Cameron Young has a commanding lead in North Carolina. But he’s in a New York state of mind.
“I have a lot of good memories there playing the New York State Open,” Young said. “And I’m sure a New York crowd would be I hope at least on my side to some extent.”
It was late-day Saturday at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, and Young was fresh off a third-round 65 that extended his lead in the Wyndham Championship. With just 18 holes remaining, he was five shots ahead of his nearest pursuer — and trying not to get ahead of himself.
That was hard to do, given everything at stake.
Not only is Young seeking his first PGA Tour win. He’s also angling for a spot in a certain competition in September, one that is coming to his home state: the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Long Island.
“I think that that location is, first of all, one of my favorite golf courses in the world,” Young said.
Young, who grew up in Westchester County, where his father was the head professional at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club, has looked very comfortable at Sedgefield, too. That’s not surprising. He played his collegiate golf at Wake Forest, just 30 minutes down the road.
But the Ryder Cup at Bethpage is a natural topic for the native New Yorker. It’s also particularly resonant for Young, who was stung two years ago when U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson failed to take him as a captain’s pick. Young, who was ninth in the Ryder Cup standings, was the highest-ranked player not selected for the 2023 squad, which lost by a lopsided 16.5-11.5 margin to the Europeans.
Young acknowledged feeling snubbed.
“It hurt pretty bad to miss it a couple of years ago,” he said. “I was ninth on the points list and didn’t get picked, so I was a bit frustrated at that.”
Young said his intention at the start of the 2025 season was “to give our captain no choice.”
“I don’t know if I’m in a position to do that or not, but it would take some really good golf between now and then,” he said. “But if I’m in the question, that’s been a big goal of mine and I’d love to put myself there anyway.”
First things first, Young is trying to put away the Wyndham, a win that would get him off the snide after seven career runner-ups and 23 top 10s.
Young is currently 19th in the Ryder Cup standings. The top six players qualify automatically, with six captain’s picks rounding out the squad. A win on Sunday would surely catch the eye of U.S. captain Keegan Bradley.
But Young said he’s not counting on anything tomorrow, or beyond. At least, that’s the idea.
“I’m trying to just look at that to just take all the small stuff that happens day to day as it comes,” he said. “But in the back of my mind I’m trying to picture myself on that team.”
