Cameron Young holds five-shot lead at Wyndham Championship
Young shot 5-under-par 65 in Saturday's third round at Greensboro, N.C.
Young is at 20-under 190 for a five-stroke advantage on Colombia's Nico Echavarria. Young has been a runner-up seven times since joining the tour in 2022.
Chris Kirk (67), Mac Meissner (70) and defending champion Aaron Rai (69) of England are tied for third at 12 under.
Young, who was at 15 under through the first two rounds with the 125 matching the tournament's 36-hole scoring record, was tearing through Sedgefield Country Club.
Through six holes of the third round, Young's margin rose to eight strokes on a quintet that was trying to keep him in their sights.
But Echavarria, who shot 64, had birdies on four of the final seven holes to rise into contention. He saw a leaderboard during his round when he was in second place — but eight strokes behind Young.
"That's not normal for a PGA Tour event," Echavarria said. "He's playing well. But there are still 18 more holes to go."
Young had birdies on Nos. 3-6. Until the 15th hole Saturday, Young's lone bogey in the tournament came on No. 1 (his 10th hole) of the first round Thursday. He later added two birdies.
Young, 28, played collegiately at nearby Wake Forest. He had three holes to finish in the second round Saturday morning before the third round.
Rai lost momentum he had in the second round when he came back to complete that round. Then in the third round, he was 2 over through 12 holes before three consecutive birdies put him back in the mix.
Amateur Jackson Koivun, a college golfer for Auburn, shot 65 and is alone in sixth place at 11 under.
"It's just a lot of fun out here," Koivun, 20, said. "At the end of the day, I feel I can come out here and compete. Always that learning curve (because) these guys are really good. I'm just happy to be out there with that later tee time and see what I can do."
South Korea's Sungae Im, after a pair of 64s and playing in the final group in the third round, dipped with a 73.
It was a long day at the course. Some golfers had as many as eight holes to complete in the second round, which was suspended Friday afternoon because of storms. Tom Kim withdrew rather than completing the second round.
The third round used threesomes, starting on the first and 10th tees.
The Wyndham Championship marks the last tournament on the PGA Tour's regular season, so there will be crucial developments throughout Sunday's round as golfers aim to secure spots in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings in order to qualify for the postseason.
After Saturday's third-round 70, Gary Woodland is right at No. 70 in the standings. He's at 9 under for the tournament.
"I think I know I'm playing well," Woodland said. "I can rely on that."
There hasn't been a golfer on the PGA Tour with a five-stroke lead or better through 54 fail to win since 2022.
There were only 11 birdies on No. 18 in the third round, so golfers will want to make their moves as soon as possible Sunday. — REUTERS
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New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Cameron Young cruises to historic first victory, ties scoring record at Wyndham Championship
GREENSBORO: Cameron Young was in such a good position as the Wyndham Championship wound down that he knew he'd have the right finishing touch. Young shot 2-under-par 68 in the final round and wasn't challenged on his way to his first PGA Tour victory yesterday at Greensboro, N.C. "It's the end of my fourth season and I've had my chances — never quite like this," Young said. "I wasn't going to let it get away from me." Young strung together five consecutive early birdies and cruised to a six- stroke triumph at 22-under 258 at Sedgefield Country Club, where he matched the tournament scoring record. Young, who began the day with a five-stroke advantage and held the 54-hole lead for the first time on the tour, became the 1,000th different winner in the history of the PGA Tour. He was a seven-time runner-up on the tour. After tapping in the final putt, Young hugged his caddie and began to walk off the green. "Where do I go?" he said. "I've never done this before." Mac Meissner posted 66 to finish as the runner-up at 16 under. Mark Hubbard (63) and Sweden's Alex Noren (64) tied for third place at 15 under. Amateur Jackson Koivun (67), a junior golfer at Auburn University, Chris Kirk (68), and defending champion Aaron Rai (68) of England shared fifth place at 14 under. Playing not far from the Wake Forest campus where he went to college, Young was in control for most of the tournament. After a bogey on the first hole Sunday, Young put together his string of birdies for what became a nine-stroke advantage. Young then had pars on nine consecutive holes before bogeys on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th. He barely missed a birdie attempt on the last hole. The final margin marked the third-largest winning spread on the tour this year. He became the tour's 12th first-time winner of the season. "I've been waiting for this for a while," he said. Young, who said he maintains his goal of landing a spot on the US Ryder Cup team in a few weeks, tried to make the tournament's final day as normal as possible. "Really did a lot of the same stuff I normally do," Young said. "Really the same morning routine." Colombia's Nico Echavarria, who was in the final pairing with Young, tumbled from the leaderboard with a disastrous stretch on the back nine. After a bogey at No. 10, he carded double-bogeys on the next two holes. His 75 left him tied for 19th place at 10 under. Denny McCarthy matched Hubbard's 63 for the best score Sunday and ended up at 12 under and tied for 11th place. Rookie Karl Vilips posted his first hole-in-one with a 179-yard shot on the third hole using an 8-iron. His 67 put him at 10 under. The tournament marks the final regular-season event on the tour, with golfers needing to finish in the top 70 of the season standings to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning Thursday. Koivun said he noticed the stress the pros were under during the weekend. "It definitely eye-opening and just something to take in," Koivun said. Kirk played his way into the playoffs by jumping 12 spots since the beginning of the tournament. Davis Thompson (68) ended at 12 under, missing the top-70 position by one spot.