Long before Cameron Young stepped into this cathedral of sporting chaos on Sunday, long before he reached the first tee to begin his pursuit of golf’s holy grail, the world No 3 went in search of somewhere to say his prayers.
Even on Masters Sunday, even with a share of the lead, mass came first. There was only one issue: Young and his family – all devout Catholics – weren’t sure where to go. Fortunately, churches aren’t difficult to find around here.
Unfortunately for this brilliant New Yorker? The path around Rory McIlroy to a green jacket proved rather more treacherous. And cruelly – if perhaps predictably – it was around Amen Corner that the last rites were read on Young’s Masters dream.
He led by two shots at one point. By the time he reached that devilish three-hole stretch, Young trailed by only one – he was right in the fight. But then he flatlined while McIlroy found another gear. Come the 14th tee, the gap was three and from there, Young had no answer.
‘I played plenty well enough to win today and plenty well enough to win by a couple,’ he said. ‘I gave myself all the chances in the world and just didn’t make them… it just didn’t quite fall my way this time.’
His time will surely come – in the last eight months, he has landed a maiden PGA Tour title, led Team USA at the Ryder Cup, won the Players Championship and risen to world No 3. This won’t be his last Sunday tussle with McIlroy at the Masters.
Cameron Young fell short in his bid for Masters glory during a dramatic final round at Augusta
The world No 3 missed out on a green jacket after a finishing two shots behind Rory McIlroy
Young and McIlroy shake hands after a rollercoaster tussle on Masters Sunday at Augusta
No one had a better view of the Northern Irishman this week – they were part of the same group for rounds one and two and they were reunited shortly after 2pm on Sunday.
Young found himself in McIlroy’s shadow from the very first hole of this tournament, when he made bogey and the defending champion began that unmistakable, bouncing stride towards the top of the leaderboard.
By the 10th tee on Thursday, Young was four-over-par – six shots adrift of McIlroy. That gap hadn’t closed by the end of play. And then, even when Young clicked into gear on Friday, he watched McIlroy birdie six of the final seven holes to storm into a historic halfway lead.
No wonder he was grateful to be alongside the Northern Irishman once more – this time in the final group. No wonder Young vowed to ‘attack’ this final round. He did and he drew first blood with birdie at the second.
But it soon became clear that all those hours with McIlroy had taken its toll because on Sunday afternoon, Young became infected with the Northern Irishman’s capacity for mayhem.
After the world No 3 profited from several slices of good fortune during a Saturday 65, lady luck arrived to collect her debts and Young began to pay for his mistakes. He bogeyed six and seven and then at nine, he went from the trees to a divot before another shot fell. In truth, it could have been even worse, had the American not sprinkled some magic amid the madness.
At the eighth, for instance, Young drew gasps as he sent his chip beyond the flag, off the green and towards a slope. But the ball rolled up that hill before turning back and ending up seven feet from the hole.
That would prove to be his final birdie. Young’s back nine was a sea of pars – not that he had an issue creating opportunities. He had makeable birdie putts at 12, 13, 14 and 15. None found the hole.
The American star, his wife Kelsey and their three young children attend mass every week
‘I played plenty well enough to win today… plenty well enough to win by a couple,’ Young said
Thousands of fans followed the American’s final-group clash with McIlroy at Augusta
‘Just one of those days,’ Young said. ‘Through the back nine I pretty much had a birdie chance on every hole and didn’t make any.’
The proof that this was not his day came at the par-three 16th, when his birdie putt from 17ft dipped into the cup, rolled round to its right, before climbing back out.
By then, Rory had one arm in another green jacket. On Sunday last year, the Northern Irishman gave Bryson DeChambeau the silent treatment and there wasn’t much chit-chat with Young either.
‘I’m not one to talk a ton to begin with and I don’t think he really be the wanted to talk to me today,’ the American said.
‘[It’s] Sunday at the Masters in the final group – I don’t wish anything poorly on the guy, but we’re playing against each other. We’re not trying to be best friends out there.’
They had spent enough time together, in fairness. Conversation had probably run dry. What was left to say? Except, perhaps: May the best man win.
