Cameron Young was the only one to come close to threatening his own lead during Sunday’s final round.
The American lapped the field during the final day of the Cadillac Championship, claiming a six-stroke victory after leading wire-to-wire at Trump National Doral in Florida.
However, the round wasn’t entirely smooth as Young unbelievably landed himself in hot water on the second hole.
He called a one-stroke penalty on himself while playing the par-4 second, after he caused his ball to move in the fairway before hitting his approach shot.
Playing with preferred lies, Young had lifted, cleaned and placed his ball on the fairway. Yet, when he went to address the ball, it moved before his swing.
Young didn’t hesitate to do the right thing, stopping to call an official. He told the rule official that the ball moved slightly forward when he addressed it and admitted that he was unsure whether his actions caused it to move.
Cameron Young called a penalty on himself after his ball moved at address on Sunday
The American was presented with the trophy by Eric Trump after winning the tournament
Ultimately, the official determined that Young had caused the ball to move and therefore violated the rules, earning him a one-stroke penalty.
Unbelievably, Young still managed to go on to make par. The penalty now meant that he was hitting his third shot from the fairway, 159 yards from the green.
He went on to stick to within 14 feet of the pin before rolling in the putt for par, helping him to protect his lead from World No 1 Scottie Scheffler.
‘Your heart sinks when you see it move,’ Young said. ‘But it moved. That’s part of what’s golf about. There’s no one who’s going to give me a penalty there but myself.’
Fans praised Young for the honest gesture, even though many ultimately claimed that it had been unnecessary.
‘It’s a stupid rule. Not a penalty on the tee box or the green, but on the fairway it is?’ one golf fan claimed on social media. ‘Just put the ball back. Or don’t, the ball isn’t going to defy gravity and sit up in a better position, it would be zero benefit to the player. No need for a penalty here.’
‘All pros should know, cameras are everywhere and the one stroke penalty is hard to swallow during the event but being called a cheater could be career ending,’ another insisted.
‘Silly rule especially when playing preferred lies, no harm is caused to the field by just replacing to original position,’ added a third.
President Donald Trump was also spotted pulling into the ‘Trump Suite’ in Doral, Florida
Young poses with his wife Kelsey and their three children, Henry, John and Vivienne
Young won the $20million Cadillac Championship by six shots at Trump National Doral
‘Silly rule. Bad for the game. Certainly understand why he called it on himself,’ wrote one, while another posted, ‘Respect lol I didn’t even see it move.’
‘Deserved that par. Very sporting what a gent,’ gushed one social media user, as another branded it a ‘World class par.’
‘This was SO classy of cam, I’ve really become a fan of him this year,’ another added.
With President Donald Trump in place to watch most of the round at Trump National Doral, Young picked up $3.6 million for the second-biggest payday of his career. He made $4.5 million earlier this year for winning The Players Championship.
Trump arrived with several members of his family – including granddaughter Kai Trump, who plans to play at the University of Miami when she enrolls later this year – shortly after noon and remained until the tournament was over.
He stood for the ovation as Young walked up the 18th hole, as a number of fans in attendance were allowed to move into the fairway for a look at the final putts of the week.
And when it was over, Young got a thumbs-up from Trump, followed later by a quick handshake.
‘It’s very unique. He´s nothing if not a very, very interesting man,’ Young said. ‘He´s very powerful and it´s an honor to get to play in front of him.’
