Young overtakes Fitzpatrick on final 2 holes to win The Players

Cameron Young tied Matt Fitzpatrick with a birdie on No. 17 and overtook him with a par on the final hole, winning The Players Championship on Sunday for the first time.

Young seized command on the final hole with a 375-yard drive, forcing Fitzpatrick to play catch-up. While Young attempted a birdie putt, Fitzpatrick faced an 8-foot par attempt. Fitzpatrick couldn't find the cup, resulting in a bogey and allowing Young to settle for par.

"The overarching thought is, I'm going to hit the best shot of my life right here," Young said of his mindset on the 18th tee. "I don't know if I can think of one that's better."

Young finished the final round 4-under and went 13-under for the tournament. Fitzpatrick also went 4-under on the final day but bogeyed two of his final five holes at famed TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Final leaderboard

The victory marks Young's second on the PGA TOUR, with his first title coming last year at the Wyndham Championship. The American was named the 2021-22 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and has been in the mix at all four majors in his brief career. But he had struggled at The Players, failing to crack the top 50 in all four previous starts. This time, he rallied from four shots down to hoist the trophy.

Ludvig Aberg led after Rounds 2 and 3 but unraveled down the stretch. He found the water on Nos. 11 and 12, going 3-over in that span. He posted a miserable 76 in Round 4.

"Overall, pleased with the week," Aberg said. "Obviously today, the back nine was not good. But that's the way it goes sometimes."

Robert MacIntyre and Sepp Straka were among the other contenders to go swimming at inopportune moments in the closing round. Straka's ball hit a bird perched near green and bounced into the water on No. 18.

The TOUR stays in Florida next week for the Valspar Championship, where Viktor Hovland is the defending champion.