– Cameron Young (-8) has posted a 64 in the first round of the Cadillac Championship, the fifth Signature Event of the PGA Tour season, a result that will almost certainly leave him at the top of the leaderboard when the 72 competitors finish this first round.
– The New Yorker faced the Blue Monster at Doral in official competition for the first time and his debut could not have been more successful. Young also played alongside Scottie Scheffler (-1), the ‘other monster’ of world golf right now, whose performance was below expectations and certainly a long way off that of his playing partner. The Texan, in fact, completed an almost model front nine, playing in ‘Scheffler mode’, very tidy, with a three-under segment and already installed atop the leaderboard. However, the second nine of the legendary Miami layout was going to trouble him from the start due to a succession of errors (bogeys at the 10th and 11th) and he would not manage another single birdie, too cold on the greens. Icy, to be precise.
– Another off-colour Thursday from the World Number One, and there have been a few this season since he won the American Express. It’s still not wise to write him off, but today he will finish at least seven shots off the lead and once again faces the arduous task of an epic comeback.
– Young was not the best from tee-to-green today (he missed eight greens in regulation), but the blend of his game proved explosive: he sunk three long (or very long) birdie putts, produced up to three trademark darts to leave himself as many almost-certain birdies, and on top of that delivered a perfect recovery record (8/8), to card a bogey-free round. Unstoppable.
– Jordan Spieth (-7) has also put forward his own claim for a prestigious victory that would in some way ‘officially’ confirm his full rehabilitation. He did it in a different way, in the Spieth manner, of course. For example, holing out for eagle at the 8th with a chip from the rough. And paying the price for a few mistakes (two bogeys on his card), yet in any case looking relaxed off the tee (whether he found the fairway or not he hit it hard with the driver), very inspired with his irons and with spark on the greens. Top-level golf is arrogant and harsh, but even he surely misses seeing a player like Spieth show up more often where the big prizes are contested on Sunday.
