Cameron Young will be hoping that his strokes gained numbers around the green at the Hero World Challenge are a sign of what is to come in 2026.
Not many players have been more impressive than Cameron Young over the past few months. In addition to his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship, he also put together a strong performance at the Ryder Cup.
Young has got all the tools to be one of the top players on tour. But there are still some things to watch as we head into 2026.
He finished 107th in strokes gained around the green last season. Still, he was fourth in that category at this week’s Hero World Challenge, according to Data Golf.
Chipping tip from Cameron Young: Focus on one shot
Much like putting, feeling comfortable over a chip is crucial, especially for amateur golfers.
Most players have experienced the fear of catching one heavy and coming up short or thinning it through the back.
Speaking in a Titleist video, Young mentioned that most golfers are better off sticking with one reliable shot rather than trying to learn several different ones.
He said: “The one thing I say to amateur golfers is that if you have a shot, it doesn’t matter if it’s pitching wedge or sand wedge, if you can strike it consistently and play that shot 90 per cent of the time you can make it work and get it to reasonable par putts a lot.”
“You don’t have to know every shot to be able to get a lot of things up and down. Even if it’s a 53 or a 52 degree wedge, if you can strike it consistently and know what you are going to get, you can play it around a bunker to 12 feet and that’s better than playing with a club you are not comfortable with and getting it wrong.”
How Cameron Young approaches chipping from a divot
Hitting a solid approach only to find your ball sitting in an old divot is one of the more annoying parts of golf. It’s not as big an issue if you’re facing a full swing, but it can turn a simple chip into something far trickier.
Even so, many golfers are quick to write off their chances before they even step up to the shot. But speaking with Titleist, Young broke down how he likes to handle chipping from a poor lie.
“I would probably reach for the 62. That’s what I practice with the most, so that’s what I’m most comfortable with strike,” he said.
“With something like this I would probably go to playing a bit of a lower shot. All my focus would be on strike, so it would be trying to be a little bit steeper and a bit more on top of the back of the ball, especially given that I have green to work with.
“I don’t need to get it up in the air and stop it at all. So the shot that I feel I can most confidently strike is a little bit back in my stance, hitting down on it pretty good, and almost feeling a little bit of a draw, just to make sure the face keeps up and closes on the ball.”
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