DELOFTED – Your Golf Update for April 30, 2026
Young Sets the Course on Fire: "Putter for a Billion Feet" – DELOFTED Check for the Cadillac Championship!
Cameron Young secured the lead in round one of the PGA Tour Cadillac Championship on Thursday! A 64 (-8) was on his scorecard at the end, primarily thanks to a putter that was as hot as a Formula 1 engine on the straightaway.
"I think I made a billion feet of putts," Young joked afterward. Eight birdies, no bogeys – the guy simply coaxed balls into the hole from every conceivable position, whether on the green or off it. "Every time my ball got close to the hole today, it just wanted to go in," he added. Who hasn't experienced one of those days when everything just clicks?
Two top contenders are already lurking behind Young: three-time Major champion Jordan Spieth and his countryman Alex Smalley. Both are just one shot back.
Young, who won The Players Championship in March and made a strong showing at the 2026 Masters – ultimately finishing in a tie for third behind Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler – started his phenomenal round with a birdie on the 2nd hole. His approach landed mere inches from the pin. 2026 is his year! On the 4th, he holed a 41-foot putt for birdie, followed by another short birdie on the 5th, and on the 7th, he grabbed a 28-foot birdie from off the green. What a putting display! The birdie party continued on the 10th and 11th, followed by another 25-foot monster putt from off the green on the 15th. On the 16th, he seized the outright lead with a birdie, and to maintain that advantage, he had to sink a crucial six-foot par putt on the 17th.
"I noticed early on that a few were dropping, and it was just one of those days," Young summarized. "I had a really good feel for the greens today."
Young, who claimed his first of two PGA Tour titles to date at the Wyndham Championship in August, already has three top-5 finishes this year [2026] and has climbed to World No. 4. What a talent!
Jordan Spieth showed what he was capable of on the 8th hole, holing out for an eagle – a real highlight of his round. After 15 holes, he was still at a strong -8, but unfortunately, he then carded his second bogey of the day on the 16th.
Spieth's Master Plan
"That was a really good start," rejoiced Spieth, who was already seven under par after 11 holes. He emphasized that he had optimally utilized the early conditions when the wind was still dormant and the greens were soft. "I don't expect it to be seven under par every day," Spieth tempered expectations. "I sank a few putts from the fringe, which was a bonus, and I simply played cleverly for the rest of the round."
Alex Smalley, who is still eager for his first PGA Tour title, also delivered a strong performance: eight birdies, just one bogey. M
