to talk about him. And he certainly has the right game for that golf course. He’s just adding his name to the list of many guys that are hard for us to say no to.”
Fellow Ryder Cup assistant captain Gary Woodland agreed.
“The way he drives the golf ball, his putting stats this year are really good as well,” Woodland told reporters. “Cam’s got a lot of talent and anytime you can bring a lot of talent, it helps everybody. I’m happy for him. Like I said, I think it’s just the start for him.”
The putting, as Woodland noted, has been an incredible change. A year ago, Young ranked 145th in strokes gained putting. Two years ago, a putrid 158th. This season, he’s ranked 10th on Tour in putting. Putting plays in match play, especially in team events. That, paired with his ability to pound a driver, might make him uniquely suited for this event on this course.
And that’s before you even consider his home-town advantage.
Cam Young Complicates Team USA Ryder Cup Decision With First Career Win