Cameron Young’s accuracy edge
Cameron Young surged into contention at Augusta by leaning on driving accuracy rather than flashy scoring alone — commentators noted he had the second-best driving accuracy in the field. (youtube.com) That accuracy helped him tie and challenge McIlroy late, turning a strong third round into a genuine final‑day threat. (nytimes.com)
Cameron Young put himself in the Masters fight by hitting fairways, not by overpowering Augusta National. (golfchannel.com) Young shot 7-under 65 in Saturday’s third round and pulled even with Rory McIlroy at 11-under, erasing an eight-shot gap that existed when the day began. (pgatour.com) Golf Channel’s “Drive with Precision” segment focused on Young’s tee shots at the par-5 13th and par-4 17th, where fairway position set up his climb. ESPN’s tournament stats page listed Young at 83.9% driving accuracy for the week. (golfchannel.com) (espn.com) That stood out because Young is usually known for power first. The PGA Tour’s 2026 season stats through the Valero Texas Open had him tied for 26th in driving accuracy at 62.5%, well above average but nowhere near the very top. (pgatour.com) At Augusta, that shift mattered because the course punishes misses from the wrong side of the fairway, especially on holes like 13 where the angle into the green changes everything. The PGA Tour’s round-three recap said Young’s drive on 13 kicked off a pine tree and back into the fairway, keeping a birdie chance alive instead of bringing Rae’s Creek into play. (pgatour.com) Young’s week did not start cleanly. The PGA Tour said he was 4-over through seven holes in the first round before recovering, and Golfweek reported he then played a 29-hole stretch in 8-under after a second-round 67. (pgatour.com) (golfweek.usatoday.com) By Sunday morning, Young and McIlroy were in the final pairing at 2:25 p.m. Eastern, and the PGA Tour noted it was only the second Sunday final pairing at the Masters to feature two of the top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking. (pgatour.com) McIlroy eventually won his second straight Masters and held off Young, Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler. Young finished tied for third at 10-under after a final-round 73. (nytimes.com) (espn.com) The thread through Young’s week was simple: at Augusta, his best weapon was not just length off the tee, but how often he put the ball in the short grass. (golfchannel.com)
