PGA Championship Dream Ends in Bitter Agony After Careless Mistake from Reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year

The Oak Hills East Course is turning up to be a difficult turf for golf’s elite. With the majority of players ending over par after the opening round, the scores are expected to be low throughout the weekend.

The story remained similar for World No. 15, Cameron Young, who shot 4-over 74 to find himself at the bottom half of the table. But despite a sudden resurgence, a costly mistake has culminated in a penalty, which has all but finished off his chances of earning anything from the tournament.

Cameron Young makes a childish error at the PGA Championship

Like the rest of the field, the 26-year-old golfer wasn’t able to get going in the initial round. However, he looked on course to get in the negatives after shooting three birdies in the second round, before a simple yet horrendous error cost him a hefty penalty.

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Teeing off alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama, the trio were playing in their seventh hole of the day at the ‘Straight Away’ 16th hole. Young made an unrealistic 59-foot attempt for birdie, which came to rest merely a few feet short of the cup.

Incidentally, his ball was in the line of play for his playing partners, because of which Young moved his ball within a clubhead length to the side. But after Fleetwood and Matsuyama made their putts, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year made the costly error of proceeding to putt without placing the ball in his original position.

Though he made par, Young was penalized immediately for his childish mistake. “As a result, when he replaced the ball and holed out, Young had played from a wrong place and incurred the General Penalty (two strokes) for breaching Rule 15.3,” the PGA Championship Rules Committee said in a statement.

Has Cameron Young passed on a golden opportunity at the PGA Championship?

The blunder knocked the spirit out of Young, as he finished with an even worse 75 in the second round. With a total score of nine-over par, the 26-year-old can most certainly book an early flight home.

The incident paints a dull picture of Young’s successes recently. The 26-year-old finished third last year at the PGA Championship, while he also has a top-10 finish at the Open Championship.

Furthermore, he showed glimpses of his talent at the season-opening major championship. Teeing up at the Augusta National, Young finished tied for seventh place in an enthralling display. However, his PGA Championship dream is over for at least another year.

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