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Call it whatever you want. That was a heck of a tournament. Let’s break it down …

The breakthrough

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Cameron Young’s thought standing on the 18th tee, suddenly tied for the lead at THE PLAYERS Championship, was rather simple: Hit the best shot of his life.

It made me feel better for the sound I made while watching from behind the green as Young’s tee shot perfectly curled around the dangerous dogleg and set him up for the tournament-winning par and the biggest win of his life.

Young’s talent has always been tantalizing and his rather obvious potential has, at times, frustrated those who believe he should’ve achieved more already. It’s frustrated him, too. He’s shown his ability in the major moments, finishing third at the 2022 PGA Championship and runner-up a few months later at The Open at St. Andrews. It was on full display at the Ryder Cup last fall. Young was the lone bright spot who played well for more than Sunday Singles, a further revelation of the talent just waiting for the results to catch up.

THE PLAYERS was the payoff. Young wasn’t the favorite throughout; he needed some gifts from Ludvig Åberg, but he was ready to strike when the moment required it. And he did it in as impressive a fashion as possible. The shot into the Island Green 17th was breathtaking. He needed to make up one shot on Matt Fitzpatrick and Young watched Fitzpatrick hit the center of the green, knowing he had to do better. So he hit a full sand wedge straight at the little bunker and watched as it came out flush, took the slope behind the pin and settled 10 feet from the hole. The birdie putt wasn’t easy, a delicate left-to-right curler, but Young walked it in and walked to the 18th tied. That’s when he unleashed on The Drive: a 375-yard missile, the longest tee shot ever recorded on the TPC Sawgrass finisher. That put immense pressure on Fitzpatrick, who blocked his ball into the trees and couldn’t hit the green in two, forcing a nervy up-and-down that he couldn’t convert.

It’s further evidence that the post-Ryder Cup bump is real. Scottie Scheffler experienced it in 2021 and Åberg felt it in 2023. Young is the breakthrough from 2025 – though this was building for a long time. Now he has the win that validated it.

Playing through

• 🎥 Here’s the extended highlights of Sunday’s final round …
• 📺 "Chasing Sunday," a "Hard Knocks"-style documentary that embedded with four players this week, will be released on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the trailer …
• 🦅 Chad Ramey's Sunday ace on the par-3 13th hole was one of 47 total eagles throughout the tournament. That brings the total Morgan Stanley's Eagles for donation to $235,000.
• 💰 Cameron Young won $4.5 million. What did the rest of the field earn?

The collapse

In the two weeks before THE PLAYERS, we saw two collapses: Shane Lowry at PGA National and Daniel Berger at Bay Hill.

Åberg was supposed to be different – the one who could withstand it all. It’s become a joke that he’s part robot. His swing looks like it’s built in a lab, as efficient as it is beautiful. His demeanor is what every athlete craves. He possesses a level-headed freedom that is uncanny for a 26-year-old. Rory McIlroy gawked at his ability to remain laid-back, even in a cauldron of emotion like the Ryder Cup.

That’s the cruel and universal reality of what happened to Åberg on Sunday. Nobody is immune. Leading by three at the turn, Åberg fell apart on the inward nine. He found the water on the 11th, losing the outright lead for the first time since the ninth hole of the second round, then pressed on the 12th, pulling driver into the water. It was the mistake that cost him THE PLAYERS, a devastating double bogey that he couldn’t recover from.

“It got away from me quick there,” Åberg said. “Yeah, it was just poor swings.”

He was missing left from the start. Åberg gets quick when he’s nervous. Quick in his movements, his decisions and with his swing. He missed left on the first four holes, but managed to play the stretch in even par. But TPC Sawgrass is relentless. Every shot requires a plan, full commitment, and proper execution. Get one component wrong, and there are immediate consequences. Åberg couldn’t hold up to it long enough to survive.

At least misery has company. Åberg isn’t the only one who suffered this fate, but the trend continues to both confound logic and perfectly explain the brutal reality of trying to win a golf tournament.

This didn’t happen to unproven pros. It happened to three PGA TOUR winners, three Ryder Cuppers. They are all top-10 players when they are at their best. Yet all of them can also be susceptible to their worst when the pressure ratchets up. Lowry clinched the Ryder Cup for the Europeans six months ago, then shanked a ball into the water to lose a TOUR event at PGA National. Berger’s bulldog mentality is his most memorable trait, but Akshay Bhatia backed him down the stretch at Bay Hill. Åberg is the cool, calm and collected king of the next generation of stars. Yet he had no answer for the obvious nerves that seep into everyone – no matter their stature – in the lategoings of tournament golf.

His redemption story will come down the line. Åberg is too good for it not to. On Sunday, though, Åberg choked.

Parting shots

• 🤔 It’s hard to remember a time that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler faced as much uncertainty at the same time as coming out of this tournament. Scheffler is clearly battling his swing and McIlroy is battling his body. And we might not get clarity on either until the Masters. Both have been noncommittal about whether they plan to play again before Augusta National.
• 😡 Xander Schauffele rallied after a difficult Saturday to shoot 69 and finish solo third. It was a good bounce-back, but it made the third round all the more maddening. He shot 74 and was completely out of sorts. That cost him a legitimate chance to win. He still led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. We continue to wait for the return of the cutthroat Schauffele that won two majors in 2024.
• 🤑 Rookie Sudarshan Yellamaraju had a career-changing week. The Canadian shot 66-68 on the weekend to finish in a tie for fifth. With it, he earned $925,000. His career earnings before this week were just over $825,000.
• 😮 Jacob Bridgeman’s T5 was incredibly weird. He led the field in putting, gaining more than nine strokes. He was also nearly dead last in approach play among those who made the cut (66th, losing almost 3.5 strokes).

We had an amazing week at THE PLAYERS. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed putting these together. After a crazy stretch, we're off for the next few weeks. The next Signature Scroll will come from the grounds of Augusta National! Already can't wait.