New York-area golfer Cameron Young in Masters hunt after first round

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Cameron Young, the pride of Fordham Prep in The Bronx, was in the middle of a dream British Open run last summer at St. Andrews when a reporter asked him about his “improbable journey from the streets of New York.”

Young could have played along on his way to finishing second to Cameron Smith at the birthplace of golf, if only in the name of never letting the facts get in the way of a good golf story.

Instead as an honest son of the Westchester ’burbs, the 25-year-old product of a leafy prep-school campus refused to package and sell a counterfeit hardscrabble tale.

He called the reporter’s premise “a stretch” and pointed out that he lived at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, where his father was the head pro for more than two decades.

It’s still an interesting backstory, by the way, as the greater metropolitan area isn’t known for producing young golfers who are ranked 14th in the world.

But it will become much better copy if Young actually wins a tournament. And if he makes that first victory worthy of a green jacket, his journey will belong to legend.

Young birdied the first three holes at Augusta National on Thursday en route to a 5-under 67, two strokes off the first-round lead shared by Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland, and Jon Rahm.

“I’m really happy with my start,” Young said. “I think I executed our plan quite well.”

His “our” includes his newly hired caddie Paul Tesori, the former longtime caddie of Webb Simpson’s and a man who has worked more than 20 Masters.

“I think he brings a lot to the table,” Young said. “I think it’s helped me personally let go of the bad stuff that happens out here. He’s just so positive and energetic.”

Young just finished second to Sam Burns in the SGC-Dell Match Play, giving him half a dozen runner-up finishes on tour since last year.

Before finishing third at the 2022 PGA Championship, he missed the cut at his first Masters.

“I was afraid to go hit the first tee shot last year,” Young said, “and this year it wasn’t at all the same. I’m just a lot more comfortable. Last year I didn’t understand how anybody made a birdie out here. This year I just got off to obviously a nice start and was really comfortable the whole day.”

“You’re standing on the first tee at [your first] Masters, it’s a different kind of thing than any other tournament. But the more you can approach it like it’s not different, I think, is a good thing.”