Getty Image / Ross Kinniard
Maybe more than any other pro sport, golf allows the average player to see the stars make similar mistakes that they do hacking it around their local loop. And, Cameron Young, one of the best players in the world, made such a mistake during his second round at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester.
Cameron Young was last year’s PGA Rookie of the Year after a phenomenal debut season that saw him have two top-ten finishes in majors, including a 2nd and a 3rd. And, he just finished T7 at the Masters just last month. That made him one of the favorites to win this year’s PGA Championship.
But, he opened with a +4 74, on Thursday, before bogeying his opening hole, the 10th, in Friday’s second round. But, three birdies in the next five holes had him well within the cut line and on the brink of a rally to really get back in the golf tournament. And, on the 16th hole, it looked like he would have an easy par, but disaster struck.
Cam Young hit with 2-shot penalty for failing to return his marker to its original spot. The Bronx Bomber had been putting together a bit of a comeback after yesterday's 74
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) May 19, 2023
Here are more details, courtesy of ESPN.
After knocking his second shot onto the green of the par-4 16th hole, his seventh hole of the second round, Young’s 59-foot birdie putt came up just a couple of feet short. Since Young’s ball was in the line of play of partners Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama, he moved it one clubhead length to the side.
After Fleetwood and Matsuyama each putted, Young knocked in his par putt but forgot to move his ball back to its original position. Young was assessed a 2-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 15.3c of the Rules of Golf.
Cameron Young finished the round with a +5 75, and is almost certainly going to miss the cut.