Cameron Young fired a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 to kick off the Cadillac Championship and take a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley on Thursday outside Miami.
The PGA Tour returned to Trump National Doral and the famed “Blue Monster” for the first time since 2016. The event is a $20 million signature event with no 36-hole cut.
Young won the biggest tournament of his career just six weeks ago in Florida — The Players Championship. Now No. 4 in the world rankings, Young excelled in his first competitive round at the Blue Monster, making up for 50% driving accuracy by ranking third in the field in strokes gained around the green and strokes gained putting.
Young had four birdies on each nine, including a 41 1/2-foot putt at the par-3 fourth and a 25-footer at the par-3 15th.
Spieth is one of a handful of players in the field who’s played the Blue Monster in a PGA Tour event, and he got off to a strong start with three birdies and an eagle on the front nine. He mixed four more birdies with two bogeys coming in.
The 65 was his lowest round of the year, and he’s in position to make a run at his first trophy since the 2022 RBC Heritage.
Smalley only got into the field through the “Aon Swing 5” that rewards players’ recent performance in standard tour events. He ranked second in the field in strokes gained approaching the green as he holed eight birdies with one bogey.
Canadian Nick Taylor is alone in fourth following a bogey-free, 6-under 66. Nico Echavarria of Colombia is in fifth at 5-under 67.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, making his first career start at Doral, birdied three of his first five holes but bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 and settled for a 1-under 71.
