Q. Cameron, how would you characterize that 8-under par round?
CAMERON YOUNG: Very solid. I think my ball striking was very good. I was able to kind of make the most of the opportunities I was given with some shorter putts.
Really the only one that got away from me was 17, just kind of a tricky one, but I was able to convert all the five to ten-footers, which was a nice feeling.
Q. What were you kind of able to work on the last few days after missing the cut at the Masters?
CAMERON YOUNG: Just some small swing stuff and kind of got stuff out of sync. Maybe reverted back to some tendencies I've had my whole life. Just making some minor fixes just to make it feel like I'm in a little bit more control.
Q. What did you learn about yourself and about your game over those few days even though you missed the cut?
CAMERON YOUNG: I learned that I have a long way to go. I've shown that I can compete at this level, but so far in the couple majors I've gotten to play, I haven't been able to do that.
I think it just gives me more reason to go out and try to get better to a point where I'm more comfortable and able to have a week where I contend in one of those.
Q. Other than working on your game, was there anything else you did after missing the cut?
CAMERON YOUNG: I hung out with my wife and my son, my in-laws, my parents. We had a house for the week. Yeah, we just spent some family time there and I practiced.
Q. You're kind of defying the notion this is a throwback course for older veteran players that goes against the big hitting. What do you think of this layout as contrasted with other PGA TOUR courses?
CAMERON YOUNG: I think it's a really nice mix. There's some holes that are 480. There's a couple of long par-5s, but there's also some holes where you have to pick a really smart shot off the tee. So I think it's a fun mix of holes.
You can't get around there without thinking for sure. I think the preparation for a lot of tee shots is very important. And I think -- I mean, it can get pretty windy out there, so you have to really pick your spots where you think you can be a little aggressive and places where you just can't.
Q. I know you've probably seen some of these courses before, but what's kind of been your philosophy as you've been going through learning these courses for the first time?
CAMERON YOUNG: Try to do as much as I can without tiring myself out completely. I think, if we tried to be fully prepared every week, I would be exhausted by Thursday.
I had a nice couple days off last weekend, so we got here, and I played Monday morning, played all 18 holes, which I think was kind of nice because I got to see them all and kind of think about it for a couple days before I really had to play. Whereas typically you're lucky to see all 18 holes by Tuesday afternoon.
So, yeah, it's hard to strike the correct balance of being prepared but keeping yourself fresh. I think this week was a little -- honestly, I wanted to play last weekend, but in terms of this week, it's not the end of the world. I've had a couple days to practice and get here a little early.
Q. Eight birdies, no bogeys. Anything out there on a hole somewhere where you made a par save?
CAMERON YOUNG: On 1. I kind of screwed up the second shot on 1 and hit a very average pitch and made probably a nine-footer maybe. So that was nice to just not bogey the 1st hole.
Then 11, I kind of made a mental mistake off the tee on 11. I just hit too much club to a place where I didn't have a ton. Made a really nice up and down there and made probably a six or seven-footer, and that really kept it going. Because I had gotten to 6 through 10, and to bogey 11 after going on a nice run would have been a bummer.
Q. You mentioned earlier that you hadn't played here before, but you'd watch it on television several times. Did you gather any information that was beneficial today from watching it on television?
CAMERON YOUNG: I don't remember a ton of it. I remember those last few holes for sure, like 16, 17, 18, and 15, like hitting over the trees. I think TV is completely different. I think it's really hard to pick up that much. Unless you sat there with a notebook and took down all the hole locations and what people's putts did, it's hard to compare.
With how the wind kind of swirls out here and where it's tight through trees and holes that bend both ways, I think it's hard to pick up much.
Q. Now that you played this course, is it like four 63s and I take it to the house now?
CAMERON YOUNG: No. I know it would be really nice, but you have good days and bad days, and rarely do you have four good ones in a row. I'm glad it came early, and I'm happy I kept myself around for the whole tournament. We have to start over tomorrow. It could be way windier tomorrow. Who knows?
Q. This time last year, you were on the Korn Ferry TOUR. Can you talk about your feelings out of the last week and your thoughts on your first major at Augusta?
CAMERON YOUNG: It's been a very fun year on and off the golf course. I feel like a lot has changed for me. Getting there and being allowed on the property is pretty cool. It's not something that you really thought of that much a year ago. It became a very real possibility at the beginning of the year.
Yeah, I mean, it's just been fun to kind of experience that road from the Korn Ferry all the way to Augusta. It's just pretty cool.
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