GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Young made two straight birdies to move ahead of defending champion Aaron Rai and then stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 16th into six feet when storm clouds gathered and halted play Friday in the Wyndham Championship.
The second round was to resume at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, and the third round would be played in threesomes starting on both nines at Sedgefield Country Club.
Young is considered among the best players to have not won on a major tour, twice contending into the final hour of major championships. He has seven runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, including the British Open at St. Andrews.
Young was at 14-under par. Rai, who won his first PGA Tour title a year ago at the Wyndham Championship, was at 13 under and had just missed the green to the left on No. 14.
Mac Meissner had a 7-under 63 and Sungjae Im shot 64 to post at 12-under 128 from the morning round. Mark Hubbard shot a 66 and was another shot behind. Hubbard needs at least a three-way tie for second to advance to the post-season.
The Wyndham Championship is the final tournament in the regular season, with the top 70 advancing to the lucrative post-season.
The 36-hole cut was shaping up to be 4 under — possibly 3 under if scores got worse when the round resumed Saturday — and that meant some seasons were over for players like Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., and Zach Johnson.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is tied for 82nd at 2 under, while Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. is tied for 93rd at 1 under.
Max Homa was at 1 under with five holes to play and in dire need of birdies and then a big weekend to avoid missing the playoffs.
Adam Scott, at No. 85 in the FedEx Cup, was at 4 under and playing the 15th hole.
Young has no such concerns at No. 40 in the FedEx Cup. He is playing Greensboro — he earned an economics degree at Wake Forest — to build on ambitious goals ahead of him. That starts with getting to the Tour Championship and picking up as many points as he can for Ryder Cup consideration.
Young grew up in New York — his father was the longtime head pro at Sleepy Hollow — and he had this Ryder Cup circled since the PGA of America announced it was going to Bethpage Black on Long Island.
Even with a win this week, Young could only move as high as No. 15 in the standings. The top six automatically qualify in three weeks, after the BMW Championship.
“For me it’s not necessarily about this week. I’ve got a goal. In the middle of September I’d like to be in New York playing on that Ryder Cup team,” Young said. "If I can achieve that, I can achieve a lot of things over these next four weeks. So I’m trying to keep that in mind rather than the little things along the way.
“Not that winning a tournament here would be little, but I think for me kind of looking off in the distance in that way I think will help me just keep trying to trust what I’m doing and build some confidence along the way.”
Meissner is at No. 152 and would have to win to advance. Also at stake is finishing in the top 100 at the end of the fall events to keep his card.
Gary Woodland delivered the shot of the day, a 7-iron on the par-5 fifth hole that went in for a rare albatross 2. He wound up with a 64, and would have a shot at the post-season with a big week at Sedgefield.
“I’ve been playing well for a while, and Randy Smith, my coach, has been bugging me to stay patient, just try to hit the shot that’s required and have fun,” Woodland said. "When you’re not getting the results you want, that’s the hardest part is probably to have a little fun.
“I’m in a lot better place than I was a year ago, so trying to enjoy it a little bit. It was nice to see some go in today.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
The Associated Press
