Post Players Championship Stock Report: Cam Young trending, Scottie grumpy?

After six Players Championships and many Sunday afternoons at golf’s biggest event, I’ve developed a completely unscientific theory about TPC Sawgrass’ famous Island Green No. 17.

Good things happen when you’re hunting late on a Sunday and shoot toward the flagpole side of Sunday’s hidden pin placements.

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Cameron Young deserves praise for his famous closing performance at the Players Championship on Sunday — he drove into a bunker from 50 yards out for par on the 16th, after hitting the longest drive in that hole’s history on the 18th — but it was his tee shot on the 17th that I thought said the most about him. Young’s tournament hopes rested on a birdie on the hole, and he stepped into the scariest tee shot in the Sawgrass, seeding straight into the flagstick. He was rewarded with a 10-foot birdie, thrilling the crowd and tipping the balance of the tournament in his favor.

The thesis of my theory around the 17th has more to do with courage than strategy, and it can be summed up in the following sentence: You don’t have to play TPC Sawgrass wisely. If you want to win on Sunday, you need 1. birdies, 2. risk tolerance, and 3. guts. Golfers who succeed in such environments are those who view courses and tournaments as something to be challenged, not something to be feared. After picking up the biggest win of his life on Sunday, Young summed it up nicely.

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“When everything is exciting, you know all eyes are on you,” Young said. “There’s no place to hide. I felt like I stepped up really well on the last few holes and hit a lot of good shots. I’m very proud of that.”

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After a week on the field at Sawgrass, it seems fitting to start today’s stock report with a man who faced fear and came out victorious: Young.

Players Championship 2026 Stock Report

Cam Young: Stock up

It always seemed like there was a chance that Cam Young could break out on a stage like The Players Championship. Young’s general competitive spirit took a big hit with his dominant performance at the Ryder Cup in September, and players tend to carry that form into the Cup in subsequent years. Scottie Scheffler completed his fourth year as the best golfer on the planet with an impressive performance at the 2021 Ryder Cup. Max Homa turned his impressive 23-year Ryder Cup into a T2 at the Masters the following April. Justin Rose turned his 23rd and 25th performance into a three-year extension at the pinnacle of the sport in the twilight of his career. And now Cameron Young joins the club with a career-defining win at The Players, arriving just months after a fan-favorite week at Bethpage.

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Collin Morikawa: Stock Down

Getting knocked WDing on the second hole of a golf tournament is tough. But the nature of Morikawa’s WD and the fact that he hinted it happened before stands out to me as a red flag, even if the injury itself was less serious than a muscle tear. I pray for a speedy recovery here.

Ludwig Aberg: Stock up

This may seem counterintuitive, considering Aberg’s stunning comeback loss after starting the day with a three-shot deficit on Sunday, but I actually thought Ludwig’s game plan was worth praising. He played aggressively. He attacked the flag. He continued his attack. As it turned out, his mind wasn’t fully aligned and his performance suffered. it happens. After that performance on Sunday, no one has written the final script for Aberg’s career, and I would even argue that his candor about the problems he faced may help him overcome them in the near future.

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For now, the stock price continues to rise. But maybe it’s better if this doesn’t become a theme.

Scotty Scheffler: Hold

Nothing we saw last week led us to believe that the world No. 1’s recent surge was just a blip. In fact, if I were to bet on the most likely outcomes of my life over the next six weeks, it would include witnessing Scheffler sneak into the Butler cabin as the latest Masters winner on Sunday night in a few weeks.

But… Scheffler seems as frustrated with his golf play as we’ve seen him in a while. It’s as if his own standards have risen above those of all of us. I thought it would be interesting to hear Justin Thomas’ assessment of Scheffler’s driver and iron woes at Sawgrass.

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“No, you can tell (something is wrong) right away,” Thomas said. “I’m just trying to time it and go with it.”

Of course, timing is crucial for a smooth, athletic swing like Scheffler’s, but Thomas didn’t seem too concerned about figuring it out.

“He’s still hitting shots that most people on the planet can hit in the same round,” Thomas said. “It’s just golf. He’s been hitting pretty much where he wants to, like blanket size, for what seems like the last two or three years. He’s still having a very good year. I know I’d trade him.”

If Thomas isn’t worried, then neither am I.

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Matt Fitzpatrick: Stock up.

I’m going to buy every Matt Fitzpatrick stock I can get my hands on right now. Not just because he snuck into contention at The Players and came so close to winning the tournament, but also because of his frankness in speaking to reporters about…unpleasant fan behavior as the tournament drew to a close.

I don’t think the fans decided the tournament. And I don’t think they ever upset Fitz. However, I truly respect golfers who are able to hit a shot in the heat of battle. It reflects something about his competitiveness, perhaps an awareness that tournaments are won and lost by very small margins and sometimes by chance, but that will help him the next time he gets to this position.

Justin Thomas: Stock up

Speaking of Thomas, “The Players” reminded me of the fun of golf when you’re competing. Thomas is one of the most outspoken players on tour, and his game is an old-school mix of shot-making and bravery. He spent the better part of six months undergoing surgery, so it will take time to get back on track. But what if he stopped being “spacey” on the course? Well, the tour would be happy to have him.

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Jordan Spieth: “Stay away from me”

As your Certified Golf Analyst (CGA), it is my fiduciary duty to keep things straight. And this is where I’m shooting straight. I don’t know if I can advise you to buy Jordan Spieth stock right now…because I myself don’t really understand what’s going on with him. On Friday afternoon, Spieth was like a ghost from the past, talking about “weird golf,” making miraculous recovery shots from inside the trees, and generally delivering a dizzying array of golf that made his game thrilling and completely addictive. After it was over, Spieth even admitted to reporters, “Really.” Really It’s similar to the golf he’s spent the last 10 years rediscovering.” For a moment, I believed it! But then, as I watched him struggle to stay under par on Sunday after a 76 on Saturday that eliminated him from the tournament, I wondered if that vision was a mirage.

if you If you’re sure about this direction, you’re probably wrong. Buy and sell at your own risk!