Cameron Young finally conquered the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday, delivering one of the most memorable final-round performances in recent THE PLAYERS Championship history.

The 28-year-old American erased a four-shot deficit with a bogey-free back-nine charge, closing with a 4-under 68 to finish at 13-under 275 and win by one stroke over Matt Fitzpatrick.

It was Young’s second PGA TOUR victory—in his 104th start—following his breakthrough win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship.  He had gone 93 Tour events without a win, now he’s won twice in his past 11.

FIRST IT’S A DROUGHT ….

Now Cameron Young @ForeverYoungPGA has tasted success twice in the past 11 events including @THEPLAYERS

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The Decisive Moments:

– At the famed par-3 17th island green, he hit what he later called “the best shot of my life”—a precise wedge from 140 yards that landed pin-high and left him a 9½- to 10-foot birdie putt. He drained it to tie for the lead.
– On the par-4 18th, Young unleashed a monstrous 375-yard drive—the longest recorded on the hole in the ShotLink era (since 2003)—setting up a comfortable approach and a stress-free two-putt par for the championship.

When Fitzpatrick missed an 8-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff, Young calmly tapped in to claim the trophy, the $4.5 million first-place check, and a massive haul of exemptions: the next three Masters, PGAs, U.S. Opens, and Opens, plus a three-year TOUR exemption through 2031.

Young becomes the first player in the ShotLink era to birdie the 17th green in each of the final three rounds. His four-stroke final-round comeback ties for the fifth-largest in PLAYERS history.

Heartbreak for Fitzpatrick:

Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, played flawlessly for much of the day, posting a final-round 68 to reach 12-under 276. His runner-up finish matches the best recent result by an Englishman at THE PLAYERS. But after an offline drive on 18 led to a tricky approach, his 8-footer for par slid by, handing the title to Young in gut-wrenching fashion.

Åberg’s Collapse Opens the Door

The 36- and 54-hole leader Ludvig Åberg entered Sunday with a three-shot advantage but unraveled on the back nine with a 4-over 40, closing with a 76 overall. The Swedish star’s meltdown—including bogeys on 11 and 15 and a double on 12—dropped him to T5 at 9-under and allowed the chasing pack to surge.

Standout Performances:

– Xander Schauffele – Finished third at 11-under 277, earning his third career top-three at THE PLAYERS (matching Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, and others for most top-threes without a win).
– Robert MacIntyre – Strong weekend 65-69 propelled him to solo fourth at 10-under 278.
– Rookie Sudarshan Yellamaraju – Impressed with weekend scores of 66-68 to tie for fifth at 9-under—one of the best finishes ever by a PGA TOUR rookie at the event.
– Hideki Matsuyama – Carded the low round of the day (5-under 67) to finish T27.
– Justin Thomas – The 2021 PLAYERS champion posted T8, his first top-10 since returning from back surgery in late 2021.
– Scottie Scheffler – The two-time defending champion (2023, 2024) and World No. 1 finished T22 at 5-under, extending his streak of 27 consecutive top-25 finishes on TOUR.

Memorable Moments

– Chad Ramey made a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th—his first career ace on the PGA TOUR and the 45th in PLAYERS history at TPC Sawgrass.
– Conditions were challenging: mostly cloudy skies, highs of 77°F, and southeast winds gusting 8-14 mph tested the field all week.

Final-Round Notes – Sunday, March 15, 2026

Cameron Young – Players Championship champion. Image – Getty

 Weather: Mostly cloudy. High of 77. Winds SE at 8-14 mph.

Final Leaderboard

 Cameron Young (1^st/-13)

• The 28-year-old earns his second win on TOUR in his 104^th start (2025 Wyndham Championship); second win in his last 11 starts after going winless in his first 93 starts on TOUR, notching seven runner-up finishes during that span
• Earns his third consecutive top-10 finish of the 2026 season (T7/The Genesis Invitational, T3/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard), his second streak of three consecutive top-10s on TOUR (T3/2022 RBC Heritage, T2/2022 Truist Championship, T3/2022 PGA Championship)
• Earns 750 FedExCup points and moves from No. 12 to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings, his highest rank after any week in his TOUR career
• In four previous appearances at THE PLAYERS Championship, he finished MC (2022), T51 (2023), T54 (2024) and T61 (2025)
• Four-stroke comeback matches the fifth-largest final-round comeback in PLAYERS Championship history
• Matches the largest comeback of the 2026 season on TOUR (4/Chris Gotterup/2026 WM Phoenix Open)
• Becomes the first PLAYERS Champion to birdie No. 17 in each of the final three rounds
• Led the field in proximity on approach shots (28′ 1″) and scrambling (16 of 21); his 375-yard drive on No. 18 was the longest drive on that hole by any player in the ShotLink era (since 2003)
• Earns an exemption on the PGA TOUR through 2031 and three-year exemptions into the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship

Miscellaneous Notes

• 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick finishes runner-up at 12-under; matches the best finish by a player from England at THE PLAYERS (2^nd/Ian Poulter/2009, 2^nd/Lee Westwood/2021, 2^nd/Tyrrell Hatton/2023, T2/Nick Faldo/1992, T2/Luke Donald/2005, T2/Ian Poulter/2017); notches his first top-three finish on TOUR since the 2023 BMW Championship (T2)

• 36- and 54-hole leader Ludvig Åberg (T5/-9) closes with 4-over 76, including 40 on the back nine; falls to 1-for-3 when leading/co-leading after 54 holes on TOUR; notches his second consecutive top-five finish on TOUR (T3/Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard)
• Xander Schauffele (3^rd/-11) earns his third top-three finish at THE PLAYERS Championship (T2/2018, T2/2024), matching the most top-three finishes at THE PLAYERS without a win (Jeff Maggert, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Jim Furyk)
• After opening 72-72 and sitting T42 after 36 holes, Robert MacIntyre (4^th/-10) cards 65-69 on the weekend for his second consecutive top-10 finish at THE PLAYERS (9^th/2025); missed the cut in each of his first two starts (2021, 2024)
• One of 15 first timers in the field, Sudarshan Yellamaraju (T5/-9) closes 66-68 on the weekend to earn the fourth-best finish by a PGA TOUR rookie at THE PLAYERS (T2/David Lingmerth/2013, T3/Fulton Allem/1988, T3/Camilo Villegas/2006)
• Making his second start of the 2026 season since returning from back surgery in November, 2021 PLAYERS Champion Justin Thomas (T8/-8) earns his first top-10 finish on TOUR since the 2025 TOUR Championship (T7)
• Two-time PLAYERS Champion (2023, 2024) and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T22/-5) records his 27^th consecutive top-25 finish on TOUR, the second-longest streak since 1983 (38/Tiger Woods)
• Hideki Matsuyama (T27/-3) carded the low final-round of the day (67)
• Chad Ramey (T27/-3) makes a hole-in-one on the 13^th hole; his first ace on TOUR; the 45^th ace in PLAYERS history (41^st at TPC Sawgrass)