HERO DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

January 18, 2024

Cameron Young

Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club

Press Conference

Q. A 67 for you to open your campaign here, currently a share of the lead. You must be delighted with your performance?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, I played really well. The front nine scoring was a little bit hard to come by. I think a little bit of wind and just a couple mediocre bounces but I feel like I played well all day.

Kind of that nine aside, even with the score, I played better than that. So I was really happy with the back nine, but happy just that I stayed patient throughout the front nine and kind of let it come to me late.

Q. Are there differences in scoring opportunities on either of the nines or was it just a little trickier on the front?

CAMERON YOUNG: There are a bit. You have three par 5s and somewhat drivable hole on the back.

So I think if you do go out well on the front, you have a really nice chance to shoot something pretty good. And yeah, today there was a little bit of a difference in wind. It really laid down after about the 12th or 13th hole. So that kind of gives you an opportunity with two of the par 5s and a drivable hole, all with not much wind. So a bit of both.

Q. How key was patience for you to know that there were some scoring opportunities coming in?

CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, I was proud of the way I handled it. I think early on, I saw some people 4-, 5-under par through eight or ten holes. And kind of assumed that someone would shoot seven or eight, and kind of found out like halfway through my round that no one had shot better than five. I think put it in perspective that I was even or 1-over at the time, and felt like I was playing all right and knew I had those chances.

I think it kind of helped me just wait for those to come, knowing that even or one over through the front nine isn't bad and you have a chance to shoot, you figure, two or three, and to make those birdies and eagle on the last was tremendous.

Q. How much do you watch what's going on around you and before you go out for your round, does that determine how you go about your round?

CAMERON YOUNG: Not that much. I think today it just happened to work out that way; that I kind of got a sense for how the day was going ahead of time when it helped me to know that. I don't pay a ton of attention, honestly, most of the time but today was just kind of how it worked out.

Q. Looking for an even better score tomorrow?

CAMERON YOUNG: I think it's out there. In the morning, the greens should be a hair softer. I wouldn't expect a ton of wind but the ball won't be going quite as far.

So it will be different tomorrow. I don't know if it will really be easier or harder. It's hard to say. Just wetter rough and the ball not traveling quite like it does in the afternoon. I think it will be different. I think the golf course is still challenging, and while there are opportunities for scoring, you have to play some nice golf. So that's how we'll go tomorrow.