THE 150TH OPEN

July 17, 2022

Cameron Young

Press Conference

STUART MOFFATT: We're joined by the runner-up in the 150th Open, Cameron Young. What are your immediate thoughts after finishing runner up today?

CAMERON YOUNG: I think I gave myself a really nice chance. Frustrating to come up short. But overall I think I had a really good week. And I think I hung in there really well today.

Q. When that putt went in on the 18th, did you think there was a chance of maybe getting into a playoff?

CAMERON YOUNG: No, Cameron was not going to miss that.

Q. Cameron, you produced an absolutely thrilling finish. Does that make being so close even worse the fact that you had that eagle? In a strange sort of way.

CAMERON YOUNG: I don't know. It probably hurts a little worse to come up one shot short. If you lose by eight you don't really care. But, yeah, I played well today. And if -- I would have signed up for 65 this morning. And to watch Cameron shoot what he did, it was pretty amazing.

Q. You must also be very proud of yourself that under the sort of pressure of an Open at St Andrews and all the rest of it, you played so well and you withstood that pressure?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, I think I handled it pretty well. At this point -- not as much as some of those other guys -- but I've at least been around the lead a lot this year. In the PGA TOUR in a major, so it's not the first time I've been in that situation.

And the more I put myself there, I think I said at the PGA one of these times I'll shoot 5-under on the back and that will be enough. And today I did. And it wasn't. So I guess one of these times I'll shoot 6 on the back on Sunday and that will be enough.

Q. Cameron, as good as a round that was from you, you also had a ringside-view to an amazing back nine from the other Cameron. Can you just give us an appreciation, because I don't think anybody can really evaluate that round as well as you can?

CAMERON YOUNG: I had a front-row seat to I'm sure one of the better rounds that's been played this year. And we both started four back of two guys that are capable of as much if not more than just about everybody else in the world.

And I know Cameron Smith's ranked very highly in the world. I don't know exactly what. But I imagine top five or six. And today kind of just is more proof that he is that good and he is one of the very, very best players in the world.

Q. When he was going to hit that shot on the 17th, the third shot, with his putter, what were you thinking about his putt?

CAMERON YOUNG: I mean, I think it was very -- he had to be very decisive with that one, because if you are wondering about if the play he's making is correct, I think it's a really hard one.

And for him to accept that he was going to have a 12-footer for par, obviously he hit a great first putt to give himself that. There's no guarantee of having a par putt that short.

But, no, I mean, I think it's just another example of why he's one of the very best. He made a really good decision and executed it perfectly.

Q. You mentioned the PGA. Was there anything you took out of the PGA that not necessarily yesterday but even yesterday when you were in the last group that you took that you applied this week that might have actually been beneficial?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, I think I stuck to my plan and the process of what had gotten me there really well. And not necessarily that I didn't at the PGA Championship, but I don't know if I let it come to me as much as I did today.

I tried as much as I could -- watching him make a million birdies in a row is in one sense good because it pushes you, and in another sense it's hard to watch because you see him making putts, knowing that he's kind of beating you.

But, yeah, I think I was a little bit more patient today and I obviously was rewarded on 18, but just came up a little bit short.

Q. Can you talk about 1 and 9? Obviously sometimes it's just nerves the first hole, major championship but 9 you birdied all three days before today?

CAMERON YOUNG: 9, I think I tried a little hard to get it to the green knowing that right is totally fine. I was just trying to hit one really hard and turning right to left and I just overdid it.

Probably just maybe not the best decision I made. And not the best shot I hit today. Just one of those times.

Q. What about 1?

CAMERON YOUNG: 1, the second putt just kind of didn't do what I thought. I just thought it went a little right and it went a little left.

Q. Did you, during that run of Cameron's, realizing you were at one point leading ahead of him and all of a sudden behind him, did you change anything that you were doing in the past, over the last four or five holes to try to make up the distance?

CAMERON YOUNG: The last four or five holes, no. I think I executed what I had to do pretty well. On obviously 15 I missed a makeable putt. I don't know what it looks like watching, but I probably played three and a half feet of break from six feet, or seven feet. The hole's just on the side of a slope and you have to get the speed perfect. And I just didn't quite. But I had a chance there.

And standing on 16, we kind of said you need to look at 3 here, look at 3 on 17 and a look at 2 on 18. And 16, I hit the shot off the tee, and the second shot was so close to perfect. It kind of just stuck in that fringe and came back.

If it takes a little bounce forward, might have six to ten feet up the hill at it. Obviously don't make all those, but I would have had another chance. And 17, I hit both shots as well as I could. I don't know if you can really get it much closer to that hole location on 17.

Obviously that putt I left short. I hit a good putt. It just didn't release down the hill as much as I thought. 18, I gave myself a look at 2. That one happened to go in. Standing on 16th tee, I did everything I could.

Q. When you were on the tee at 18, thinking you needed eagle, did you have in your mind even eagle may not be enough?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, I did. I don't know what that hole played to this week, but I'd imagine probably more than half of the people were making birdie. The way Cameron Smith chips and putts, I didn't really think he would make a 4.

So, yes, I kind of was just trying to get it there and trying to give myself some kind of look, because obviously you never know. But just based on how he was playing and kind of how that hole sets up, I think there's a very, very good chance that 2 wasn't going to be enough.