PGA golfer Cameron Young shot a highly unusual 59 during the third round of the Travelers Championship on Saturday, an accomplishment that propelled him from a tie for 43rd place after the 18th hole to the top of the leaderboard.
The 27-year-old Young played the first round on the PGA Tour at Tournament Players Club (TPC) River Highlands since then-rookie Scottie Scheffler shot a 12-under 59 at TPC Boston in 2020. Young's score was: 11 under This round puts me at -13 overall for the tournament.
Cameron Young did it! 🙌🔥
The first match of the 59th tour since 2020!
📺: Golf Channel & @peacock | @TravelersChamp pic.twitter.com/rMBtt60wSf
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 22, 2024
The round gives the Scarborough, New York native a chance to win Travelers, but he's being pursued by some of the big names currently on the course, ironically one of whom is Scheffler and the other is PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele.
Even if it's unlikely he'll be able to hold on to the lead, Young will have time to reflect and celebrate one of the rare achievements in golf history. (RELATED: Police officer injury revealed that could have landed Scottie Scheffler in prison)
Young took an unconventional route to such a low score, hitting just 6 of 14 fairways in his impressive round, but he darted 15 of 18 onto the green and quickly got out of trouble with the final three.
The Stats Behind Cameron Young's 59 📊
Fairways Hit: 6/14
Green in regulation: 15/18
Scrambling: 3/3
Closest range: 27′ 10″
Putts: 24
Length of putt: 115 feet 11 inches pic.twitter.com/fGWOotD83W— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 22, 2024
Speaking to reporters after the titular round, Young seemed to suggest he didn't expect to play well today.
“I woke up, but I wanted to go back to sleep,” he said. “I did exactly what I do when I come to the golf course: got some coffee, had something to eat, saw my physiotherapist.”
“I went out and warmed up. I didn't feel particularly great.”
And yet, one day, Young was “particularly brilliant.”
Young also said he felt “pretty comfortable” once he was out on the course and “the ball started dropping closer to the hole.”
Cameron Young prepares before scoring 59 points
“I woke up but wanted to go back to sleep… I didn't feel particularly good. I ate a little less food from the microwave than yesterday…” pic.twitter.com/po2XB4UESE
— Patrick McDonald (@pmcdonaldCBS) June 22, 2024
His round marked just the second sub-60 ever recorded at TPC River Highlands, but it isn't the lowest. Jim Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, shot 12-under 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
Furyk's score remains the lowest in PGA Tour history; he also shot 59 at the 2013 BMW Championship.
The only other 58 was achieved on a professional golf course by two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. Achieve that number at the LIV Golf League Tournament in August 2023.
Young, a former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, will need to score significantly under par to win the Travelers Championship.
Something in the mid-60s might do that, rather than something below 60.
