Wake Forest Athletics
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Deacon Sports Xtra: Five Questions with Cameron Young
6/29/2021 12:16:00 PM | Men's Golf
After back-to-back, wire-to-wire victories on the Korn Ferry Tour, Zach Dirlam of PGATOUR.com wrote, "Is Cameron Young the best golfer in the world right now?"
The Wake Forest alum became just the 10th golfer in Korn Ferry Tour history to claim consecutive titles, and is on the verge of breaking through for his PGA Tour Card. He won the AdventHealth Championship in Kansas City on May 23, then followed it up by claiming the Evans Scholars Invitational in Illinois the following week. We chatted with Young between his two victories for this Five Questions feature.
What's it like having fans on the course now?
Young: "It's been really fun for me, because I'd never had it before. When I got out there to start, there were no fans. It was a lot like college golf, quite frankly. There were no fans and it was so quiet. To see fans and hear hundreds of them yelling, is unlike anything I've ever played in because I've got very little experience as a professional, especially on a tour where there can be a lot of fans. It's a lot of fun, and we're enjoying it. But it's different."
How did playing at Wake Forest help prepare you for the demands of professional golf?
Young: "There's a lot of things. It's your first time away from home, and Wake Forest is a demanding place. Add in the high-level golf we play, there's a lot of responsibility you take on yourself. It's not too dissimilar from what I have set up for myself now. I have my agents and my family. But you have to manage a lot at once. You learn to travel and play golf. And you learn to play golf while also navigating academics. There's a lot to be said for that, in terms of learning how to juggle a lot of things at once yet separate them and play golf well. Given the academic requirements at Wake Forest, you were expected to perform well in the classroom as well as on the golf course. You have to play at a high level, even through distractions."
How was the transition for you going from playing on a team to playing just individually?
Young: "One of the weirdest things initially was going to the airport by myself. We would normally hop in the van with our golf clubs, play some music and shout at each other. Now, packing up and leaving, while driving myself to the West Palm Beach Airport to fly, who knows where, by myself was different. There's a part of it also where you're used to having things booked for you. But not even that, it's just no longer being with your team that takes some getting used to."
What were your thoughts on the incredible run by Will Zalatoris in The Masters?
Young: "It's nothing to be surprised about. Anybody who's been around him at any point in his golf career knows that he's one of the best. Honestly, there's not much more to add to that. He's very good at what he does. If you spoke to anyone who's been around him, they'd say the same thing. It's not surprising. It's not, 'where did this come from?' It's hard to say, but I think he's been underrated throughout his career, since early on. He's finally broken through and is starting to get more out of what he does. When you're as talented as he is, that turns into a lot of recognition and a lot of success at the highest level."
What kept you going hard through the tough months the last year or two?
Young: "A lot of it is belief. If you don't have that, you don't have a ton. At some point, you have to realize you're going to get there, it's just a matter of waiting it out, until your opportunity arises. There's not a whole lot more you can do sometimes. There are times things aren't going well and you feel like you're doing everything you can. I feel like people sometimes feel a need to reinvent the wheel. That's not always the answer. It's not that you have to make swing changes or recreate your theory of golf. It's just a matter of — sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's easy."
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The Wake Forest alum became just the 10th golfer in Korn Ferry Tour history to claim consecutive titles, and is on the verge of breaking through for his PGA Tour Card. He won the AdventHealth Championship in Kansas City on May 23, then followed it up by claiming the Evans Scholars Invitational in Illinois the following week. We chatted with Young between his two victories for this Five Questions feature.
What's it like having fans on the course now?
Young: "It's been really fun for me, because I'd never had it before. When I got out there to start, there were no fans. It was a lot like college golf, quite frankly. There were no fans and it was so quiet. To see fans and hear hundreds of them yelling, is unlike anything I've ever played in because I've got very little experience as a professional, especially on a tour where there can be a lot of fans. It's a lot of fun, and we're enjoying it. But it's different."
How did playing at Wake Forest help prepare you for the demands of professional golf?
Young: "There's a lot of things. It's your first time away from home, and Wake Forest is a demanding place. Add in the high-level golf we play, there's a lot of responsibility you take on yourself. It's not too dissimilar from what I have set up for myself now. I have my agents and my family. But you have to manage a lot at once. You learn to travel and play golf. And you learn to play golf while also navigating academics. There's a lot to be said for that, in terms of learning how to juggle a lot of things at once yet separate them and play golf well. Given the academic requirements at Wake Forest, you were expected to perform well in the classroom as well as on the golf course. You have to play at a high level, even through distractions."
How was the transition for you going from playing on a team to playing just individually?
Young: "One of the weirdest things initially was going to the airport by myself. We would normally hop in the van with our golf clubs, play some music and shout at each other. Now, packing up and leaving, while driving myself to the West Palm Beach Airport to fly, who knows where, by myself was different. There's a part of it also where you're used to having things booked for you. But not even that, it's just no longer being with your team that takes some getting used to."
What were your thoughts on the incredible run by Will Zalatoris in The Masters?
Young: "It's nothing to be surprised about. Anybody who's been around him at any point in his golf career knows that he's one of the best. Honestly, there's not much more to add to that. He's very good at what he does. If you spoke to anyone who's been around him, they'd say the same thing. It's not surprising. It's not, 'where did this come from?' It's hard to say, but I think he's been underrated throughout his career, since early on. He's finally broken through and is starting to get more out of what he does. When you're as talented as he is, that turns into a lot of recognition and a lot of success at the highest level."
What kept you going hard through the tough months the last year or two?
Young: "A lot of it is belief. If you don't have that, you don't have a ton. At some point, you have to realize you're going to get there, it's just a matter of waiting it out, until your opportunity arises. There's not a whole lot more you can do sometimes. There are times things aren't going well and you feel like you're doing everything you can. I feel like people sometimes feel a need to reinvent the wheel. That's not always the answer. It's not that you have to make swing changes or recreate your theory of golf. It's just a matter of — sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's easy."
Not yet a subscriber or know someone who would like to receive these stories in their email inbox? Click here for the DSX subscription link - share it with your friends!
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