Cameron Young produced a near-flawless opening round to grab a one-shot lead at the Cadillac Championship as the PGA Tour returned to the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral for the first time since 2016. Young fired an eight-under 64, carding eight birdies with no bogeys, and ranked near the top of the putting leaderboard after sinking 97 feet of putts — the fifth-most across the field.
Young sits at 8 under, one stroke ahead of Americans Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley. Canadian Nick Taylor is a stroke further back in fourth, while Colombia’s Nico Echavarria is alone in fifth at 5 under. Andrew Putnam, Brian Harman and Gary Woodland are grouped another shot back. Tommy Fleetwood finished at 2 under. Alex Fitzpatrick, who earned PGA Tour membership last week by winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his brother Matt, and Ireland’s Shane Lowry are both at even par. Justin Rose opened with a 74 and debuted a new set of McLaren irons.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is seven shots off the lead after a 71 that included two dropped strokes on the back nine. Scheffler said he would have liked to be a bit sharper and hopes to improve in the next round.
The first round coincided with a major development off the course: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed it will end funding for LIV Golf at the close of the 2026 season. The fund said the substantial investment required no longer fits its strategy, leaving LIV to seek new long-term financial partners.
With LIV’s future now uncertain, attention has turned to whether high-profile names who joined LIV, including major winners, will be able to return to the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka already opted into the PGA Tour’s Returning Members Programme at the start of 2026, which provides a special pathway for some prominent players. Patrick Reed, who did not qualify for that programme, is serving a full-year period after his final LIV appearance before he can rejoin PGA Tour events.
Asked about what a return process should look like, Spieth said he was unsure it should be identical for every player. He noted that olive branches were offered earlier and some players accepted them, but there are many unresolved questions given the variety of circumstances over the past few years and the legal disputes involved. He declined to predict how rules might change and said he trusts those handling the decisions to do the right thing.
Brian Harman, the 2023 Open champion, said he believes there should be a pathway back for LIV players but that some measures to ease the transition are warranted. Harman acknowledged lingering resentment tied to lawsuits and other issues but said fans and players generally want to see everyone competing together again and that time has helped reduce some of the bad blood.
Coverage of the Cadillac Championship continues across PGA Tour media and broadcast partners.