The first victory of Cameron Young continues to be elusive. No one doubts that it will come. Probably, sooner rather than later. But for now, water. This Sunday, another second place for the New York golfer. This time in the Valspar Championship. The ninth in 95 tournaments valid for the world ranking. The curse continues.
The man who has managed to delay once again this inevitable first victory of Young is called Peter Malnati, a war veteran, more famous in recent times for being one of the players’ representatives on the PGA Tour board than for his performance on the golf course. Of his last eight tournaments, he had missed the cut five times and his best result was a ninth in the Cognizant Classic.
Malnati (-12) has won with a magnificent final round of 67 strokes. It must be said that he has done his part to win the tournament. It is true that Young finished with a bogey on the 18th and letting a good birdie option escape on the 17th, but it would be unfair to say that he lost it. Really, Malnati won it with three consecutive birdies on holes 10, 11 and 12 and with a magnificent finish in the always fearsome Snake’s Nest. Practically at the same time that Young made the bogey on the 18th, Malnati achieved an exceptional birdie on the 17th.
It is his second victory on the PGA Tour, more than three thousand days after the first. His emotion was uncontrollable. Before throwing the par putt on the 18th, which was given, he cried inconsolably on his caddie’s shoulder. He also couldn’t avoid tears during the post-match interview, holding his son in his arms, the same one who made him change from white ball to yellow just a year ago. “I simply changed because he liked yellow more and it has been very good for me because I have a better attitude on the field. When things are not going well, I look at the ball, I remember my son and I always end up smiling,” he explains.
There was a moment of the day when six players tied for the lead. The champion could come from any given. Even, at times, Xander Schauffele had his options, who placed a -8 in the clubhouse when the leaders were starting their round, after signing a huge result of 65 strokes on the last day. It could have been Schauffele, or Yuan, or Phillips, or Hughes… But finally, when it came down to it, the definitive pull was given by Malnati and Young and they fought for the victory.
In all the good that Malnati did to win in the last holes, we must add a penalty-free relief that came in handy on hole 16. He missed the green to the left rough and the ball was quite ugly. His feet were on the stance on a sprinkler, so he was granted the drop without penalty. All legal and impeccable according to the rules. However, his ball ended up on the antegreen, perfectly placed. Maybe the rules should look at that… You can drop, yes, but staying in the same playing area…
Jorge Campillo (PAR) has finished the Valspar with the worst round of the week (74 strokes). It is true that he has not been as sharp as previous days from tee to green, but in reality the key to not having achieved a better result has been precisely near the hole, specifically in three par putts of a meter and a half that have escaped him and a three-putt on the 14th throwing the first for eagle from ten meters. Those four strokes make the difference from finishing 49th, his final position, to having done it 17th. They are the small details, although it is still the milkmaid’s tale.
