Cameron Young on Teaming With Bryson DeChambeau: Learning From a “Huge Personality” Ryder Cup

Cameron Young meets the media ahead of his first Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black and breaks down what to expect from the New York crowd, how he handles first-tee nerves, why his game fits Bethpage, and what he’s learning practicing with Bryson DeChambeau.
He also shares his New York sports roots (Giants/Yankees/Rangers), memories of winning the New York State Open, and the moment he felt he truly belonged on these teams.

Cameron Young joins us now at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Cameron, welcome to your first RDER Cup. We’ll go ahead and get started with questions. James Cam wondering when is the most nervous you’ve ever been on a golf course in your life. Um I think probably first masters, first te um that’s the one that sticks out to me the most over the last few years. What did you learn about hitting a nervy opening T-OT from that? Um, yeah. I mean, I think just everybody’s got some nerves. You still have to hit it. Um, so it’s for me, I think just a matter of going through the process leading up to it and, you know, getting to the first TE and trying to make a swing that I’ve been making over the last few days. Over here with Todd Cam right here by Tila. Hey, what’s up? Hey. How how significant in your maturation as a golfer was winning the New York Open here? Yeah, it’s certainly a a step. I mean, it’s I think the first um professional event that I won. I won a Westchester Open as well up here. I don’t remember which one came first, but um yeah, I mean it’s it’s a obviously a a championship golf course. This section is known for having a lot of great professionals and um yeah, in the midst of my college career, that was that was a nice step to take. You know, playing some good golf on a course like this is is always kind of a nice a nice notch to achieve. What did you can follow? What did it do for your confidence as you were speeding on the road to professional golf? Yeah, I I I think it’s just kind of another um it’s just another piece of evidence, piece of the puzzle that, you know, you’re doing the right things, you’re working the right way and and moving toward your ultimate goal of playing out here and, you know, being successful on the PJ Torren and and making these teams. Let’s go back over here. Sixth and five. Hey Gam, uh what have your sort of impressions of the the Beth Page Black crowd been so far and sort of your expectations for the rest of the week going forward with that? Yeah, there’s for I mean yesterday was the first day with fans on Tuesday and it’s about the most people have ever seen out on a golf course. So there there’s already a lot of energy, a lot of noise out there. You know, Tuesday, Wednesday, a lot of support for us. So, um you know, just what you’d expect from a New York crowd. I I think they’ll bring a lot to it come Friday. Um, you know, just know knowing the personality up here of of the fans, I think they’ll bring a lot to it. I think, you know, hoping they’re staying on our side, but I know that they’ll let us have it, too, if we’re not we’re not performing the way they want. What is it about the personality of the New York fans that stands out? It’s just uh it’s just a very intense group of people, I I feel. Um, you know, they they love to win. They love their teams when they win. And I think that, you know, is what gets a group like this going. Mike over here. Well, I just wondering what it’s been like to be with uh the same practice group as Bryson. It’s been great. Honestly, I I’ve spent very little time with him. Uh up until this week, I’d spoken to him, you know, here and there for a minute, but you know, he’s he’s a smart guy. He’s interesting to talk to. Obviously loves golf and has thought about golf more than maybe anybody out here uh throughout his career. So, I’m I’m always picking his brain, asking him what he thinks about certain things, and it’s it’s been fun for me to kind of watch him work. He’s obviously one of the best players in the world, and um has had great success playing in big events. So, it’s it’s fun for me to kind of see what he does and and try to learn something from him. Do do you feel like you’re seeing that he’s going to make an impact with the crowd this week? Yeah, I think so. I mean, he’s a tremendously popular player. uh obviously a huge talent, big personality, and um I the people love him. Uh and and I think he’s he’s loved on our team as well. So, it’s it’s fun to see him kind of in his element out there, you know, getting the people going. Um and yeah, it’s just fun to watch. Thanks. Up here, Tom 13. Cam over here, Cameron. Uh that being said, what you said about the New York fans that