After years of near-misses, heartbreak finishes, and watching someone else hoist the trophy, Cameron Young is finally a PGA TOUR winner — and he torched across the finish line.
The 28-year-old New Yorker, who had racked up seven runner-up finishes since his 2022 rookie campaign, put together a wire-to-wire clinic at Sedgefield Country Club. He was simply cruising to a six-shot win at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday. Young carded a 2-under 68, finishing at 22-under 258 to tie the tournament scoring record and become the 1,000th winner in recognized PGA TOUR history.
“I’ve been waiting for it for a while,” Young said, his voice cracking as emotion finally caught up. “I never thought I’d be that emotional about it… I wasn’t going to let it get away from me.”
He didn’t. Not even close.
From Heartbreaks to History
Young opened his final round with a stumble, a bogey on No. 1. But what followed was the signature moment of the tournament: five straight birdies, including a 25-footer that answered a roaring birdie from playing partner Nico Echavarria. From there, it was cruise control: nine straight pars, two late bogeys that didn’t matter, and one massive monkey off his back.
Young’s long-awaited win ties the Wyndham scoring mark shared by J.T. Poston (2019) and Henrik Stenson (2017). But more importantly, it ends one of the most frustrating dry spells in recent memory. Not since David Duval has a player needed seven runner-ups before finally breaking through.
Even more cruel is Young’s scoring average in those near-wins: 66.7 in final rounds. He wasn’t folding — he was just getting beaten until now.
Ryder Cup Dreams Still Alive
The timing of the victory couldn’t be more crucial. Young has been eyeing a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Black in 2025 — a course where he made history in 2017 by becoming the first amateur to win the New York State Open. With this win, he jumps to No. 15 in the standings, and with two more FedExCup Playoff events ahead, the door to Rome is still very much open.
“That team is a goal of many of us,” Young said. “I’ve got some more opportunities to earn my way on.” If power and poise count for anything, he may be the perfect fit at Bethpage.
Playoff Picture: Schmid Slides In, Thompson Heartbreaks Again
While Young ran away with the trophy, the FedExCup playoff drama was fierce behind him. Only Chris Kirk played his way into the top 70, while Byeong Hun An dropped out after a missed cut. But no story was more agonizing than Davis Thompson, who drilled a 50-footer for birdie on 15 to get inside the line — only to three-putt from 45 feet on 18 and miss by five points, falling to No. 71.
Meanwhile, Matti Schmid clung to No. 70 by the skin of his teeth. After nearly missing the cut, he played the last six holes of his rain-delayed second round in 5-under, then clawed back from a double on Sunday with three birdies in his final three holes — the last two from 25 feet — to seal his spot in the FedEx St. Jude Championship next week.
“I saw the board say 72 and thought, ‘All right, not too far away.’ Then I made three birdies,” Schmid said. “Maybe I should look at the leaderboard more often.”
A Trophy at Last
For Cameron Young, this isn’t just a win — it’s a release. A validation. A relief. And it might just be the beginning of something bigger.
The wait is over. The chase is done. And finally, Cameron Young is a PGA TOUR champion.
