Tommy’s Take: Young Guns, Major Tickets, and a Sign of Things to Come
Welcome back to Tommy’s Take. If the first few weeks of the golf season felt like a warm-up act, this week was the headliner taking the stage. The Players Championship—the so-called "fifth major"—always has a way of focusing the mind. It’s the week the golf world collectively shakes off the rust and realizes that yes, Augusta is just around the corner. And honestly? The 2026 edition gave us a final round for the ages, while the wider golf world served up a few subplots that have me already counting down the days to the Masters.
The Closer at Sawgrass
Let’s start at TPC Sawgrass, where Cameron Young finally has the signature victory his talent has long promised. This wasn't just a win; it was a statement made on the sport's biggest non-major stage. Young entered the final round chasing Ludvig Aberg, and with the back nine at Sawgrass baring its teeth, he went out and shot a nerveless 33.
The defining moment, of course, came at the 17th. The island green has broken the hearts of the world's best for decades, but Young stepped up and drilled a birdie putt to tie the lead . Then, to prove the point, he marched to the 18th and piped a drive 375 yards—the longest in the 23-year history of the ShotLink era—to set up a winning par . When Matt Fitzpatrick’s par putt slid by on the final hole, Young holed out from a foot to become the champion by one shot.
For a player who had never finished better than 50th at Sawgrass in four previous attempts, this was a breakthrough that changes everything . He now joins an exclusive club of Players champions, and the question on everyone's lips is: can he do what Rory McIlroy did last year and follow it up with a Green Jacket in the same year? It’s a notoriously difficult double. In fact, it’s only been done twice in history—most recently by Rory in 2025 and before that by Tiger Woods in 2001. It’s a long shot, but after watching him stare down that 17th hole, would anyone really bet against Cameron Young from joining that exclusive club.
Aberg’s Silver Lining
We have to tip the cap to Ludvig Aberg, who held a three-shot lead heading into that final round . The final day didn’t go his way—a back-nine 40 saw him slip to a tie for fifth—but if you were watching closely, you saw something important . There was no sulking, no body language meltdown. He handled the disappointment with the same quiet maturity he brings to everything else.
It would have been easy for a young player to let a missed opportunity at Sawgrass derail their confidence with Augusta on the horizon. But Aberg’s demeanour suggests he’ll shake this off in a heartbeat. If anything, I suspect he’ll arrive at Magnolia Lane with a point to prove.
The Masters Ticket
On the DP World Tour Casey Jarvis, the young South African, has been on a tear in recent weeks. After winning in Kenya, he followed it up by capturing his national open—the Investec South African Open—in wire-to-wire fashion .
The reward for that victory? A golden ticket to the Masters . At just 22 years old, Jarvis has played his way onto the biggest stage in golf. It’s a reminder that the road to Augusta runs all over the globe, and with only a matter of weeks to go, watching players like Jarvis catch fire at the perfect time is one of the most intriguing subplots of the season.
The Mad Scientist Wins Again
Finally, a quick word on what happened overnight in Singapore. Bryson DeChambeau won his fourth LIV Golf title, but he’ll be the first to tell you he got a little lucky . In a playoff against Richard T. Lee, Bryson found the water with his tee shot, seemingly handing the tournament to his opponent. But in a moment of pure sporting drama, Lee missed a two-foot putt that would have won it, handing the title back to a stunned DeChambeau .
It was a bizarre finish, but the takeaway is this: Bryson is winning. Jon Rahm won last week. The big names on LIV are starting to come into form at exactly the right time. Love him or hate him, a confident Bryson DeChambeau strolling down the first fairway at Augusta is must-watch TV.
From Cameron Young’s heroics to Aberg’s resilience, from Casey Jarvis earning his invite to Bryson’s Houdini act, this was a week that had everything. The Players has its Champion for 2026, the season is officially in full swing, and the Masters is now tantalisingly close.