USA Ryder Cup candidate makes the most compelling case to take on all-conquering Europe
Cameron Young has a list of selling points for skipper Keegan Bradley ahead of this week's crunch Bethpage picks
Fired-up Cameron Young has outlined his selling points to skipper Keegan Bradley ahead of the crunch Ryder Cup picks.
The American ace is amongst the clutch of players fighting to make the home team for Bethpage after failing to nab one of the six automatic spots.
Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Russell Henley, Xander Schauffele, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau secured their places from the points list and Bradley will announce the next half-dozen to complete his line-up on Wednesday.
Young is peaking at just the right time with impressive play-off showings backing up his maiden PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship. The 28-year-old is desperate to face Europe at his local course and has offered a list of reasons why Bradley should pick him for a debut.
Asked for his key attributes in terms of boosting the team, Young said: “I think recent form is kind of a hard one to deny. Aside from that, it’s my home state, it’s a golf course I love. It’s almost exclusively a major championship venue and my major record is pretty good.
“It’s a straightforward, big-boy golf course. There’s just not much funky about it. The greens are not crazy. The fairways aren’t really, really narrow. It’s long, but it’s not the longest place in the world. But it’s just straightforward. It’s difficult. That’s the kind of golf that I like.
“I think there’s a few points that if I had to make my case to him, those are things I’d like him to know. He’s been incredibly encouraging to me. He’s obviously watching everybody very closely and he’s been very kind to reach out and show some enthusiasm and some support when I’ve played well.
“I know he’s got a lot on his plate, so I don’t expect a ton from him. But he’s been very nice to me and I appreciate any consideration he’s given me to putting me on that team.
“I think it’s just a function of a more stable, solid golf that I’ve played recently. Even before that I missed the cut at the British Open, but I think that was just a bit of a strange one. Just one of those weeks where all your bad shots cost you more than they can.
“I played some good golf, Canadian Open, US Open, and then got to week four or five of that stretch and kind of struggled with fatigue. But I think I’ve continued to push through and play better and better over the last bunch of weeks.
“I mean, I think it’s nice to check the box [winning the Wyndham], but I’m three weeks removed from it now. “I’ve got another task in front of me. That’s really what I’m concerned about. It’s nice to have done it and have it on your resume and think back to some of the good golf that I played there, but I played plenty of good golf the next week that I look back on.
“I definitely am happy that my job is a bit more stable. I’m just confident in what I’m doing and I’ve built a lot of that over the course of the last few months.”