Cameron Young leads Cadillac Championship as LIV Golf loses funding
Cameron Young fired a bogey-free 64 to take a one-shot lead at the Cadillac Championship in Miami on Thursday, as PGA Tour players digested the news of rival circuit LIV Golf losing its Saudi financial backing.
The recent Players Championship winner excelled on the greens at the Blue Monster Course at Trump National Doral.
He accumulated a staggering 97 feet of putts and rolled in eight birdies during a flawless opening round.
“I feel like I made a billion feet of putts, which I think works most places. It’s just one of those days that each mistake I made I was not penalised as much as I could have been.”
Cameron Young
Spieth and Smalley lead the chasing pack
Fellow Americans Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley trail the leader by a single stroke on seven under par.
Canadian Nick Taylor sits alone in fourth place, while Colombia’s Nico Echavarria remains well in contention on five under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler has work to do after dropping two shots on the back nine to sign for a one-under-par 71.
“I would have liked to have been a little sharper today. Got off to a good start, but I kind of struggled from then on.”
Scottie Scheffler
English duo navigate mixed fortunes
Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Fitzpatrick carded opening rounds of two under and level par respectively.
Fitzpatrick secured his permanent PGA Tour membership only last week after a famous victory alongside his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic.
Former Open champion Shane Lowry matched that level-par effort.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose carded a two-over 74 as the Ryder Cup veteran debuted his newly manufactured McLaren irons.
LIV Golf funding withdrawal dominates discussion
Off the course, the golfing world was rocked by confirmation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will end its financial support for LIV Golf after 2026.
The sovereign wealth fund stated that the massive investment required to sustain the breakaway league is no longer aligned with its future strategy.
This shock withdrawal leaves the rebel circuit urgently seeking new long-term financial partners to guarantee its survival.
Attention has immediately shifted to whether major champions such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm will be permitted to return to the traditional American circuit.
Spieth expressed reservations regarding the reintegration of defectors, suggesting the return pathway should not automatically be identical for all returning players.
