Cameron Young fires 67 to extend lead to five shots at Cadillac Championship

Key facts

• Cameron Young leads the Cadillac Championship at 13 under par after rounds of 64 and 67.
• Young holds a five-shot lead over the field entering the weekend.
• He made his first bogey of the tournament on the par-4 14th but rebounded with a birdie on the 16th.
• World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a bogey-free 67 but remains seven shots off the lead.
• Jordan Spieth chipped in for eagle on the eighth hole in the first round and is tied for second at 7 under.
• The $20 million Signature Event is the first PGA Tour tournament at Trump National Doral since 2016.
• England's Alex Fitzpatrick moved up the leaderboard in the second round.

Young's dominant start continues at Doral

Cameron Young produced a second consecutive stellar round at the Cadillac Championship, shooting a five-under-par 67 on Friday to reach 13 under par and open a commanding five-shot lead. The American, who had set the pace with an eight-under 64 in the opening round, made his first bogey of the week at the par-four 14th but quickly recovered with a birdie two holes later. Young drove the green at the par-four 16th and calmly two-putted for his 14th birdie of the tournament. His only blemish came from an awkward sidehill lie that left his chip short of the putting surface. Despite that, he described his performance as solid on a challenging course. "There's a lot of golf to be played on a difficult golf course," Young said. "But so far, I've played well."

Spieth and Smalley share second place

Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley are tied for second at eight under par after the first round, but both face a significant gap to Young. Spieth, who chipped in for eagle on the par-five eighth hole in his opening round, relied on detailed notes from the Wednesday pro-am — "nerdy stuff," he called it — to navigate the course. Spieth acknowledged some uneven swings but managed to stay in control. "I didn't love some of the swings I made," he said. "But I was able to kind of put them in the right spot and I made some really good swings as well."

Scheffler struggles to keep pace

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, playing alongside Young, carded a bogey-free 67 on Friday but ended the day exactly where he started — seven shots off the lead. In the opening round, Scheffler made three birdies in the first five holes but then stalled, with back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and 11th dropping him to one under. Scheffler's round included a dramatic par save on the par-four 14th after he drove his ball far right and the club slipped from his hands on the follow-through. It is the sixth time in his last eight starts that Scheffler has been no better than 20th after an opening round, though he has a history of contending despite slow starts.

Young's putting prowess on display

Young's putting was a highlight of his opening round, where he made approximately 98 feet of putts, including three from 25 feet or more. He joked that he felt like he had made "a billion feet of putts," a sentiment that underscored his confidence on the greens. His round began with a near tap-in on the par-four second after his approach from 154 yards landed inches from the hole. "It's just one of those days that each mistake I made I was not penalized as much as I could have been," Young said. "And every time my ball got near the hole it seemed to want to go in today."

Course returns to PGA Tour after decade-long hiatus

The Cadillac Championship marks the first PGA Tour event at Trump National Doral's Blue Monster Course since 2016, adding to the significance of the $20 million Signature Event. The course, known for its water hazards and firm conditions, has tested players with its demanding layout. Young noted that the greens are receptive, allowing aggressive play. "I think you can be pretty aggressive into a lot of the greens," he said. "They're not particularly firm. I feel like the ball's sitting when you need it to." However, he cautioned that avoiding big mistakes is crucial, given the thick rough and abundant water.

Outlook for the weekend

With a five-shot lead, Young enters the third round as the clear favorite, but the difficulty of the Blue Monster Course means no lead is safe. England's Alex Fitzpatrick has moved up the leaderboard, adding international intrigue to the competition. The third round will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm on Saturday, as fans await whether Young can maintain his blistering pace or if challengers like Spieth, Smalley, or Scheffler can close the gap.

The bottom line

• Cameron Young leads by five shots at 13 under par after two rounds of the Cadillac Championship.
• Young's 64 in the first round was bogey-free and included nearly 100 feet of made putts.
• World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is seven shots back despite a bogey-free second round.
• Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley are tied for second at eight under par.
• The tournament is the first PGA Tour event at Trump National Doral since 2016.
• The third round airs live on Sky Sports Golf from 4pm Saturday.