Europeans have a have uh virtual reality personal headsets that they’ve given out to the players, they can plug in their own personal insults and noise from fans with these virtual real to get used to it. So number one, is there any way you could get used to this virtually? And number two, what would be the worst insult you could plug in from a New York fan if you had to do it? Um, yeah. I don’t I don’t know about the whole virtual reality thing. I I think there’s probably no substitute for being out there. Um, worst insult for for us out here, I I I don’t really know. Um, obviously, we’re all going to going to work to play well and and hopefully we don’t have to hear that side of it. Okay. Thanks. Right here, seven, Cameron. And I was wondering who maybe you’ve leaned on, whether it’s in the team room this week or outside of the team room as a Ryder Cup rookie to kind of lean on what to expect come Friday morning and throughout the weekend. Yeah, it’s been a a few different people. I mean, there’s there’s obviously some some more experienced guys on the team and then our our assistant captains as well. Um, but it’s it’s really kind of been a little bit from everybody. I mean, I’ve spoken to Keegan a lot. Uh, just sat down and was eating lunch with Web Simpson. Um, you know, I’ve played played a good bit with Justin Thomas over the last few days. Spoke to his caddy, spoke to Ted Scott a little bit. Just trying to pick up little things here and there. And um, you know, they they’ve all got so much experience and so much wisdom from their their times in these events. You just never know if you might hear something from any one of them that kind of resonates with you. And it’s been nice to just hear some little perspectives and and pick up some few days soon. I I think unlikely still. Uh I you know I don’t know if uh my channel would compete with his, but um yeah, he’s I speaking to him I sat next to him on the bus the other day and he was talking all about, you know, how much he loves that part of what he does and I think it’s I think it’s really cool. I mean, he’s found a way to reach a lot of people. Um you know, he’s a very positive person. So, I think he’s having a really really nice impact on, you know, younger fans and um some people new to golf. I think it’s been great for for, you know, the golfing public in general. And um it’s cool to see how much that means to him and how much he enjoys putting that together. And what are your New York sports teams like? Who are you a fan of and what kind of a fan? Like how deep in it are you? Uh, I I’d be a a Giants fan, a Yankees fan, and a Rangers fan. Um, I’m I’m not the best sports fan in the world. Uh, I would love to be, but uh, I’ve got little kids at home, and that kind of kind of eats away at the at the sports watching in our house. So, uh, I’m not I’m not the most involved fan, but I’ll be a New York New York fan, you know, the rest of my life. John Cam, is there something that you learned at that President’s Cup you played in about team golf, about yourself? Did you learn something that week that you couldn’t have known prior to one of these events? Yeah, I mean I I think um that first year for me was a lot of discovery in terms of just accepting that, you know, I fit in out here golf-wise and that I’m, you know, meant to be here and this is what I want to do and, you know, I’m qualified to be on these teams. And at that point, you know, I’d been on on tour for less than a year. You know, it was 11 or 12 months before making that team that I was still watching the PJ tour as a fan. Um, you know, I was playing on the cornfairy tour, but you know, you don’t I don’t think that many people on the corn ferry tour are turning on cornfairy tour golf. It’s it’s PJ tour is where you want to be. And to me, I was watching all these guys as a fan. And you stick me 10, 11 months later in in the team room and I’m sitting there kind of, you know, still a bit uncomfortable just because I don’t know anybody really well. you know, there’s a few guys on the team that I had known from junior golf, but there had been a a gap, you know, six, seven, eight years where I hadn’t really seen them much. Um, so I was still getting my feet under me. And I think, you know, now that I’ve been out here for longer, I’m much more comfortable. I know it’s guys at this point that I play with at home. Um, so, and now it’s just overall way, way easier for me. Um, I have a lot more belief, you know, in my golf and just personally a lot more comfortable than I would have been, you know, that first year. Doug, go ahead. Cam, this is a very emotional event obviously and there’s a number of players who don’t play with a ton of emotion, present company included. Um, but we’ve seen stuff from Duval, from