Young clinches Players C’ship title; Green triumphs at Australian Open

Cameron Young outdueled England’s Matt Fitzpatrick down the stretch to fire a four-under-par 68 and claim a one-shot victory at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday.

The 28-year-old from New York, who started the day four shots adrift of third-round leader Ludvig Aberg, pocketed the biggest PGA Tour win of his career after rattling in five birdies and a bogey in his final round.

An elated Young said the mentally taxing nature of Sawgrass’s unforgiving 7,352-yard layout had made Sunday’s victory extra special.

“It’s absolutely exhausting,” Young said. “This place has had my number the last few years. I’ve never really had a good finish here. It is incredibly taxing.

“Every shot all day long you can get yourself into trouble. There’s no easy ones. There’s no givens. And you’re going to make mistakes.

“It’s a great test of will, a test of patience and obviously a test of hitting some good shots. I feel like I did a lot of those things really well this week.”

Young, who had drifted off the pace after a double-bogey on the 18th in Saturday’s third round, conjured a moment of magic on Sawgrass’s notoriously tricky par-three 17th to thrust himself into contention.

Trailing Fitzpatrick by one shot with two holes to play, Young drilled his tee shot onto the water-encircled island green to 10 feet and then rolled in the birdie putt to leave it all square heading to the 18th.

Young quickly erased the memory of his double-bogey nightmare on the 18th from the third round with a majestic tee shot into the center of the fairway.

His second found the back of the green and although he missed his birdie chance, Fitzpatrick could only bogey to give Young the biggest title and payday of his career with a $4.5 million winner’s check.

Young’s closing 68 left him on 13-under 275 for the tournament, with Fitzpatrick one adrift on 12-under.

Fitzpatrick closed with a 68 but later brushed off any suggestion that the ferociously partisan final day crowd -- who had bombarded him with boos and chants of U-S-A! on the 18th tee -- had been a factor.

The Englishman contrasted Sunday’s galleries with the bedlam at Bethpage Black last year during the Ryder Cup.

“Listen, the crowd, that was literally child’s play compared to Bethpage,” Fitzpatrick. “If they think that that was anything, then they need to reassess. Get yourself up to New York.

“That’s how it is. I would hope it’s the exact same -- well, it probably wouldn’t be because we’re a little bit more polite in Europe -- but I would hope it would be of similar intensity in Europe. It’s funny to me. I find it hilarious.”

Xander Schauffele took third place with a three-under-par 69 that left him on 11-under, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre was a shot back on 10-under after a closing 69.

Meanwhile, major winner Hannah Green ended a 12-year wait for a local player to triumph at the Australian Open, holding off compatriot Cassie Porter and France’s Agathe Laisne by a shot on Sunday.

The world number nine is in a rich vein of form, having won her seventh LPGA Tour title a fortnight ago in Singapore, and carded a steady 70 to end at 11-under for the tournament.

Not since seven-time major champion Karrie Webb lifted the trophy for a fifth time in 2014 has an Australian tasted victory in their home Open.

“I’m a bit speechless to be honest,” said Green, who like in Singapore had husband Jarryd Felton -- also a professional golfer -- on the bag.

“I think the win in Singapore definitely helped with my nerves today. I felt a little bit more in control of my golf ball.

“Just really happy to have my name on that trophy amongst all the amazing other winners, as well as Webby,” she added.

The 29-year-old, the 2019 PGA Championship winner, took a one-stroke lead into the final round from Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher, who faded to finish five off the pace.

Porter (62) and Laisne (67) began charging at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide.

Agence France-Presse