GREENSBORO, N.C. – Cameron Young took the lead at the Wyndham Championship after achieving two consecutive birdies, surpassing the defending champion, Aaron Rai. Friday’s round was interrupted by a storm as Young prepared for his shot on the 16th hole. The resumption of the second round is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 a.m., and the third round will be played in groups of three, starting on both sides of the Sedgefield Country Club.
Young Seeks First Title
Young, recognized as one of the best players without wins in a major tournament, seeks his first title. He has seven second places on the PGA Tour, including the British Open at St. Andrews. At this moment, Young is at 14 under par. Rai, who won his first PGA Tour title at the Wyndham Championship last year, is at 13 under par and had a bad shot on the 14th hole. Mac Meissner shot an impressive 63, while Sungjae Im signed for a 64, both positioning themselves at 12 under par. Mark Hubbard, with a 66, is one stroke behind. The Wyndham Championship is the last tournament of the regular season, and the top 70 players will advance to the lucrative postseason. The 36-hole cut is shaping up at 4 under par, and this could mean the end of the season for players like Adam Hadwin and Zach Johnson. Max Homa, at 1 under par with five holes to play, urgently needs birdies to avoid missing the playoffs. Adam Scott, in 85th place in the FedEx Cup, is at 4 under par and on the 15th hole. Young, ranked 40th in the FedEx Cup, doesn’t have these worries. He’s playing in Greensboro, where he earned an economics degree at Wake Forest, with the goal of achieving ambitious goals. His main focus is to reach the Tour Championship and accumulate points for the Ryder Cup. Young, with roots in New York, has the Ryder Cup as a key goal since it was announced that it would be played at Bethpage Black on Long Island. Even with a win this week, Young could move up to 15th in the rankings. The top six will automatically qualify in three weeks, after the BMW Championship.Meissner, in 152nd place, needs to win to advance. Also at stake is finishing in the top 100 in the fall events to keep his card. Gary Woodland achieved the shot of the day, an albatross with a 7-iron on the 5th hole. He finished with a 64 and could have a chance in the postseason if he has a great week at Sedgefield.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 in these next four weeks. So I’m trying to keep that in mind instead of the small things along the way.
Cameron Young
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. I’m in a much better place than a year ago, so I’m trying to enjoy it a little. It was nice to see some go in today.
Gary Woodland
