Cameron Young has never won on the PGA Tour, although he has been very close several times, and he’s right there again.
The 26-year-old Young shot seven-under-par 64 to take a two-stroke lead over Brendon Todd, Garrick Higgo of South Africa and Adam Schenk midway through the 52nd John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.
“I feel like you can be thinking about winning without it being a bad thing,” said Young, who has finished second six times on the circuit. “I think everybody came here this week to win a golf tournament, and in that way you’re all thinking about it right off the bat. Finishing second, you’re playing well enough to win a PGA Tour event.
“Obviously, I’m in a better position than you find yourself most weeks to do that, but that just really means I’m kind of accomplishing my goals thus far this week and doing my job well. So that’s all I can try to keep doing. I know that every week there are 150 other guys who are really, really good at golf trying to beat you. That part of it doesn’t really do anything mentally for me.
“Winning has been harder than I thought it would be, but I really believe I am getting there.”
Young, the 2020-21 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year who opened the John Deere with a 65, started on the back nine and birdied the first three holes of the second round and had eight birdies in all against a single bogey on the fifth hole while recording a 36-hole score of 13-under-par 139.
Todd collected seven birdies against one bogey in a 65, while the left-handed Higgo sank an 11-foot eagle putt while starting on the 10th hole and added six birdies plus a bogey in his 66, while Schenk birdied three of the first four holes in a bogey-free 66.
“I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing,” said Higgo has won seven times as a professional, including the 2021 Palmetto Championship on the PGA Tour. “I’m not going to change much. It’s good momentum going into the next couple weeks ahead of the Open Championship. I haven’t really looked at my stats, but I hit it good again. I didn’t finish the way I would have liked, but it was still a great day. Yeah, it was solid all-around, but my driving is the strength.
“I think there’s still a low one in there. I kind of didn’t take it too deep, but it’s been really solid. Hopefully, I can make a few more putts tomorrow and take it even deeper.”
Ludvig Aberg of Sweden made five birdies on his back nine in a 64 and is three shots behind in a tie for fifth with Kevin Roy, who played at Long Beach State, had a bogey-free 63 that was low round of the day, Denny McCarthy, who collected seven birdies on the back nine in a 64, and rookie William Mouw of Pepperdine and Chino, who played bogey-free in a second straight 66, while Mark Hubbard is four down in solo ninth after a bogey-free 66.
Kevin Streelman carded a bogey-free 63 and is one more down in a big tie for 10th with Jim Herman, who made seven straight birdies through the turn in another 63; Lucas Glover who had seven birdies in nine holes during a 65; Chris Kirk, who collected eight birdies in a 66; Cody Gribble, who made three straight birdies late in another 66; Peter Kuest, who sank a 16-foot eagle putt at No. 17 in a 67; Nate Lashley, who made his lone bogey on the last hole of a 69, and Grayson Murray, who had three birdies in his 70.
Defending champion J.T. Poston is tied for 18th after making his lone bogey on the next-to-last hole in a 67.
For complete results and third-round tee times, visit: https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard
