PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Cameron Young delivered the biggest birdie of his career on the most notorious hole at TPC Sawgrass, using a sand wedge to 10 feet to tie for the lead in The Players Championship.
And then he was even better on a shot equally daunting.
Young finally won a big tournament to go with his major talent on an electric stage with pressure at every turn. He produced the goods on the final two holes of the Stadium Course: the birdie on the wind-blown, island-green 17th, and a 375-yard drive down the 18th that set up his one-shot victory Sunday.
“It’s so loud on 17. You just know kind of all eyes are right there on you so there’s nowhere to hide,” Young said. “And I feel like I stepped up really well and hit a bunch of good shots those last couple holes, so I’m very proud of that.”
Most impressive was the fact that the previous day on the 18th hole, his drive ended with a splash and a double bogey. There was no margin for error this time, with Young tied for the lead with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick. The 28-year-old American picked out his line and had one final thought: “I’m going to hit the best shot of my life right here.”