Even with two such mastodonic figures as Scottie Scheffler, four majors and a dominance in the world rankings as only Tiger did in the recent era, and Rory McIlroy, five majors and the most charismatic golfer on earth, the world number three goes unnoticed by the general public who look at the Masters. But Cameron Young is a golfer of one piece and on Sunday he will face the Northern Irishman and defending green jacket his first great option to inscribe his name in the major where he has already been four and seventh.
Young, 27, with a postcard swing and a serenity that defies logic, did not change his rictus for being in the game of his life. He entered the press room smiling, with the naturalness of someone who has just taken a good walk. There is no trace of that stage fright that betrays the novice in Young. “A 65 on Saturday at Augusta is not something I can complain about,” he said, with the simplicity of those who know where they are. “I’ve been dreaming about this for years.”
Young’s journey to this point has not been an endurance test. Five Masters tournaments, a victory at the Wyndham Championship that opened the door to victories – and the Ryder Cup – and, above all, a maturity forged in the tough moments. “It’s been a slow climb,” he acknowledged. “The hardest thing is developing confidence when things aren’t going well. In the middle of last year I was able to take positives from mediocre results and near-victories.” He had been runner-up seven times before that victory.
Young had the tournament in his hands, he reached the last hole with a chance to win and made a bogey. But Young metabolized it as a learning experience and not as a trauma. “There were several situations like that where I felt like I could take confidence from results that weren’t what I wanted,” said a player who coincided in time with Jon Rahm in the amateur stage and whom the Spaniard beat in the 2015 US Amateur.
Sixteen greens grabbed
On Saturday, Young was an artist with the clubs. He hit 16 greens in regulation and only made one slip when he sent the ball into the water on the 15th hole because he was on a roll. On the other hand, the chip on the 4th hole, his second birdie, took the excitement to Augusta National and ignited his engine.With the attitude of a veteran, he read the day impeccably, which allowed him to attack when it was time and protect when Augusta National showed its claws. “If you’re playing well, it’s a great opportunity to make it easy for yourself,” he explained. “There’s no reason to take unnecessary risks. If you aim for 20 or 25 feet all day, some will end up closer than you intended. An easy par is never bad.”
The par-5 13th was the big story of the day. His tee shot went left, and fortune –in the form of a tree that returned the ball to the fairway– gave him a six-iron to the center of the green. He ended up with a birdie. “It was a huge stroke of luck. Anything that stays left of that hole is almost a lost ball. The fact that I ended up in a place where I could attack the green was what kept the round alive,” admitted Young, not hiding that providence had also done its job.Young came into this year’s Players Championship in stratospheric form. In the final stretch of that tournament, he showed the nerves of steel that are now expected of him for tomorrow. It was no coincidence. “I said it after that press conference: what I was trying to do was prepare myself to play late on Sunday at Augusta. Now I’m here with what will be a late start on Sunday at the Masters. It’s the best preparation I could have asked for.”
I notice the support has grown over the last year, but it will still be uneven. Rory is the world’s favourite in the world of golf.
His recipe for the big day has no secret ingredients: “I’ll just try to follow the same process, the same mindset as that day. I remember I did a great job of staying present, knowing that everyone is going to do different things during the day. In the end you just have to stay in your lane and play the best golf you can.”
Like Scottie Scheffler, Young is also a man of faith and a family man who travels the PGA Tour with three children under the age of five. Tomorrow, Sunday, before dressing in white for battle, he will go to Mass. He was asked, with humor included, in the press room. “It may be difficult to go unnoticed, but it won’t stop us from going. We’ll go out with all the energy, as always. It’s great to have them with me. I’d rather come home after a great day, but just having them is fantastic. I was with them this morning and I’ll see them tonight. That changes things a lot.”
That way of approaching golf by the world numbers 1 and 3 is very different from Rory’s, who quickly went to the practice range to tweak his swing. “My past results don’t dictate what I’ll do tomorrow,” Young said. “The win at The Players doesn’t guarantee me anything. I don’t owe myself anything. I have to earn what I get tomorrow, and the best way I know how to do that is to attack just like I have the last three days.”
McIlroy remains the crowd and bookmakers’ favourite. Young knows this and accepts it: “I don’t get the feeling that I’m going to be the crowd favourite, but I notice that the support has grown in the last year. It will still be uneven. Rory is the world favourite in the world of golf. I’ll settle for whatever I can get.”
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