The reigning Wyndham Championship winner almost became the British Open champion — or the Champion Golfer of the Year, the title on the other side of the pond.
Seven shots off the lead in a tie for 11th place entering Sunday’s final round at Royal Birkdale, Wake Forest graduate Cameron Young shot 6-under-par 64 to set a difficult target at 9-under for 72 holes.
While most of the contenders found trouble and faded away on the mercurial English links, Young was safely in the clubhouse — or staying loose in the practice areas — with the lead most of the back nine at Royal Birkdale.
Until the final putt.
New Zealander Ryan Fox rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to win the Claret Jug, capping a wild finish to the year’s fourth major championship. Fox had missed a slightly shorter birdie putt on 17.
Fox finished 10-under 270, one shot ahead of Young and two ahead of Sam Burns. Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood tied for fourth at 273. Si Woo Kim, the 2016 Wyndham winner, held the lead briefly until making bogey at No. 11, the first of his four bogeys while shooting 40 on the back nine.
While many in the Tar Heel State still may have been in church, Young put himself in position for one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in recent major championship history. Young made with seven birdies until making his only bogey on the final hole — a 508-yard par-4 — which he accomplished with a remarkable up-and-down from a difficult lie in a bunker.
Young also had hit his drive into a bunker, caught the lip with his second shot and found the second bunker after hitting his third shot from the rough.
Young, zeroed in with his iron game, birdied the first three holes with putts of 3, 6 and 12 feet and added a 7-footer at 5 and an 8-footer at 9 to turn in 29. On the back, he birdied the two par-5s, 14 and 17, with short birdie putts.
Raleigh native and former UNC golfer Ryan Gerard tied for ninth at 275 after a final-round 72. Jamestown’s Ryan Smalley, who played at Duke, and Wake alumnus Michael Brennan finished at 281. Chapel Hill native and former Tar Heel Ben Griffin posted 282.
Only three PGA Tour events remain before the Wyndham Championship Aug. 6-9 at Sedgefield Country Club.
