Hero World Challenge: Cameron Young races out to grab Day 1 lead with flawless round

Cameron Young, who has yet to win a PGA Tour event, has taken command of the 20-man field in the Bahamas.

Can Cameron Young get the job done at the Hero World Challenge this week?

After all, Young has come oh-so-close numerous times before on the PGA Tour. He has seven runner-up finishes already in his young career, including at this year’s Valspar Championship, when he lost to Peter Malnati in a playoff. The New Yorker also had five other top-10s this season.

But he has not played since the BMW Championship in Colorado in late August. It’s been a long layoff for Young, who has spent the past few months working on fundamentals and sharpening his game. Perhaps that work has paid off already. At least it did on Thursday, when he shot a flawless bogey-free 64 that featured eight birdies. He leads Justin Thomas by two.

“I drove it great,” Young said.

“Then I made a couple of putts early, which was nice. I just got off to a nice start with the putter. There’s a bunch of par 5s and a couple of drivable holes, so I feel that if you’re on top of it, especially off the tee, you can make a bunch of birdies.”

That he did. Young hit 12-of-13 fairways and ranked second in strokes gained off the tee. But Young admitted that he felt a little surprised with how well he played on Thursday.

“Yeah, kind of. I didn’t play great yesterday,” Young said when asked if this start caught him off guard.

“You always feel like you can shoot a number like that, but I really felt very well in control, which isn’t necessarily surprising, but it’s a nice thing to come out and just feel like yourself. Yeah, really happy with it. I feel like with the driver, I was just really comfortable, and that’s a huge key out here.”

Keeping at ease is crucial when playing among the top players in the world. Everyone has the game to contend, but the game between the ears determines who wins and loses on the PGA Tour. Relaxing yourself in the biggest, most pressure-packed moments is what it comes down to.

The results have shown that Young has struggled with that in some regard, as he has yet to cross the finish line and secure a PGA Tour trophy. That’s not a knock on Young, however; the truth is that it’s nearly impossible to win on tour. But maybe he can test out new mental tactics over the next 54 holes in the Bahamas, which could help springboard him to further success in 2025. After all, everyone should be tinkering and testing stuff out this week—just ask Scottie Scheffler about his putting grip. But at the end of the day, this is just an exhibition, and yet, if Young goes wire-to-wire, that reality should not diminish his accomplishment whatsoever.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.