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ORLANDO, Fla. — It appears he belongs.
Cameron Young, at age 24, has welcomed himself to the PGA Tour in what has been a revelation of a rookie year.
Thursday’s opening-round 2-under 70 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill provided further proof, adding to what has been a terrific run of success for Young, who grew up in Westchester and played at Sleepy Hollow, where his father/coach, David, is the longtime head professional.
The start at Bay Hill comes just two weeks after Young’s runner-up finish in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, one of the most iconic venues in the game featuring one of the strongest fields of the year.
Young, who trails Arnold Palmer leader Rory McIlroy by five shots, shot 66-62 in his first two rounds at Genesis and eventually was outlasted by Joaquin Niemann, who won by two strokes. But the experience that week was invaluable despite not hoisting the hardware for his maiden PGA Tour victory.
Young’s runner-up finish, which came less than four months after his tie for second at the Sanderson Farms Championship, provided tangible evidence that he belongs out here with the world’s best players.
“I think every week proves that to us more,’’ Young told The Post after his round Thursday. “I think it was just more proof that I can do this. It’s always a good experience to be around some of those really highly-ranked players in the world and realize that you fit in there, and just to get comfortable, get practice playing with those guys.
“Definitely it was disappointing not to win, but seeing what it’s done for me moving forward it’s hard not to get excited about it.’’
Here’s what that finish in L.A. did for Young: It elevated his world ranking to No. 53 (he’s now up to No. 51), it qualified him for next week’s Players Championship and the WGC-Match Play two weeks after that in Austin, Texas.
It also put him in prime position to qualify for the Masters next month. The top 50 players in the world ranking at the end of the Match Play get into the Masters.
Those are some serious boxes Young is checking off in his first year on the PGA Tour after elevating himself to the “big leagues’’ with two victories on the Korn Ferry Tour last season.
Young called his runner-up finish at Sanderson Farms “great to get off to a good start,’’ but acknowledged that the performance at Genesis, where every one of the top 10 players in the world ranking were in the field, was a game-changer.
“At Genesis, hanging with Justin Thomas, Viktor [Hovland], Joaquin, tying Collin [Morikawa for second] … those guys are the best players in the world,’’ Young said. “To be around them was really good for me.’’
As for his early success, Young said, “I think it’s something that I knew was possible.’’
Young’s caddie, Scott McKean, his college buddy from Wake Forest, seconded his man’s self-assessment.
“He’s always had the feeling that if he plays well his game is good enough to win on any level — whether it was college, Korn Ferry or here,’’ McKean said. “He knows that if he plays his best it’s good enough to win. That’s a pretty comforting feeling.’’
McKean said not winning the Genesis after the scorching 36-hole start was disappointing to Young, but after assessing the week, the sting from not winning wore off pretty quickly when they realized the perks that came with the high finish.
“At the end, it was like, ‘All right, we were really close, we can definitely win if we’re in a situation like that again.’ But also it gave us the ability to reflect on what this does for us going forward,’’ McKean said. “It moved him to 53rd in the world so all of a sudden the Masters in in play, we’re into the Match Play, we’re into the Players.
“We were able to look at the result like what this is going to do for us going forward even though we didn’t win. It was huge.’’
McKean said the runner-up at Sanderson Farms was a great step, but “in the fall series, it kind of feels like no one pays attention.’’
“Even after that, it felt like he was playing well but didn’t get much recognition, but coming out and having a T-2 at Genesis was kind of like, ‘Hello, he’s here,’ ’’ McKean went on. “That one got people’s attention more.’’
McKean noticed a marked difference in the way Tour players treated him after the Genesis runner-up, with veterans introducing themselves to Young.
“I think they’ve taken notice,’’ McKean said. “They’re like ‘All right, Cam is going to be here or awhile, he’s a peer, he’s one of us.’ ’’
He belongs.
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