Cameron Young showcased a masterful performance at the 2026 Cadillac Championship, securing a decisive wire-to-wire victory by an impressive six shots. President Donald J. Trump was in attendance, acknowledging Young’s dominant play on the challenging Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral.
Young established an early lead with a bogey-free 8-under-par 64 in the opening round. He extended this advantage with a 67 in the second round, creating a five-shot gap. A third-round 70 further solidified his position, leaving him six shots clear of the field, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Young concluded the tournament with a final round 68, reaching a total of 19-under-par, six strokes ahead of Scheffler, who also shot a 68 and secured second place for his third consecutive runner-up finish.
Reflecting on his achievement, Young stated, “Winning is really hard. At no point did it feel easy, did it feel like the tournament was over.” This victory, his third career win, earned him $3.6 million and propelled him to third in the world golf rankings. The tournament marked the return of the PGA Tour to Trump National Doral, a course that had not hosted an event since 2016.
Young expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play in front of the President. “It’s an honor to get to play in front of (the President),” he commented. “I’m hugely grateful to him and his family and his organization that has these beautiful properties and allows us to come and play great golf tournaments on them. This is a special place and a great championship golf course. I’m thankful to have it back in the schedule.”
Young’s Integrity Shines Through Penalty
Young’s commanding lead remained unshaken, even after he voluntarily took a one-shot penalty. On the par-4 second hole, he noticed his ball had moved after he addressed his second shot. He immediately called the penalty on himself. Despite this setback, he recovered to hit his third shot close and sink the par putt.
“Your heart sinks when you see it move,” Young admitted. “But it moved. That’s part of what golf is about. There’s no one who’s going to give me a penalty there but myself.”
His performance was statistically outstanding. Young led the field in birdies with 24 and excelled in Strokes Gained: Putting, achieving a remarkable 7.062. His powerful and precise game proved to be perfectly suited for the 7,739-yard Blue Monster, a course that last saw a wire-to-wire winner in Andy Bean back in 1977.
“It’s just undeniably a big, difficult, championship golf course,” Young noted. “For me personally, I prefer a difficult golf course to an easier one.”
This triumph followed a period of near-misses for Young. He had finished second seven times before securing his maiden PGA Tour title at the Wyndham last July, and added The PLAYERS Championship title in March.
Softened Conditions Due to Rain
Heavy overnight rain, with over an inch of precipitation, softened the course and led to a two-hour delay for the final round’s tee-off. The typically formidable Blue Monster proved more manageable due to the damp conditions, affecting scoring averages.
While the average scores in the first three rounds hovered between 71 and 71.6, Sunday’s play, with preferred lies in effect, saw an average score of 69. The 18th hole, a par-4, which saw a combined nine birdies across the first three rounds, yielded 12 birdies on Sunday alone.
Scottie Scheffler, who had birdied holes 15, 16, and 17 to climb into second place, was chasing his third consecutive top finish. However, Young’s exceptional play meant Scheffler, despite recent strong performances including a near-miss at the Masters and a playoff loss at Hilton Head, never posed a serious threat on Sunday.
The remaining leaderboard saw Ben Griffin finish third at 12-under-par after a 68. Adam Scott (64), a previous champion at this venue in 2016, Si Woo Kim (70), and Sepp Straka (66) tied for fourth place at 11-under-par.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who had just won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his brother Matt the previous week, tied for ninth place at 9-under-par in his debut as a PGA Tour member.
Cameron Young is scheduled to compete in the upcoming Truist Championship, a Signature event at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is also set to make his return to the Tour at this event, his first since winning the Masters.