Cameron Young secured a decisive six-shot wire-to-wire victory at the 2026 Cadillac Championship, held at Trump National Doral’s challenging Blue Monster course. President Donald J. Trump was present, offering a congratulatory gesture to the champion.
Young began the tournament with a flawless 8-under-par 64, establishing a one-shot lead. He extended this lead to five strokes after a second-round 67. A 70 in the third round widened the gap to six shots over a field that included World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Young concluded his dominant performance with a final-round 68, finishing at 19-under-par, six strokes ahead of Scheffler, who also shot a 68 and finished second for his third consecutive tournament.
“Winning is really hard. At no point did it feel easy, did it feel like the tournament was over,” stated Young, who earned $3.6 million for his third career win. His triumph propelled him to third in the world golf rankings. The event marked the return of the Cadillac Championship to the PGA Tour schedule after a hiatus since 2016, and Young expressed his gratitude for playing on such a prestigious course.
Young’s Integrity: A Self-Imposed Penalty
Young’s exceptional play was so commanding that even a self-inflicted one-shot penalty could not derail his momentum. On the par-4 second hole, he called a penalty on himself after his ball moved as he addressed his second shot. Despite the setback, he recovered to sink the par putt from 13½ feet.
“Your heart sinks when you see it move,” Young commented. “But it moved. That’s part of what golf is about. There’s no one who’s going to give me a penalty there but myself.”
Young led the field in birdies with 24 and excelled in Strokes Gained: Putting, achieving 7.062. His game proved to be a perfect fit for the 7,739-yard Blue Monster, a course that last saw a wire-to-wire winner in Andy Bean in 1977.
“It’s just undeniably a big, difficult, championship golf course,” Young remarked. “For me personally, I prefer a difficult golf course to an easier one.”
Prior to this victory, Young had secured seven runner-up finishes before claiming his maiden PGA Tour title at last July’s Wyndham Championship. He also won The PLAYERS Championship in March.
Softened Conditions Due to Rain
Heavy rain in the early hours of Sunday morning, with over an inch falling, delayed the final round’s start by two hours, pushing back the originally scheduled 7:30 a.m. tee time. The softened Blue Monster, due to the rain, proved to be less formidable.
The average scores for the first three rounds ranged between 71 and 71.6. On Sunday, however, with preferred lies in effect, the average score dropped to 69. The par-4 18th hole, which saw a total of nine birdies across the first three rounds, yielded 12 birdies on Sunday alone.
Scottie Scheffler, who had birdied holes 15, 16, and 17 to climb into second place, had experienced close calls in recent tournaments, finishing behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters and losing a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick at Hilton Head. However, this event was not a near-miss for him.
Such was Young’s dominance that the world’s top player never truly had a realistic chance on Sunday.
Ben Griffin secured third place, one shot behind Scheffler at 12-under, after shooting a 68. Adam Scott (64), the 2016 champion, Si Woo Kim (70), and Sepp Straka (66) tied for fourth at 11-under.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who had won the previous week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his brother Matt, tied for ninth at 9-under in his debut as a PGA Tour member.
Young is scheduled to compete this week in the Truist Championship, a Signature event at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy will also make his return to Tour play at this event, his first since winning the Masters.
English Translation:
Cameron Young Cruises to 2026 Cadillac Championship Victory
Cameron Young achieved a dominant wire-to-wire victory at the 2026 Cadillac Championship, beating World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by six shots. President Donald J. Trump acknowledged Young’s impressive performance on the challenging Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral.
Young’s stellar opening round of 8-under-par 64 gave him a one-shot lead. He extended this lead to five shots after a second-round 67, and further to six shots with a third-round 70, placing him ahead of Scheffler and others. A closing 68 secured his 19-under-par total and a six-shot margin of victory over Scheffler, who finished second for his third consecutive tournament.
“Winning is really hard. At no point did it feel easy, did it feel like the tournament was over,” said Young, who collected $3.6 million for his third career win and rose to third in the world golf rankings. Young expressed his honor in playing in front of the President and gratitude towards his organization for hosting prestigious tournaments on their beautiful properties, highlighting the special nature of the championship golf course.
Young Calls Penalty on Himself
Young’s commanding lead was so significant that a self-imposed one-shot penalty did not impede his progress. On the par-4 second hole, he penalized himself after his ball moved when he addressed his second shot. He then skillfully sank the par putt from 13½ feet.
“Your heart sinks when you see it move,” Young confessed. “But it moved. That’s part of what golf is about. There’s no one who’s going to give me a penalty there but myself.”
Young led the field in birdies with 24 and in Strokes Gained: Putting (7.062). His game was perfectly suited for the 7,739-yard Blue Monster, a course that last saw a wire-to-wire winner in Andy Bean in 1977.
“It’s just undeniably a big, difficult, championship golf course,” Young commented. “For me personally, I prefer a difficult golf course to an easier one.”
Young had previously finished second seven times before securing his first PGA Tour title last July at the Wyndham. He went on to win The PLAYERS Championship in March.
Rainy Weather Softened Conditions
Over an inch of rain fell on the course early Sunday morning, causing a two-hour delay to the final round’s start. The Blue Monster was softened by the rain, making it less formidable.
Average scores in the first three rounds were between 71 and 71.6. On Sunday, with preferred lies, the average score was 69. The par-4 18th hole, which saw a total of nine birdies in the first three rounds, recorded 12 birdies on Sunday alone.
Scheffler, who birdied holes 15, 16, and 17 to move into second, had experienced close finishes, coming in behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters and losing a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick at Hilton Head. This event, however, was not a near-miss for him.
Such was Young’s superiority that the world’s best player never truly had a chance on Sunday.
Ben Griffin finished third, one shot behind Scheffler at 12-under, after a round of 68. Adam Scott (64), the 2016 winner, Si Woo Kim (70), and Sepp Straka (66) tied for fourth at 11-under.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who won the preceding Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his brother Matt, tied for ninth at 9-under in his first start as a PGA Tour member.
Young is scheduled to compete this week in the Truist Championship, a Signature event at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. World No. 2 McIlroy will also return to Tour action at this event, his first since winning the Masters.