DJ, from Canley. Can you can you think of anything that would cause you to lose your mind this week? Yeah, I mean I think um I think it could happen especially, you know, at this venue in front of this crowd. Um you know there’s nothing I would love more than to give myself an opportunity to see what I am capable of on that front. Um but you know the the the real answer is I’ve got prep to do. you know, we’ve been working this week and um you know, none of that matters unless I have an opportunity to do something that warrants that kind of emotional response and uh that’s more what I’m focused on than what’s going to happen. How do you feel about your game two days away? Been playing well. U obviously I’ve had a really nice, you know, last three, four months um to get myself here and this week I’ve I’ve played a bunch of really nice golf. Um, it’s a golf course I’m super comfortable on. Suits my eye in a lot of ways. Uh, I really like these greens. So, I I’ve been playing nicely and and um I’ve seen no signs of it going the other way. And sorry, but you guys came late last week as a team or when did you first get back to the course? Um, we got here I got here Sunday. I played Monday. What was that like? And what when had been the last time you were here? I think that state open was probably the last time I was here. So, it’s been a number of years, but it’s one of those things. I mean, every I feel like every year you get back to the same place, the time in between just goes away. And it’s the same thing coming in here. I mean, walking out on the first te feels like I was here yesterday. Um, so that that first day is is quiet. I mean, there’s nobody out here. It’s just, you know, it’s just kind of walking around seeing what I remember. Um, which is a lot of it. I mean, it’s it’s a place I I remember, you know, playing MGA team event here, that that New York State Open, um high school event, and everything just feels so much the same. Um obviously now there’s some stands and there’s some better players hanging around, but um the golf itself just feels so much the same. But your previous time here had been when I might have missed that when I think New York State Open. I think it would have been 17. Yeah. We’ll wrap it up up here with Adam. Cameron, your your father’s a PGA pro. Your mom’s a distinguished player in her own right. What was it like telling them that you had made the team? Yeah, it was pretty cool. I mean, my my dad, all of you probably know, but he he spends I think I played 25 times this year. He was there 24 of those. Um, so he’s a huge part of what I do. And obviously my mom is not as involved in the golf now, but she’s the one that was, you know, um the one taking me to the golf course and taking me to tournaments, you know, as a as a junior golfer. So, they’re both deeply deeply connected within the game, connected up here. And yeah, it’s pretty cool. I mean, I’m trying to imagine if it were my kid, I mean, I would be probably more proud of them for making it here than myself playing here. So, I I think in in their shoes, I know that they’re having a great time being here this week. And um for my dad, it’s a lot of hard work on his end that’s paid off, too. Um what’s the lasting memory you have of that record round that you shot here? Um I think that I had a putt for one less than I missed on 18. Um yeah, just one of those days. I mean, I I there’s a shot I hit a shot on 12. Uh, and I don’t know what it was to get to, but I think it was a maybe a sixiron kind of into the wind to a left pin on 12. And that was just kind of where I knew that that day I just had control over what I was doing. I was just playing really well. And um, yeah, I just remember it being one of those days that I just felt like I knew where the ball was going to come down. I knew how it was going to bounce. And then um yeah to to give myself a chance to win outright I think coming from you know five six back was was pretty good and uh unfortunate not to have done that but you know got it done in one extra hole. How long have you had this event at this venue circled on the calendar like I want to I want to be on since it was announced. Yeah. Uh I think it would have been while I was in high school. So, it’s it’s been quite some time and um you know, at some point during the middle of this year, it it seemed like a long shot, but you know, we just kept ourselves oriented toward being here this week and you know, the golf started to change and um since then, it’s been really solid and I feel like I feel like I really, you know, put myself in a place that I had an opportunity to earn my way here and and thankful to have done that, you know, late in the Thanks for your time, Kim. We appreciate it. Thank you. Appreciate it.