GREENSBORO, N.C. – Cameron Young positioned himself at the top of the Wyndham Championship after achieving two consecutive birdies, surpassing the defending champion, Aaron Rai. Friday’s round was interrupted by weather conditions, just as Young left his tee shot on the 16th hole just six feet from the hole.The second round will resume on Saturday at 7:30 a.m., followed by the third round which will be played in groups of three, starting at both ends of the Sedgefield Country Club.Young, recognized as one of the best players who have yet to win in a major tournament, has been close to victory on multiple occasions, including seven second places on the PGA Tour, such as at the British Open in St. Andrews. Currently, he is at 14 under par.Aaron Rai, who captured his first PGA Tour title at last year’s Wyndham Championship, is at 13 under par, after missing the green on the 14th hole.Mac Meissner and Sungjae Im stood out in the morning round with impressive results. Meissner signed a card of 63 strokes, seven under par, while Im recorded 64 strokes, for a total of 12 under par.Mark Hubbard, with a round of 66 strokes, was one stroke behind Im. Hubbard needs at least a tie for second place to secure his place in the postseason.The Wyndham Championship is the last tournament of the regular season, where the top 70 players will advance to the lucrative postseason.The cut at 36 holes is shaping up to be 4 under par, and could be 3 under par if conditions worsen on Saturday. This could mean the end of the season for players like Adam Hadwin and Zach Johnson.Max Homa is at 1 under par with five holes to play and urgently needs birdies to have a chance to enter the playoffs.Adam Scott, ranked 85th in the FedEx Cup, is at 4 under par and playing the 15th hole.Young, ranked 40th in the FedEx Cup, has no such concerns and seeks to consolidate his goals. His main goal is to reach the Tour Championship and earn points for the Ryder Cup.Young, with roots in New York, has the Ryder Cup in sight, especially for the celebration at Bethpage Black, Long Island.Even with a win this week, Young could move up to number 15 in the rankings. The top six automatically qualify in three weeks, after the BMW Championship.
Meissner, ranked 152nd, needs a win to advance. Finishing in the top 100 in the fall events to keep his card is also at stake.Gary Woodland starred in the shot of the day, an albatross on the 5th hole with a 7 iron. He finished with 64 strokes, and with a good week at Sedgefield he could secure his place in the postseason.For me, it’s not necessarily about this week. I have a goal. By mid-September, I’d like to be in New York playing on that Ryder Cup team. If I can achieve that, I can achieve many things during these next four weeks. So I’m trying to keep that in mind instead of the small things along the way.
Cameron Young
The competition continues, and players will seek to secure their place in the postseason in this exciting tournament.I’ve been playing well for a while, and Randy Smith, my coach, has been urging me to be patient, to try to make the required shot, and to have fun. When you don’t get the results you want, that’s probably the hardest part, having a little fun.
Gary Woodland
