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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Cameron Young has been making the most of his rookie year on the PGA Tour.
He already has two runner-up finishes — at the Genesis Invitational and the Sanderson Farms — which positioned him inside the top-50 in the world rankings and got him an invite into this week’s Masters, his first.
The 25-year-old from Scarborough played his youth golf at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, where his father, David, is the longtime head pro, and now he’s playing for a green jacket this week.
In June 2019, when he qualified for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, he was ranked 2,066th in the world. About a year and a half ago, Young had no status on any tour. That turned into temporary membership status on the Korn Ferry Tour, having to rely on Monday qualifiers to get into tournaments.
Then he won two Korn Ferry events last year and got his PGA Tour card. And here we are. He tees off at 8:55 a.m. Thursday alongside Min Woo Lee and Hudson Swafford in the opening round of the Masters.
“It’s something you have to dream of and look forward to when you’re young, playing this game at a high level,’’ Young told The Post. “This is kind of the pinnacle of what we do.’’
Scottie Scheffler, after reaching the No. 1 world ranking two weeks ago, said he never dreamt that big.
When Young was asked if he ever dreamt as big as playing in a Masters, said, “It’s always a dream until you end up actually sitting here. It was something that I always wanted and then became a very real possibility kind of this fall and became more of a goal than a dream starting earlier this year.’’
Stewart Hagestad is living some life. He’s an amateur golfer who’s playing in his second Masters this week. Many PGA Tour pros don’t get to play in one Masters, let alone two.
In 2017, when he was working an internship in Manhattan and playing his golf at Deepdale on Long Island, Hagestad became the first-ever Mid-Amateur champion to make the cut at the Masters, tying for 36th.
“They’re both obviously very special,’’ Hagestad told The Post. “When I got the [invitation] letter around Christmas time, I was in and out of tears for around two hours. It was pretty surreal. I almost think I was more emotional for this one than for the first one. For the first one, you look back and you don’t really understand or know the impact that it’s made on your life.’’
Hagestad, who grew up playing competitively against the likes of Jordan Spieth, has maintained his amateur status as he’s about to earn his MBA degree and begin working for a private-equity firm based in Chicago.
Asked after playing a practice round with Will Zalatoris, who finished second at last year’s Masters, and Young, why he’s not swayed by the pull of turning pro, he said, “I just watched the second-best ball striker in the world [Zalatoris] for 18 holes, and the other kid who almost beat Joaquin Niemann [Young at the Genesis]. No, I’m all good.’’
One of Young’s playing partners, Lee, had his sister, Minjee Lee, the No. 4 ranked women’s player in the world and a major championship winner, caddie for him in Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest. He said his mother was going to caddie, but Minjee bumped her.
“This is my first time to Augusta National,’’ Minjee, who won last year’s Evian Championship, told Australian Golf Digest. “It’s pretty surreal to be here, to be watching my brother practicing for the Masters.’’
Min Woo Lee, 23, played his last four practice holes Wednesday in front of Tiger Woods and was taken aback by the huge crowds, saying, “I nearly had to talk to the crowd just to relieve the nerves.’’
After his practice round, Min Woo Lee played the Par-3, which was eventually halted because of dangerous weather, with his sister on the bag.
“It’s a big honor for Min Woo to play the Masters; he’s watched the tournament on TV his whole life and it’s a big dream come true for him,” Minjee said. “He drove up Magnolia Lane this morning and I was taking a video of him driving in. It’s so cool to be able to experience it with him for his first Masters, and my parents, for our first time at Augusta.”
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