RIDGELAND, SC – Cameron Young, a five-time runner-up this season, was named the PGA Tour’s top rookie on Wednesday as the winner of the Arnold Palmer Award.
The 25-year-old was presented with the Arnold Palmer Award by previous winners Sungjaeem and Webb Simpson during a news conference at Congare Golf Club.
Young, the 16th-ranked player in the world, received 94% of the peer vote, ahead of Tom Kim and Sahit Tegala, according to the PGA Tour.
“It’s very special,” Young said. “I know the name Arnold Palmer, he was a great man in the game of golf, and we have a lot to thank for what we do today, what the PGA Tour is. To be associated with that in some small way. It’s great. I know we have a very strong starting class and I know it’s been voted on.” [for] By me, so it’s an honor to be thought of this way, just to end the year this way.
Young, a former Wake Forest star, has finished second at the Sanderson Farms Championship, The Genesis Invitational, the Wells Fargo Championship, The Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The five second-place finishes in a season are the most in the last 40 years. Vijay Singh also did this prominently in 2003.
Young finished third at the PGA Championship in May, losing by 1 stroke in the playoff to eventual winners Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris. At the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July, Young finished sole second, 1 shot behind winner Cameron Smith.
Young was part of the winning U.S. team that defeated the international team at the Presidents Cup in Quail Hollow.
Young earned more than $6.5 million this past season, the most in a season by a rookie in PGA Tour history. It was more than the $2.2 million set by Xander Schauffele in 2016-17.
