If there is one golfer on the Tour who is extremely hard to read, it has got to be Cameron Young. After all, he appears miffed most of the time, and even after winning THE PLAYERS Championship, it seemed like just another day for him. But there is more to it than meets the eye, and that’s exactly what he addressed.

“I think, honestly, I think if you asked my wife, she would say he’s a very, very happy person. And I am. I mean, I love my life, I love my family, I love my job. I couldn’t ask for much more. I’m healthy. I have healthy little children. So I just think it’s more for me about I think that’s the best way for me to play the best,” Young told the media after the win. “Now, why am I not happy? I am (laughing).

“I don’t know. I’m thinking of answering questions, and my brain is very tired after playing that golf course for four days. So it takes a lot for me to come up with a reasonable answer. But yeah, I don’t know. I think just generally you’re not going to get a ton out of me, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not, you know, very, very happy to be sitting here with this.”

The justification for his ‘tired brain’ is understandable, given the grueling four-day battle he fought to claim the $4.5 million winner’s share. Young started the first round with a 4-under 68 to stay near the lead. On Friday, he hit the ball close to the hole and shot a 67. He then moved into third place behind Xander Schauffele after two long days of play.

Saturday was a battle as the course became much harder for every single player. He hit his ball into the water on the last hole for a double-bogey. And on the final day, Young started four shots behind the leader, Ludvig Aberg, and second-place Michael Thorbjornsen.

Aberg and Thorbjornsen both faded with a Sunday collapse, while Cameron Young thrived. But the winner wasn’t decided until he tied for the lead at the 17th hole before clinching the tournament when Matt Fitzpatrick bogeyed the final hole. In the end, he finished at 13-under par, winning by one shot over Fitzpatrick.

However, his joy was explicit when his son, Henry, ran onto the grass. Even his second son, John, ran after him, while his wife, Kayley, and daughter Vivienne were cheering for them. He was surely happy, but he wasn’t showing it.

However, it’s not the first time his stoic nature has been highlighted.

Max Homa on Cameron Young’s demeanor

Since Young joined the Tour in 2022, he has gained a reputation.

“People think I’m more upset than I am,” Young said once. “I don’t smile a ton on the golf course, but that’s just my way of keeping myself in a mental headspace where I can do my job.”

In fact, Max Homa once tried to make the young rookie laugh during a team event.

“I kind of started with the idea that I wanted to crack him to see what his personality is about,’’ Homa said. “And the next thing I know, we just became, like, friends. He’s a very stoic guy, but he’s got a great personality.’’

And it’s not just Homa. Will Zalatoris, Young’s close friend from their days at Wake Forest University, calls Young the grumpiest, nicest person he has ever met in his life. Zalatoris knows that his friend is a deep-thinking person with a heart of gold. The two stars often play golf together in Florida when they are not working.

And according to his father, David, “I think a lot of people would enjoy it more if he was up, acting happier, but he works hard at not showing it.”

Be that as it may, Cameron Young has just won the 52nd edition of THE PLAYERS Championship.