Cameron Young fired a 7-under 64 on Friday to grab a two-stroke lead into the halfway stage of the John Deere Classic and position himself to get rid of a bad PGA TOUR record.
At TPC Deere Run, Young was at 13-under par, with Garrick Higgo (66), Adam Schenk (66), and Brendon Todd (65), who were following at 11 under.
Young, 26, was selected the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year last season despite not having a single victory. He played for the successful U.S. Presidents Cup team and finished second at The Open Championship and tied for third at the PGA Championship.
Young is tied with Colin Montgomerie and Briny Baird for the most runner-up finishes in the past 40 years with six, all without a victory. Nevertheless, he thinks it’s acceptable to start having winning thoughts as soon as he enters a tournament.
“It’s obvious that I’m in a better position than you are most weeks to accomplish that, but in reality, it just means that I’ve made good progress towards my goals this week. So that’s all I can keep trying to do.” Young said.
Kevin Roy, Denny McCarthy, William Mouw, and Ludvig Aberg were all three strokes back at 10 under par. The 33-year-old Roy, a rookie on the PGA TOUR, recorded a career-best 63 after failing to make the cut in six of his previous eight competitions. McCarthy and Aberg each shot 64, while Mouw recorded his second consecutive 66.
Young started the day three strokes behind Jonas Blixt, who was leading the first round, but he swiftly overtook him after making bogeys on his first three holes, the 10th, 11th, and 12th. On two of his final three holes, he finished with birdies.
Sam Burns defeated Young in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play final in March, giving him his most recent runner-up finish. Young has made 15 birdies and two bogeys after two rounds and believes he is in the right frame of mind to succeed.
“I believe it’s important to stick to our game plan on the golf course and to put as much of myself into each shot as I can,” he said.
Higgo, who began on the back nine, closed the gap on Young by one stroke after making a birdie on the seventh par-3. But his final hole bogey put him in a tie for second place.
The FedExCup Playoffs for the TOUR are open to the top 70 players; Higgo started the week ranked 84th overall.
“I’ll simply attempt to continue doing what I’ve been doing; that should work out well. It will provide positive momentum for the upcoming weeks,” he said.
Todd had a run of four birdies in five holes midway through the round, while Schenk had five birdies without a blemish.
Low scores were possible at the TPC Deere Run due to the mild weather and light rain. Jim Herman shot a 63 after making 10 birdies, including seven in a row.
On Friday, Kevin Streelman, Sepp Straka, Yuto Katsuragawa, and amateur Michael Thorbjornsen all had scores that were equal to Herman and Roy’s. McCarthy may have written the strangest score on the day’s scoreboard. Eight birdies, including five straight, a bogey, a double bogey, and just one par were recorded over his final 11 holes.
When told to explain, Mccarthy said “I’m not sure. I heat up when I’m hot. I enjoy just getting underway and moving forward.”
Blixt, who started with a 9-under 62, finished with a 73 to trail by six strokes.
Young will have two more days to try to win the favor of Zach Johnson, a neighboring Iowa native and former John Deere champion, who will serve as the United States Ryder Cup captain. Johnson made the cut at 4-under after birdieing his almost final hole.