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Cameron Young wins first PGA Tour title at Wyndham Championship
AMERICAN golfer Cameron Young secured his long-awaited first PGA Tour victory with a commanding performance at the Wyndham Championship. Young carded a final-round 68 to finish at 22-under 258, six strokes clear of runner-up Mac Meissner. The 28-year-old started the day with a five-shot lead and quickly erased an early bogey with five consecutive birdies, including a 26-foot putt at the third hole. Despite late bogeys at 16 and 17, Young sealed the win with a tap-in par at the 18th. 'I've been waiting for it for awhile,' Young said. 'I never thought I'd really be that emotional about it, but it's the end of my fourth season and I've had my chances. Never quite like this—and I wasn't going to let it get away from me today.' The victory at Sedgefield Country Club held special significance for Young, who played collegiate golf at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. The win also strengthens his case for a Ryder Cup spot, with US captain Keegan Bradley set to finalize his team for September's showdown against Europe. Meissner finished second at 16-under 264 after a 66, while Sweden's Alex Noren and American Mark Hubbard tied for third at 265. Amateur Jackson Koivun shared fifth place with Chris Kirk and England's Aaron Rai. The tournament marked the end of the PGA Tour's regular season, with the top 70 players advancing to the FedEx Cup playoffs. Kirk's strong finish propelled him from 73rd to 61st in the standings, securing his playoff berth. - AFP
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- New Straits Times
Cameron Young holds five-shot lead at Wyndham Championship
GREENBORO: Cameron Young is in ideal position for his first PGA Tour victory after threatening to run away from the pack at the Wyndham Championship. Young shot 5-under-par 65 in Saturday's third round at Greensboro, N.C. Young is at 20-under 190 for a five-stroke advantage on Colombia's Nico Echavarria. Young has been a runner-up seven times since joining the tour in 2022. Chris Kirk (67), Mac Meissner (70) and defending champion Aaron Rai (69) of England are tied for third at 12 under. Young, who was at 15 under through the first two rounds with the 125 matching the tournament's 36-hole scoring record, was tearing through Sedgefield Country Club. Through six holes of the third round, Young's margin rose to eight strokes on a quintet that was trying to keep him in their sights. But Echavarria, who shot 64, had birdies on four of the final seven holes to rise into contention. He saw a leaderboard during his round when he was in second place — but eight strokes behind Young. "That's not normal for a PGA Tour event," Echavarria said. "He's playing well. But there are still 18 more holes to go." Young had birdies on Nos. 3-6. Until the 15th hole Saturday, Young's lone bogey in the tournament came on No. 1 (his 10th hole) of the first round Thursday. He later added two birdies. Young, 28, played collegiately at nearby Wake Forest. He had three holes to finish in the second round Saturday morning before the third round. Rai lost momentum he had in the second round when he came back to complete that round. Then in the third round, he was 2 over through 12 holes before three consecutive birdies put him back in the mix. Amateur Jackson Koivun, a college golfer for Auburn, shot 65 and is alone in sixth place at 11 under. "It's just a lot of fun out here," Koivun, 20, said. "At the end of the day, I feel I can come out here and compete. Always that learning curve (because) these guys are really good. I'm just happy to be out there with that later tee time and see what I can do." South Korea's Sungae Im, after a pair of 64s and playing in the final group in the third round, dipped with a 73. It was a long day at the course. Some golfers had as many as eight holes to complete in the second round, which was suspended Friday afternoon because of storms. Tom Kim withdrew rather than completing the second round. The third round used threesomes, starting on the first and 10th tees. The Wyndham Championship marks the last tournament on the PGA Tour's regular season, so there will be crucial developments throughout Sunday's round as golfers aim to secure spots in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings in order to qualify for the postseason. After Saturday's third-round 70, Gary Woodland is right at No. 70 in the standings. He's at 9 under for the tournament. "I think I know I'm playing well," Woodland said. "I can rely on that." There hasn't been a golfer on the PGA Tour with a five-stroke lead or better through 54 fail to win since 2022. There were only 11 birdies on No. 18 in the third round, so golfers will want to make their moves as soon as possible Sunday. — REUTERS
