The rookie player shot 8-under 64.

At the 150th Open Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland, an up-and-coming golfer made an impressive mark on the game with his first appearance on the Open links. Cameron Young managed to shoot 8-under 64, putting him ahead of longtime golfer Rory McIlroy.

After scoring the lowest round at #TheOpen on Thursday, Cameron Young's odds saw a MASSIVE jump on @PointsBetUSA. pic.twitter.com/YEf96woSn9

— NBC Sports EDGE Betting (@NBCSportsBet) July 14, 2022

“I don’t think that I played a perfect round of golf,” Young said. “I scored really well. And I think we thought our way around the way you have to out there.”

What makes this score particularly impressive was the slightly hostile conditions of the course that day. The vaunted Old Course is naturally full of twists and bumps, and when coupled with the unseasonal high winds blowing through the region, it was a bit of a golf-hostile environment. Nevertheless, Young made it happen, even when other players were having difficulties.

Cameron Young is just the 5th player in the history of #TheOpen to lead by multiple shots after 18 holes in his tournament debut.

2022, Cameron Young
1989, Wayne Stephens
1982, Bobby Clampett
1893, John Henry Taylor
1874, Mungo Park*

*Went on to win pic.twitter.com/skIexDXxu3

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 14, 2022

“It’s the fiddliest Open that I’ve played. It’s the only way I can really describe it,” McIlroy said. “OK, the 18th at Carnoustie was like a runway, that fairway. But around the greens here and just all the slopes and undulations and everything, I think as the tournament progresses, you’re going to get some funny bounces and it’s going to test your patience at times.”