– Cameron Young (-20) teed off today to play the third round of the Wyndham Championship as a solid leader, with a three-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Now, with the day already closed, he has secured an even greater lead after signing a 65 at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro and tomorrow he will tee off with a five-shot lead over Nico Echavarría (-15). Although it seems incredible, with Young involved, the last word has not been said, because to date he has proven to be as good a player as he is a doubtful (or poor) finisher. Be that as it may, let’s not overthink it, even if it’s without any scientific basis: this time the planets do seem aligned and it’s worth betting on his winning debut on the PGA Tour, which would also make him the one-thousandth different player to win at least one tournament in the history of the circuit. Such a round number would suit him well.
– The appearance of Young on the front line of world golf, his debut on the PGA Tour (year 2022), coincided with the explosive rise of Scottie Scheffler, who precisely that year broke through and started collecting victories, even reaching World Number One that same year. They are two players of the same generation, although Cameron is a year younger than Scottie, and there were a few of us who thought, watching both that year, that Young was the next big project in American golf, someone destined to compete with anyone in major events, such was his prowess.
– Well, no, gentlemen, this is not so simple and nothing should ever be taken for granted. Here is Young, in the front row of world golf without much fuss, that’s undeniable, because he has enough class to stay within the world’s top 50 with some ease, but without victories. This time it’s his turn, because also, behind Echavarría, the next candidates are eight shots back: Chris Kirk (-12), Aaron Rai (-12), who is making a great title defense, and Mac Meissner (-12). Now is the time, Cameron. The victory would also immediately put him into the third of the playoffs, rising from 40th place in the FedEx Cup to 16th, an achievement he hasn’t accomplished since that 2022. Another thing will be to assess afterwards, if he wins, whether truly breaking through the wall will finally guide him towards higher goals. The top ten or top 5 in the world, for example. Surely, this time we visionaries need to be a bit more cautious…
– Three players arrived at the Wyndham within the top seventy of the ranking, who are the ones starting the FedEx playoffs next week, and are now currently out: Van Rooyen (who arrived 64th and is now 71st), Cam Davis (from 67th to 72nd) and Byeong Hun An (from 69th to 74th). Of them, only Davis will be able to defend his position on the field tomorrow, as the other two missed the cut. And obviously, another three are now within the top seventy and arrived outside: Chris Kirk, Davis Thompson, and Gary Woodland. Tomorrow, the outcome.
– What can already be anticipated is that Rasmus Hojgaard (-3) is not going to make it into the blessed playoffs after signing a 70 today, at par for the course. His brother Nicolai (-4), however, still has room to manoeuvre (he arrived in Greensboro in 71st place in the FedEx and is currently 73rd), but he will have to work very hard this Sunday.
