Cameron Young knows where he is, both in place and in history.
On Thursday afternoon, the 17-year-old won consecutive thrilling matches in the US Amateur Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga., cutting through the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 to become the youngest player left in the field, now whittled down to eight.
“I just put myself right there and made a couple [of] putts when I needed to,” said Young, who made a 18-foot downhill putt on the 18th hole of his second match of the day to beat Baylor senior Kyle Jones, 1-up. “To make that one was pretty special.”
Hailing from Scarborough, NY, Young is going to be a senior at Fordham Prep and has committed to play in college at Wake Forest, Arnold Palmer’s alma mater. He is also well aware of the history at Atlanta Athletic Club, a place lifelong amateur Bobby Jones called home and place that plays an integral role in the history of American golf.
The big stage, against older and more experienced players, has not bothered him. Young was 3-up through 11 holes against Jones, and by the 16th tee, that lead was down to 1-up. Yet after Jones bogeyed the 16th, he went on to birdie 17 and 18, setting up the drama that forced Young to make a birdie putt on 18 or go to extra holes.
“Complete relief,” is how Young described the feeling of seeing his ball drop.
After missing the match-play portion of the national amateur championship last year as a 16-year-old, Young came back this year to qualify in 20th position. He needed 19 holes to beat Tyler Torano in the first round on Wednesday, then took down Liberty University commit Isaiah Logue with a 2-up victory in his first match on Thursday. Logue tweeted after the match, “Apparently someone forgot to tell Cameron Young that we were playing golf not lawn darts. Go get em bud!”
Young knows this is a long way from last year’s disappointment.
“To come back and qualify for match play and win a few matches has definitely been one of the best things I’ve done,” Young said. “Just feeling more and more like I belong here and like I can play with anybody here.”
Young will face Korean Gunn Yang on Friday at 11:20 a.m. in the quarterfinals. Yang made three birdies in a row on Thursday to pick off the No. 1 amateur in the world, Oliver Schniederjans, a local favorite and Georgia Tech senior. If Young were to beat Yang, he would go on to the semifinals on Saturday to face the winner of the match between Nathan Smith and Frederick Wedel. The 36-hole final takes place on Sunday.
Young’s father, David, is the head pro at Sleepy Hollow Country Club up in Scarborough. Through his mentoring, Young recently earned his way as one of the six boys on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team, heading over to take on a team of European players at Blairgowrie in Scotland in September. Young is also a three-time Westchester Golf Association Junior Player of the Year who also just finished sixth at the Junior PGA Championship.
“I’ve really stuck to the same plan, trying to hit to the same spots,” Young said. “I don’t think that will change.”