Cameron Young secures victory at Players Championship with birdie on 17th hole.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Cameron Young finished as a runner-up seven times on the PGA Tour before securing his inaugural victory at the Wyndham Championship in August 2025.
During the final round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday, Young appeared resolute in his aim to avoid another second-place finish.
Trailing England’s Matt Fitzpatrick by one stroke with two holes remaining, Young leveled the score with a birdie on the renowned 17th hole and made par on the 18th, where Fitzpatrick’s drive into the trees on the right resulted in a bogey 5.
Fitzpatrick, aiming to be the first English golfer to win The Players, narrowly missed an 8-foot par putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff.
Young recorded a 4-under 68 to finish at 13 under 275, one stroke ahead of Fitzpatrick and two ahead of two-time major champion Xander Schauffele.
After tying Fitzpatrick, Young launched a 375-yard drive down the right side of the 18th fairway, leaving him just 98 yards to the hole. This was the longest drive recorded by any player on No. 18 at TPC Sawgrass in the ShotLink era (since 2004).
Young’s approach shot landed on the back fringe, and he two-putted from 9 1/2 feet to secure the most significant victory of his career — along with the $4.5 million winner’s check.
Young caught up to Fitzpatrick at 13 under on the iconic 17th, opting for a more aggressive line off the tee to the island green. Fitzpatrick placed his tee shot in the center of the green and required two putts from 28 1/2 feet for par.
Young confidently sank his birdie putt from 9 1/2 feet to tie Fitzpatrick with one hole left to play.
Fitzpatrick appeared to be in command with two holes remaining. He began the final round tied for fourth at 8 under, five strokes behind 54-hole leader Ludvig Åberg. Fitzpatrick started strong, making birdies on three of the first four holes. He made putts of 12 feet, 3 1/2 feet, and 7 feet on Nos. 1, 2, and 4, respectively, to reach 11 under.
Fitzpatrick then settled into a stretch of seven consecutive pars, followed by another series of three birdies in four holes. On the par-4 12th, he hit his second shot to 3 feet. On the par-3 13th, his tee shot landed 4 feet from the hole.
After a bogey from a three-putt on the 14th, Fitzpatrick made a 12-foot putt for another birdie to return to 13 under.
Åberg began the day with a three-stroke lead and maintained a two-stroke advantage after 10 holes, but then faced difficulties on consecutive holes. On the par-5 11th, Åberg sliced his approach from 267 yards into the water on the right, resulting in a bogey 6.
On the par-4 12th, Åberg hooked his tee shot into the water on the left, leading to a double-bogey 6. He also bogeyed the par-4 15th, falling four strokes behind Fitzpatrick.
