Miami (AFP) – World number four Cameron Young stumbled early but rallied to stretch his lead to six strokes after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Cadillac Championship. The 28-year-old American followed an opening bogey with four birdies and a bogey to fire a two-under par 70 and stand on 15-under 201 after 54 holes on the Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral in Florida.
“It was a little bit difficult to find a rhythm, just the wind and the direction it blew was really tricky,” Young said. “Every hole was a substantial cross wind. It’s really just a matter of trying to manage that and give yourself as many opportunities as you can.”
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World number one Scottie Scheffler fired a 69 to seize a share of second place on 207 with South Korean Kim Si-woo and Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan. Americans Ben Griffin and Matt McCarty shared fifth on 208 with Canada’s Nick Taylor. Stormy forecasts for Sunday afternoon have prompted organizers to have players make morning starts in the final round in threesomes off the first and 10th tees.
“Today was kind of a good test run of how tomorrow will be,” Young said. “I’m sure it will not be as easy as I want it to be. Sounds like the weather’s not going to be great. It’ll be a fight from the beginning and just looking to execute the way that I did for the most part today — just keep it in front of me and try to make some putts.”
Young, who turns 29 on Thursday, won the Players Championship in March and shared third last month at the Masters. After starting the day with a five-stroke lead, Young found water with his second shot on the way to a bogey at the par-five first hole while Taylor sank a six-foot birdie putt to close within three.
“It wasn’t my best shot,” Young said of his dampened shot. “With a good bounce it’s not in the water. With an average bounce it’s kind of close. I happened to get a bad one. I can’t be mad for hitting driver, 6-iron at the middle of the green on one. This place is difficult and it will do that to you. Good reminder today wasn’t going to be easy and set the tone for how the rest of the day went, just in terms of grinding through it and trying to make the best of the opportunities you do get.”
Young rolled in a birdie putt from just inside 20 feet at the fifth, then sank a 32-foot chip in from the left rough for birdie at the seventh to reach 14-under with a four-stroke lead. When Taylor stumbled with a double bogey at seven, Young’s lead was five over Norway’s Reitan and McCarty. Young sank a 17-foot birdie putt at 11 but missed a six-footer for birdie at the par-five 12th and found a bunker off the tee on the way to bogey at the par-three 13th.
But he bounced back with a birdie putt from just inside 19 feet at the par-three 15th and parred in from there, making an eight-foot putt to save par at 18.
– Greens ‘pretty tricky’ –
Scheffler, a four-time major winner, dropped his approach at the 18th inches from the hole and tapped in to put himself into Sunday’s last group. “It was definitely windier out there,” Scheffler said. “The greens weren’t as firm as I anticipated them to be, but the fairways are, and there’s a lot of crosswinds out there so it’s hard to hold the fairways. Definitely a challenging day to make a lot of birdies but I gave myself a few looks and was able to make a few. Greens have been pretty tricky this week. Just keep giving myself looks, get hot with the putter and see what happens.”
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