At Glance
‣ Cameron Young’s second-place finish at the 2024 Valspar Championship marked his seventh runner-up result on the PGA Tour since 2022, setting a new record for most second-place finishes without a win since 1983.
‣ Despite his series of near misses, Young has demonstrated consistent performance by making the cut in all nine events he has participated in this season and has accumulated over $14 million in total prize money, along with two victories on the Korn Ferry Tour.
‣ Young’s situation is not unique in golf history; Oliver Wilson previously held a similar record with nine second-place finishes before securing his first victory, highlighting the unpredictable nature of achieving success in professional golf.
Final leaderboard @ValsparChamp 🏆
1. @PeterMalnati (-12)
2. Cameron Young (-10)
T3. @ChandlerPhilli6 (-9)
T3. @MacHughesGolf
T5. @XSchauffele (-8)
T5. @CarlYuanGolf
T5. @RyanMoorePGA
T5. @AHadwinGolf— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR)
Cameron Young, huh? The guy’s been racking up second places like they’re going out of style. At the 2024 Valspar Championship, he snagged yet another one. That’s his seventh, if you’re counting. Since he started on the PGA Tour in 2022, no one’s managed to do that without a win. Not since ’83, anyway.
Colin Montgomerie and Briny Baird used to hold that kinda bittersweet record. Both had six close calls. But Young? He’s outdone them now. The dude’s only 26 and drives a golf ball like it’s nobody’s business. Yet, that top podium spot keeps eluding him.
This season’s been solid for Young. Made the cut in all nine events he’s played. Even snagged a third place at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. And a T4 at the Cognizant Classic. Not too shabby, right? Plus, he’s pocketed over $14 million in prize money. Got a couple of Korn Ferry Tour wins too.
So, there’s Young, three shots behind Keith Mitchell at the start of Sunday. The leaderboard was all over the place, but he managed to tie for the lead with Peter Malnati. The drama! With just two holes left, Young had a birdie putt to take the lead. But nope, it wasn’t meant to be. Malnati birdied behind him, and Young’s drive on the 18th? Let’s just say it wasn’t his best.
After the game, Young was pretty upfront. Said it was a bad time for a bad drive. Realized pretty quick that the win was slipping away. But he was proud of how he kept his head in the game. That’s something, right?
Final leaderboard had Malnati at the top, with Young just two shots behind. Despite everything, Young felt good about his mental game. Especially proud of how he handled those tricky par-3s on the back nine.
Young’s the only one at the Valspar Championship to score in the 60s for all four rounds. That’s his seventh runner-up finish on the PGA Tour, a record for most without a win since ’83. The guy’s been consistent, I’ll give him that.
But it’s not like there’s a pattern to his second-place finishes. They’ve come on all sorts of courses, against some top players. Sam Burns, Joaquin Niemann, Max Homa, Cameron Smith, Tony Finau, and now Malnati have all edged him out.
Oliver Wilson knows the feeling. Before Young, Wilson was the king of almosts, with nine second-place finishes before his big win. Took him 228 European Tour starts, but he finally did it at the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Wilson even thought about quitting before that win. But he didn’t, and he snagged another European Tour win in 2022. So, there’s hope for Young yet. Maybe he’ll break his streak soon and keep Wilson’s record intact. Here’s hoping his first PGA Tour win isn’t too far off.
