AUGUSTA, Ga. | Cameron Young's luck ran out at the ninth hole of the Augusta National Golf Club in the final round of the Masters Tournament on April 12 after benefiting from several breaks during the weekend rounds.
A tee shot in the trees that for once didn't kick out and a punch shot that landed in the middle of a large divot was the beginning of the end for Young's major championship hopes on April 12 as he finished with a 73 and a 10-under 278, tied for third and two shots behind winner Rory McIlroy.
"I feel like I played the golf I needed to," he said. "There is no negative to take away, other than I obviously would have loved a different result. In terms of the golf, I played plenty well enough to win today and plenty well enough to win by a couple, I think. So just one of those days."
Young was trying to become the third consecutive Players Championship winner to win the Masters a month later, and he was also hoping that after six top-10 finishes in major championships, he could capture his first at the age of 28.
Playing with McIlroy in the final twosome at Augusta was about as intense a pressure cooker in which Young could have found himself. But he acquitted himself well, hitting 10 fairways and 13 greens, and holding a two-shot lead over McIlroy through five holes, the combination of a birdie at No. 2 and McIlroy making a double bogey at No. 4.
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Young bogeyed Nos. 6 and 7 but birdied the eighth and walked to the ninth tee one shot behind Justin Rose but tied with McIlroy at 11-under.
Then came the hole that the breaks started going against Young.
During a third-round 65 the day before, Young had tee shots that clipped trees at Nos. 13 and 17. He birdied the 13th and parred the 17th.
In between, his second shot at No. 9 sailed into the patrons, hit a chair, then kicked back onto the green. He two-putted for par.
Then in the fourth round, Young's tee shot at No. 3 hit a tree and kicked out. He made another par.
He wasn't the least bit apologetic after the third round
"You'll take anything you can get," he said. "We all get enough bad breaks."
Unfortunately for Young, that statement proved prophetic.
His tee shot at No. 9 went into the left trees and stayed there. Barely able to hit the ball without being doubled over, he punched out safely, but the ball landed in the middle of a divot.
Young did what he could. He gouged the ball out, but it landed 38 feet from the front-left hole placement. Due to the undulation and speed of the green, he nearly had to turn his back to the hole and aim far to the right and hope the ball fed down to the hole.
It did, but not nearly as much as he wanted. It came up 3 feet short and he tapped in for his third bogey in four holes.
Young bounced back from that adversity and from tee-too-green, played the second nine well. He hit seven fairways in a row until missing the 18th to the left, and had birdie-putt attempts on every second-nine hole until the last.
He missed them all, with his best chances coming at No. 12 (14 feet for birdie), No. 13 (12 feet), No. 14 (10 feet) and No. 15 (8 feet).
McIlroy went back ahead with birdie putts at Nos. 12 and 13 and Young could never get closer than two shots.