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AUGUSTA, Ga. - Had it not been for Rory McIlroy's almost preposterous finish in the second round of the Masters Tournament, Cameron Young might have had the best second nine of the day.
The Players Championship winner birdied four holes in a row, Nos. 12 through 15, capping the run off with a sweeping 24-foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th after he blew his second shot over the green and had to play a cautious chip well short of the hole to lessen the risk of going past the flagstick and into the water.
SCORES: Masters 2026 leaderboard, tee times, videos
Young gave himself three more chances down the stretch, missing birdie attempts of 10 feet at No. 16, 17 feet at No. 17 and 8 feet at No. 18.
He missed them all but didn't seem perturbed. He signed for a 67 that matched his best career round at Augusta National and at 4-under 140, he's tied for seventh, eight shots behind McIlroy. Young improved by six shots over his opening 73 and after making bogey on four of his first seven holes in the first round, he's played his last 29 holes at 8-under.
Young missed only one fairway and four greens in the second round and has missed only three fairways all week.
When asked what the difference was between his first seven holes in the first round and his performance since, he didn't have an answer.
"Not much, frankly," he said. "I just kind of got a few winds wrong and didn't make much [on the greens]. This place is difficult if you get out of position, especially around the greens. I hit some great shots [in the first round] that came down to the wrong number [yardage] and made bogeys. The last [29 holes] I feel like I've done a better job of that. Still haven't made much but feel like I've put myself in position the majority of both rounds."
Young echoed many players who said they feed off being grouped with a fellow competitor on a hot streak. Indeed, Young and McIlroy had a best-ball 29 on the second nine and combined to make nine birdies.
"It's nice to watch good golf," he said. "It never hurts. Obviously, Rory played great, made the most of pretty much everything he could out there. That's what it takes to be beating the field by six."
Young isn't throwing in the towel for his weekend chances by any means. But he said being aggressive enough to chase down McIlroy has to be tempered with what's possible on a course that might have tougher wind and firm up even more.
"It's dependent on where you are, what the wind is doing ... there are certain winds where you can use the slopes more easily and winds where you don't have any. Just so much of it is dependent hole-to-hole. I'm just trying to make the same decisions that I would have today from those places."
Young will at least be chasing his third top 10 finish in the Masters in five career starts. He missed the cut last year and in his first Masters experience in 2022, tied for seventh in 2023 and for ninth in 2024.
Long shot that it is, Young has a chance to become the second player in three years to win The Players and the Masters in the same season. Scottie Scheffler did it in 2024. Before that, Tiger Woods pulled it off in 2001.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Masters 2026: Cameron Young matches career-best round at Augusta
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The Players Championship winner birdied four holes in a row, Nos. 12 through 15, capping the run off with a sweeping 24-foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th after he blew his second shot over the green and had to play a cautious chip well short of the hole to lessen the risk of going past the flagstick and into the water.
SCORES: Masters 2026 leaderboard, tee times, videos
Young gave himself three more chances down the stretch, missing birdie attempts of 10 feet at No. 16, 17 feet at No. 17 and 8 feet at No. 18.
He missed them all but didn't seem perturbed. He signed for a 67 that matched his best career round at Augusta National and at 4-under 140, he's tied for seventh, eight shots behind McIlroy. Young improved by six shots over his opening 73 and after making bogey on four of his first seven holes in the first round, he's played his last 29 holes at 8-under.
Young missed only one fairway and four greens in the second round and has missed only three fairways all week.
When asked what the difference was between his first seven holes in the first round and his performance since, he didn't have an answer.
"Not much, frankly," he said. "I just kind of got a few winds wrong and didn't make much [on the greens]. This place is difficult if you get out of position, especially around the greens. I hit some great shots [in the first round] that came down to the wrong number [yardage] and made bogeys. The last [29 holes] I feel like I've done a better job of that. Still haven't made much but feel like I've put myself in position the majority of both rounds."
Cameron Young enjoyed Rory McIlroy's wide ride
Young echoed many players who said they feed off being grouped with a fellow competitor on a hot streak. Indeed, Young and McIlroy had a best-ball 29 on the second nine and combined to make nine birdies.
"It's nice to watch good golf," he said. "It never hurts. Obviously, Rory played great, made the most of pretty much everything he could out there. That's what it takes to be beating the field by six."
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Young isn't throwing in the towel for his weekend chances by any means. But he said being aggressive enough to chase down McIlroy has to be tempered with what's possible on a course that might have tougher wind and firm up even more.
"It's dependent on where you are, what the wind is doing ... there are certain winds where you can use the slopes more easily and winds where you don't have any. Just so much of it is dependent hole-to-hole. I'm just trying to make the same decisions that I would have today from those places."
Young will at least be chasing his third top 10 finish in the Masters in five career starts. He missed the cut last year and in his first Masters experience in 2022, tied for seventh in 2023 and for ninth in 2024.
Long shot that it is, Young has a chance to become the second player in three years to win The Players and the Masters in the same season. Scottie Scheffler did it in 2024. Before that, Tiger Woods pulled it off in 2001.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Masters 2026: Cameron Young matches career-best round at Augusta
Continue reading...
