The Memorial Tournament Presented By Workday

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Dublin, Ohio, USA

Muirfield Village

Cameron Young

Press Conference


Q. In with a 5-under 67 good start. Talk about that round a little bit, nice eagle in the middle?

CAMERON YOUNG: I got off to a really nice start. I kind of scrambled my way to a pole around 11 and made a really nice putt on 12 and 13, and then the eagle was obviously a nice little bonus in the middle.

Yeah, I just hit a bunch of good shots early and made kind of the crucial little saves to kind of keep that momentum going with some pars. On 17, it was a really nice one to kind of keep that going.

And yeah, feel like I didn't get much out of it for a few holes there in the middle. And then to finish with a birdie, that's a nice one to make on the last.

Q. How long was that putt on the last?

CAMERON YOUNG: It had to be 30 feet.

Q. What's the difference when you come in and you finish on a putt like that for the next however many 24 hours? Does it make a difference for you?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, for sure. I think to have shot something worse than five when I was 5-under through seven holes, even missing a short one on 16, to have shot three or four, I think would have been a little disappointing given that start. It's just nice to feel like I got back to where I was in the middle of the round and post a good score.

Q. Could you describe how well you're playing? You've been in contention the last three weeks. What's been working for you?

CAMERON YOUNG: I think I've just been driving it really consistently. I don't know if I hit as many fairways today, but I feel like I hit a lot of good shots off the tee and consistently doing that has put me right there a lot. If I can hit the driver well, I'm going to put myself in a lot of places where not only do I have a chance to make birdie but it's hard to make a bogey.

If I'm hitting in the fairway with a driver, I feel like that really just frees me up to not necessarily be more aggressive but to be more comfortable and know that if I hit some solid shots, I'm going to make a lot of pars and sprinkle in some birdies and turn into a good score.

Q. You won on the Korn Ferry Tour. Did you expect to compete like this as a rookie?

CAMERON YOUNG: I was hoping to, for sure. I think we knew what was possible, but I think I've also gotten a lot better throughout this season. I think I'm continuing to figure out how to play professional golf better.

I think I'm learning what I can and can't do. And having done well, I think, makes it a lot easier. If I was really fighting to keep my card for next year, I think it gets a lot harder. To have been around the lead and then finish high a few times, I think, just that comfort level has gone up and I've been able to keep going, doing what I've been doing.

Q. This is your first time here, right?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yes, sir.

Q. What's your mindset coming into this tournament, knowing it's Jack's tournament?

CAMERON YOUNG: This is a special one. Obviously he's one of if not the best player of all time. And to have the opportunity to play here kind of at his playground is awesome. I mean, it's a place I've watched on TV for years. And to get to play the golf course is amazing. It's a special place.

And coming in we knew it was going to be in really good shape. We knew it was probably going to be hard. When we got here on Monday and the greens were like concrete, it was a little scary. But thankfully we had a little rain last night so it wasn't quite as hard today.

Q. Living where you live now, do you play out of The Bear's Club or have you met Jack?

CAMERON YOUNG: I think I met him very briefly at the U.S. Open in 2019. I'm sure he wouldn't remember. It was kind of -- he was walking at me and I said, Hi, I'm Cameron. And he was very nice. Said hello and kind of moved on. But I was nobody. I just got out of college. So that's really the only time I've been able to interact with him.

Q. You don't think he knew who you were when you said hi?

CAMERON YOUNG: Definitely not.

Q. You mentioned being a young player on TOUR, learning what you have to do and what you have to not do. Could you elaborate on that? Obviously a quick learning process?

CAMERON YOUNG: I think it's something that I strove with in college, amateur golf. I think learning to keep yourself playing simple golf, whether it's going good or bad, I think is a major thing for me. If I can figure out a way to play a golf course most simply, that's kind of what we're going to choose. And just learn what that is. Sometimes that means a really conservative shot and sometimes it means a shot that feels right, and I think the more we get that right, the better we're getting and the better we will get.

Q. We've seen some wild finishes the last couple of weeks where guys have come from way, way back. What's the wildest tournament that you've ever been involved in in terms of the final hour, in terms of the ups and the downs and the topsy-turvy nature of it?

CAMERON YOUNG: I have no idea. It's hard to say.

Q. Whether you've won or lost.

CAMERON YOUNG: I don't know. I can't really think of much offhand. Both times I won last year, I was kind of leading a lot of the tournament. And I try not to remember when I lost. So I can't give you a great answer.

Q. Probably a year ago, I don't know the exact timeframe, not long ago you were nowhere where were in the rankings. How stunning is that to you? Or not?

CAMERON YOUNG: I mean, it's been really fun, I think. I mean, last year, before those wins, I probably was, I don't know, five hundredth in the world. So it's been certainly a climb. And I think really where it hit us was we got into the match play, and to kind of get into that and realize you're allowed here because you're one of the 64 best in the world was really cool. That was really where it kind of set in for us. So yeah, it's been great to get to where I am. And I think I have a chance to get a little higher.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
121143-1-1046 2022-06-02 16:23:00 GMT

ASAP sports

tech 129