Cameron Young Captures Players Championship After Late Swing at Sawgrass

Cameron Young closed with a 4-under 68 on Sunday to win the 2026 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, finishing at 13-under 275 and claiming the biggest title of his career. Young beat Matt Fitzpatrick by one shot after a late turn on the final two holes, while Xander Schauffele finished two back in third.

Young entered the closing stretch one shot behind Fitzpatrick, but pulled even with a birdie on the par-3 17th. Playing aggressively to the island green, Young made a birdie putt from 9 1/2 feet. Fitzpatrick, who found the middle of the green, two-putted from 28 1/2 feet for par, leaving the two players tied with one hole to play.

The tournament turned on the 18th. Young drove the ball 375 yards down the right side of the fairway, the longest drive recorded on the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass in the ShotLink era, which dates to 2004. From there, he hit his approach to the back fringe and two-putted from 9 1/2 feet for par. Fitzpatrick drove into the trees to the right and went on to make bogey. He then narrowly missed an 8-foot par putt that would have forced a three-hole playoff.

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The victory continues Young’s rise after years of close calls. Young had finished runner-up seven times on the PGA Tour before earning his first tour victory at the Wyndham Championship in August 2025. Sunday’s win at The Players gives him the most significant title of his career along with the $4.5 million winner’s check.

Fitzpatrick appeared to seize control earlier in the round. Starting the day tied for fourth at 8-under, five shots behind 54-hole leader Ludvig Åberg, he made birdies on three of his first four holes to move quickly up the leaderboard. After a steady middle stretch, he added three birdies in four holes around the turn before a three-putt bogey at the 14th. He answered with another birdie at the 15th to reach 13-under, but could not hold off Young over the final two holes.

Åberg began the day with a three-shot lead and still held a two-shot advantage after 10 holes, but his round unraveled on the back nine. He made bogey on the 11th after hitting his approach into the water, then double-bogeyed the 12th after another ball found the water off the tee. A later bogey on the 15th dropped him out of contention.

For Young, the finish at Sawgrass was a defining one. He matched Fitzpatrick under pressure at the 17th, delivered one of the longest and most important drives of the tournament at the 18th, and avoided the mistake that opened the door on the final hole. After several near misses earlier in his PGA Tour career, he now has one of the sport’s premier titles on his résumé.

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