Young Crowned at The Players: Epic Triumph and Åberg’s Setback

The Players Championship, although it doesn’t hold the title of “fifth major”, provided another electrifying finish at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.

Cameron Young Wins

Cameron Young secured the most significant victory of his career, surpassing Matt Fitzpatrick in the last two holes to secure a one-stroke victory. Young completed the final round with a score of 4 under par (68), finishing with a total of 13 under par (275), beating Fitzpatrick by one stroke and Xander Schauffele by two. Young, who was a hero for the American Ryder Cup team in their 15-13 defeat to Europe in September, earned the admiration of fans at TPC Sawgrass.

It definitely helps. It gives you a context of how you can perform and think when you feel that pressure. Dealing with nerves is complicated. Your senses are heightened.

Cameron Young

Young needed 94 starts to secure his first PGA Tour victory, with several difficult moments along the way. His seven second-place finishes were the most for any golfer on the tour since 1983. After earning his first victory at the Wyndham Championship in August 2025, he didn’t have to wait long for the second. The 28-year-old player caught up with Fitzpatrick with a memorable birdie on the iconic 17th hole and surpassed him with a par on the equally difficult 18th hole.

The atmosphere of the stadium is incredible. It’s very noisy on the 17th. The way everything is elevated, you know all eyes are on you. There’s nowhere to hide, and I feel like I responded really well and hit several good shots on those last holes, so I’m very proud of that.

Cameron Young

If there were any doubts about Young’s ability to close out victories, the former Wake Forest player answered them with a brilliant 57-degree wedge shot and a 9 1/2-foot birdie putt on the 17th green, and a huge 375-yard drive on the final hole. It was the longest drive by any player on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass in the ShotLink era (since 2004).

I drove really well last week, and this week was very average. I felt like I never got into a rhythm. It never came out the way I wanted. And finally hit a couple of good shots on the back. Then, yeah, the one on 18, I mean, my thought process on that ball is, one, make sure I’m committed to my line, and two, the overall thought is I’m going to hit the best shot of my life right here.

Cameron Young

Ludvig Åberg: The Day’s Loser

Åberg began the final round with a three-stroke lead and was leading by two after the first turn on Sunday. However, things fell apart on holes 11 and 12. His approach shot from 267 yards with a 7-iron was not good, and he sent the ball into the water, costing him a bogey 6. After that mistake, Åberg seemed to be too ambitious on the short 12th hole, using his driver off the tee, which only made the problem worse. He sent his drive into the water, resulting in a double bogey 6, taking him out of contention.

We had a game plan, and the driver would be an option, and today obviously the wind was a little different from what we’ve had, and it was a good wind for it. But yes, it was a bad shot, a really bad shot, and it definitely hurts a little.

Ludvig Åberg

Åberg signed a card of 4 over par (76) in the final round and tied for fifth place with 9 under par.

You’re always going to feel nervous. I definitely felt nervous this morning, I felt nervous yesterday, and I also felt nervous on Thursday and Friday. I think the main thing for me is that I think about winning, but I try not to get ahead of myself when I’m playing golf. I think the first nine holes we handled pretty well. I felt like we handled it to the point where it definitely could have been a few strokes better here and there. It was just a disappointing second round, and I hope to do a little better next time.

Ludvig Åberg

Sudarshan Yellamaraju: The Revelation

Few golf fans had heard of the PGA Tour rookie before this weekend. Yellamaraju performed 10-under par during his last 36 holes in his first participation in the Players Championship and tied for fifth place with 9-under par, his best result on the tour. Yellamaraju was born in India and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, when he was 4 years old. He learned to hit a ball by watching YouTube videos of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and others. He practiced in an indoor facility and could only play outdoors for a few months a year in Canada.

I know I can compete and contend, and I have a lot of confidence in myself, but that confidence based on results is something that cannot be matched. Once you do something, you know you can do that or better. Obviously, wherever I end up, I know I can do that, and then move on from there.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju

Yellamaraju still doesn’t have a swing coach (never has) and relies on his father and caddie for feedback. Every aspect of his game held firm at The Players. He was fourth in strokes gained: putting (5.501), 15th in approach (4.503) and tied for second in driving distance (311.2 yards). After his result at the TPC Sawgrass, Yellamaraju climbed from 216th place in the Official World Golf Ranking to 145th. He also earned $925,000.

I always want to go and win every tournament, but that’s not realistic. I just wanted to play one shot at a time, play the best golf I could. I stayed patient. I fought until the end and never gave up, and that’s all I could wish for.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju

Rory McIlroy: A Discreet Performance

A back injury prevented McIlroy from seriously competing in the defense of his Players Championship title. He arrived at TPC Sawgrass on Wednesday and didn’t play any practice rounds. He looked rusty, especially on the greens. McIlroy managed to make the cut, tying for 46th place with par.

I’m glad I held on for four days and my body feels good. I feel like my game improved a little as the week went on, although the results probably didn’t reflect that over the weekend. I hit the ball well. I just didn’t do anything on the greens.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy wasn’t sure if he would play again before the Masters, the first major of the season at Augusta National Golf Club from April 9-12.

Xander Schauffele: In Search of Form

Schauffele began to play like a major championship contender again at TPC Sawgrass. After battling a painful rib injury for much of 2025, Schauffele gave himself a chance at The Players with birdies on three of the last four holes, including a 20½-foot putt that dropped on the 18th hole to make him the clubhouse leader at 11-under. It wasn’t enough in the end. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the two-time major winner in contention at the Masters.

Many good things. I would say my approach was very good during the first two rounds. I would say it was pretty solid this week. I didn’t miss any fairways. I’d like to clean up the putter a bit. I feel like I’m missing some of those 5 to 10 foot ranges. Other than that, I have time.

Xander Schauffele