The Ryder Cup environment is designed to overwhelm, with noise and emotion hitting players from the moment they emerge on the first tee.
For many, that atmosphere narrows focus to the point where almost nothing else registers, no matter how significant.
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Cam Young has now shared a story that perfectly illustrates just how locked in he was during his Ryder Cup debut.
It involved an unexpected question for Justin Thomas about Donald Trump that seemed silly at the time.
Cam Young explains tunnel vision moment during Ryder Cup chaos
The story was relayed by Smylie Kaufman, who explained what Justin Thomas had told him about Young’s obliviousness.
According to Kaufman, Young asked Thomas mid-match whether Trump had actually attended the Ryder Cup.
Trump’s attendance was one of the biggest talking points in the build-up to the event, but Young had not seen him.
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“You really dove into the atmosphere so much that on the seventh hole, JT told me this story that you were trying to figure out, ‘Hey, did Trump end up coming out today?’” Kaufman said.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images
“He was like, ‘Dude, we walked right past him to the tee. You didn’t see him?’ You were like, ‘No, I must’ve blacked out.’”
Young later explained that his focus at the time was extremely narrow; his only concern was getting himself from the tunnel to the tee.
“I was just getting to the tee. I had one job: I had to get from the tunnel to the tee. I never saw him. I don’t even know what I was talking about,” Young explained.
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“I knew he was going to be there. I was just moving my mouth so that my brain would stop working. I guess he was there, but I was focused on other things.”
How Cam Young performed on his Ryder Cup debut
Young’s tunnel vision was reflected in his performances across a busy Ryder Cup debut.
He opened the week alongside Justin Thomas with a dominant 6&5 win over Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard in Friday fourballs.
On Saturday morning, Young partnered with Bryson DeChambeau in foursomes, where the pair beat Matt Fitzpatrick and Aberg 4&2.
Later that day, Young and Thomas suffered their only setback together, losing 2up to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in fourballs.
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Young finished the week strongly in Sunday singles, beating Justin Rose 1up with a clutch putt on the 18th hole to cap an impressive Ryder Cup debut.
Read the full article here
