GREENSBORO, N.C. — Cameron Younger lastly received his first PGA Tour victory Sunday after seven runner-up finishes, and he made it look straightforward.
He had 5 straight birdies early to construct a nine-shot lead and coasted residence to a 2-under 68 to win the Wyndham Championship by six pictures.
He grew to become the 1,000th participant to win a acknowledged PGA Tour occasion, courting to Willie Park within the 1860 British Open. It will need to have felt prefer it took Younger 165 years to win as many probabilities as he has had since his rookie season in 2022.
“I've been ready for it for some time,” Younger stated, his voice regular as tears welled in his eyes. “I by no means thought I'd be that emotional about it. But it surely's the tip of my fourth season. I've had my probabilities and I wasn't going to let it get away from me.”
There was no doubting this one.
He adopted these 5 straight birdies with 9 straight pars, a pair of meaningless bogeys towards the tip solely value him an opportunity on the match scoring report. He completed at 22-under 258, tying the report held by J.T. Poston (2019) and Henrik Stenson (2017).
“The place do I'm going? I've by no means accomplished this earlier than,” Younger stated when he walked off the 18th inexperienced.
Mac Meissner received the B-flight. He shot 66 to complete alone in second, value $893,800 and sufficient to maneuver him to No. 86 within the FedEx Cup. He received't be advancing to the postseason, but it surely offers him an enormous enhance for staying within the high 100 by November to maintain his full card.
Auburn junior Jackson Koivun shot 67 and tied for fifth, getting him into the subsequent PGA Tour occasion in September. He has deferred his PGA Tour card from the accelerated PGA Tour College program till subsequent 12 months.
The victory couldn't have come at a greater time for Younger, the 28-year-old New Yorker whose greatest purpose this 12 months was to be in uniform at Bethpage Black for the Ryder Cup.
The victory solely strikes him to No. 15 within the Ryder Cup standings, however he will get two extra FedEx Cup playoff occasions to make his case and his energy is a perfect match at Bethpage Black, the place in 2017 he grew to become the primary newbie to win the New York State Open.
“That workforce is a purpose of many people,” Younger stated. “Clearly, I might love the prospect to play. I've received some extra alternatives to earn my approach on the workforce.”
There was loads of drama at Sedgefield Nation Membership, however not on the high of the leaderboard.
Younger had a five-shot lead and wobbled on the opening gap, making bogey. However he poured in an 8-foot birdie putt on the subsequent gap, the beginning of 5 straight birdies. Most telling was the third gap, when Nico Echavarria let loose a yell and a fist pump when he made a birdie from simply inside 30 toes. Younger calmly responded with a 25-foot birdie putt and the rout was on.
The Wyndham Championship is the ultimate match of the common season that decided the highest 70 within the FedEx Cup who advance to the profitable postseason that begins subsequent week.
In the end, solely Chris Kirk moved into the highest 70 along with his tie for fifth, and Byeong Hun An (missed reduce) was the one one to fall out.
However the remaining hour was no much less riveting.
Davis Thompson wanted a giant end to maneuver from No. 78 within the FedEx Cup, and he received simply that with a birdie putt from simply inside 50 toes on the par-5 fifteenth. He was inside the highest 70 when he reached the 18th, solely to three-putt from 45 toes. Thompson missed a 6-foot par putt, shifting him again all the way down to No. 71 by a margin of 5 factors.
“Sucks ending the common season this fashion,” Thompson stated.
The ultimate spot went to Matti Schmid of Germany, who got here into the ultimate week at No. 70 and remarkably stayed there. He was on the verge of lacking the reduce till returning Saturday morning to complete the storm-delayed second spherical by taking part in the final six holes in 5 below.
After which on Sunday, after a double bogey on No. 11 put him at 5 over for his spherical, Schmid birdied his final three holes from 25 toes, 10 toes and 25 toes that wound up sending him to the FedEx St. Jude Championship subsequent week with its $20 million purse.
Schmid had hope when he noticed a video board on the fifteenth projecting him at No. 72.
“Which I assumed, ‘All proper, this isn't too far-off.' After which I made three birdies so most likely I ought to take a look at it extra usually,” Schmid stated.
Nobody exhaled fairly like Younger, a giant expertise who lastly has a trophy to point out for it. Not since David Duval had somebody had seven runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour earlier than successful. Much more irritating for Younger was that somebody all the time performed higher.
His final-round scoring common in these runner-up finishes was 66.7. The opposite was in Match Play, the place Sam Burns beat him with eight birdies on his final 10 holes.
Younger made it arduous for anybody to beat him Sunday.
