ESPN Golf: Cameron Young Fires 61 to Share Lead at Rocket Classic After Round 2

Young Flirts With Tour Record Before Settling for 61

Cameron Young, the world's third-ranked player and a three-time winner this season, delivered one of the most electric rounds at this year's Rocket Classic. After making seven birdies on his opening eight holes, Young admitted he was thinking about reaching 55 — an almost incomprehensible score. He cooled somewhat on the back nine, adding two more birdies in a bogey-free card to post a 61 and share the 36-hole lead at 10-under with Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.

Furyk's 58 Still Standing

Young, who famously shot 59 at the 2024 Travelers Championship, had a genuine shot at eclipsing Jim Furyk's all-time PGA Tour record of 58, set a decade ago. He described having birdie looks from around 10 feet on nearly every hole but couldn't convert enough of them. "You hate to call it a disappointing 61" — a line that sums up just how rare a round it still was.

Weekend Contenders

Rickie Fowler briefly held the solo lead at 11-under before a back-nine stumble dropped him two shots behind. Fowler, whose lone Rocket Classic title came in 2023, remains well-placed heading into the weekend. Matt Kuchar added a hole-in-one on the par-3 5th — his seventh career ace — while Hideki Matsuyama extended his active consecutive-cut streak to 30, reaching 5-under. Notable early exits included U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and world No. 7 Chris Gotterup.

Strokeslab Perspective

Young's 61 almost certainly reflects exceptional numbers across SG: Approach and SG: Putting. When the full SG splits are available, tracking exactly where his scoring opportunities were left on the table will reveal whether a 58 was truly achievable — or whether those 10-footers simply weren't as makeable as they appeared.