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After Round One of The (British) Open, Sleepy Hollow’s Cameron Young Led the Field

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Cameron Smith tees off at St. Andrew's 16th hole (photo courtesy of David Young)

July 14, 2022

By Barrett Seaman—

Longtime members of Sleepy Hollow Country Club can remember the boy Cameron Young out on the course, his mom Barb carrying his bag as he fine-tuned his game on one of the nation’s prestigious golf courses. And he could always count on getting good advice from the club’s head pro, his dad, Dave Young. Now, members are clustered around the club’s wide-screen TV sets watching him go head-to-head with the best golfers in the world.

After the first round of the 150^th playing of “The Open” on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, Sleepy Hollow’s Cameron Young stood alone atop the leader board. He had shot a 64, eight under par and two strokes better than Rory McIlroy.

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Yes, it’s only the first day of four grueling days of golf, but as Tim Hegarty, a touring pro from Briarcliff Manor, urged: savor the moment, “He’s two strokes up in the greatest golf tournament on the Planet Earth.”

At least for a day.

The modest entourage following Young’s 8:25 a.m. tee time (3:25 a.m. in Sleepy Hollow) included the dad, Dave Young. “I get nervous,” he admitted, “but today was fairly stress free since he got off to a good start with some early birdies and stayed out of trouble all day.”

Good start indeed: Young birdied four of the first six holes. “I’ll admit,” says Dave, “it is amazing to look up at the big yellow scoreboards and seeing his name at the top.”

Dave Young says his son is taking it in stride. “He realizes there is a long way to go. Cam is very good at taking it one step at a time. Hopefully he can continue to stay out of the bunkers and hit a lot of greens.”

Though still only 25, Cameron Young is no boy wonder. He played his college golf at Wake Forest University, one of the premier collegiate golf programs in the country. He struggled a bit early in his attempts to qualify for various second tier tours, but once he qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour, says Hegarty, “he never looked back.”

As for his mom’s role as a caddy, admits Dave Young, “she was out of a job.”

Going into St. Andrews, Cam was ranked 18^th in the Fedex Cup standings. Hegarty notes that he was second among all PGA pros in driving distance behind only Jon Rahm. He is, says Hegarty, “a gamer.”

Dave Young had limited advice for his son. “Not anything different than usual. One foot in front of the other, one shot at a time kind of stuff.”

“He’s two strokes up in the greatest golf tournament on the Planet Earth.”

After this first dramatic day, anything could happen. Dave says he has received lots of supporting messages from back in Westchester. “The members and staff at Sleepy have been tremendously supportive,” he wrote well past dinner on Thursday. “I get tons of emails and texts so I know they are watching somewhere. I’m sure there will be crowd watching at the club this weekend if Cam continues his good play.”

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