The 2026 PGA Championship is shaping up to be a thriller, and after two rounds at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Cameron Young is once again right in the thick of it. At 2-under par, Young sits just two shots behind co-leaders Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy, with only six names between him and the top of the leaderboard. It's a position that's become all too familiar for the 28-year-old in major championship competition.

Since the start of 2022, only two players have been inside the top 10 after 36 holes in majors more than Young: Scottie Scheffler, with four major wins, and Rory McIlroy, with two. That's elite company, and it speaks volumes about Young's ability to put himself in contention on the biggest stages. But as he knows all too well, getting there is only half the battle.

Young has already faced his share of Sunday pressure, including a final pairing at this year's Masters alongside McIlroy. Yet this PGA Championship feels different. The expectations are higher, the spotlight brighter, and the margin for error thinner. On a chilly Friday morning where the wind whipped harder than forecast and the feel-like temperature hovered around 40 degrees, Young showed the grit that has defined his young career.

An early stumble came on the short par-4 13th, where a wedge shot from the middle of the fairway flew long of the green, leading to an opening bogey. Then his tee shot on the 14th found the greenside bunker, putting him on the back foot. But this is where Young shines. He scrambled to get up and down from the sand, and when he found another bunker on the next hole, he rolled in a clutch 14-foot par putt to keep his round together. It wasn't flashy, but it was exactly what he needed to stay in the hunt.

Golfers spend countless hours—early mornings, late evenings, sacrifices, sweat—just to create the opportunity for those two final hours on Sunday. Those moments come only four times a year, at the four major championships. Young has already made that journey multiple times in his career, and he's done it again at this PGA Championship. The question now is whether he can finally turn those two hours into a victory. For a player who has been knocking on the door, this might just be his best chance yet.