“That’s a Scary Tee Shot” Cameron Young Opens Up About Decisive Moment on 18 at the Players

Mar 16, 2026, 12:30 PM CUT

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MARCH 13: Cameron Young of the United States plays a tee shot on the 15th hole during THE PLAYERS Championship on March 13, 2026 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire GOLF: MAR 13 PGA, Golf Herren THE PLAYERS Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260313044173

Cameron Young surged past a tightly bunched field to win at TPC Sawgrass with a four-under 68. But behind that win was a key moment on the 18th hole that changed everything.

Talking about it in the press conference, Young said, "And I finally hit a couple good ones on the back. Then yeah, the one on 18, I mean, my thought process over that ball is, one, making sure that I'm committed to my line, and two, the overarching thought is I'm going to hit the best shot of my life right here. I don't know if I can think of one that's better."

He made a 375-yard drive on the par-4 18th. And that’s the longest drive on that hole in the ShotLink era. On top of that, it was completely opposite of his tee shot on the 18th in round three, which ended up in the water.

“Especially given what happened yesterday, I didn't make a bad swing yesterday, just there's a lot of wind and I missed by a yard,” Young told the media at the presser at TPC Sawgrass. “It's a scary tee shot. To have hit that one in that moment, that's pretty good.

That long drive was what set things up for Young’s victory at THE PLAYERS Championship. But the struggle at the 18th was much more than the longest drive of the day.

Cameron Young Reflects on His Stance at the 18th

Coming to the 18th, Young was tied for the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick. But his mind was clear as he went past the greens with cheering fans.

“I've never been tied for the lead on the 18th tee,” he told the media at TPC Sawgrass. “My only win was not close. I made the turn with a nine-shot lead or whatever at Wyndham and didn't have the slightest bit of nerves. There was no anxiety.”

At that moment, Matt Fitzpatrick, who'd gone toe-to-toe with Young so far with his own 300+ yard drives, fumbled his shot. With the two tied at 13-under, Fitzpatrick's tee shot moved into the pine straw on the fairway's right.

“So there was no point during that back nine where I felt like I needed to hit, you know, a great shot or even really a good one, I just kind of had to get the ball forward. I haven't had really many moments like that, and yeah, like I said, first time that thought's really popped in my mind, and I think I did what I intended. It's one of the best shots I've ever hit in my life.”

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar