CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cameron Young is one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour, and he's showing no signs up letting up.
Seeking to win back-to-back events, Young threatened the course record at Quail Hollow on Saturday before settling for an 8-under 63, leaving him two shots behind Alex Fitzpatrick at the Truist Championship.
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Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the third tee during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Cameron Young hits from the 14th fairway during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, hits from the third tee during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, follows his shot on the 15gh green during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Cameron Young flips his golf ball on the 12th green during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Fitzpatrick was at 14-under 199 through 54 holes, one shot ahead of Norway's Kristoffer Reitan after each shot 64.
Young, who won last week’s Cadillac Championship at Doral by six strokes, needed to play the final two holes in 2 under to break Rory McIlroy’s course record of 10-under 61, set in 2015.
But his birdie putt on No. 17 stopped inches from the hole and his drive on the 18th settled in pine straw behind a tree, forcing him to punch out and leading to his only bogey of the day.
“I know (the record was) 10 under and I knew I was at nine,” Young said. “But that wasn’t my thought. I was just trying to hit it somewhere right of the hole on 17 and hit a couple good shots on 18. Unfortunately had one of my few bad swings of the day on 18.”
Before that, Young had sent his shot from a fairway bunker 238 yards away to within a few feet of the hole on No. 7 for eagle. He seized that momentum to birdie six of his next nine holes.
Matt Fitzpatrick was one of the favorites to win the Truist Championship — but it turns out little brother Alex is the one to watch this week.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who only earned his PGA Tour card two weeks ago when he teamed with his brother to win the win the Zurich Classic, rebounded from his only bogey of the day with a tee shot to 8 feet on the par-3 17th hole for birdie to reach 14 under.
Matt Fitzpatrick is a former U.S. Open champion who's currently ranked fourth in the world, and Alex said having his brother to lean on has been invaluable.
“I feel like he’s been and done everything that I want to do in the game — whether that’s Ryder Cup and win majors,” said Alex Fitzpatrick, who tied for ninth last week at Doral. “So having him being around and me being there for all of that, I felt like I got a really good sense of what it takes and what the atmosphere is like.”
Reitan, also a rookie, made some noise at the Masters before going 73-77 over the weekend to finish tied for 41st. He closed Saturday with four birdies over the final six holes to surge into second place.
“Just the opportunity to be near the leaderboard on a Sunday at a PGA Tour event, you know, rookie season — I’m just over the moon about that,” Reitan said.
Nicolai Hojgaard was four shots behind along with second-round leader Sungjae Im, who struggled down the stretch and shot 70.
Im skulled a bunker shot on the 15th hole, and the ball hit a grandstand and rolled back across the green before settling not far from where he began. It was one of two bogeys for the South Korean over the final four holes.
Justin Thomas, J.J. Spaun and Tommy Fleetwood were five shots back.
Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 2 player and four-time tournament champion, had a disastrous day, shooting 75 to fall out of contention.
Playing in his first event since winning his second Masters, McIlroy looked like he might make a charge up the leaderboard after bombing his drive down the middle on No. 1 and hitting his approach within a few feet for birdie.
But he didn't make another birdie until the 15th hole, with six bogeys in between on one of his favorite courses. He fell 13 shots off the pace.
Fitzpatrick could have a challenge holding the lead on Sunday.
Young has won three of his last 14 starts, including the Players Championship in March, to move to No. 3 in the world.
“I’m playing great,” Young said. “There is not a ton going on in my head, which is I think a very good thing. There is all kinds of stuff, but it’s nothing complicated. I’m thinking about shots and I’m thinking about my execution and that’s mainly where my head is at.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the third tee during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Cameron Young hits from the 14th fairway during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, hits from the third tee during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, follows his shot on the 15gh green during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Cameron Young flips his golf ball on the 12th green during third round of the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
ATLANTA (AP) — Bobby Cox, the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the city its first major title as well as World Series trips that fell short, died Saturday. He was 84.
Cox died in Marietta, Georgia, according to the Atlanta Braves. He had a stroke in 2019 and heart issues that complicated his recovery.
“Bobby was the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform. He led our team to 14 straight division titles, five National League pennants, and the unforgettable World Series title in 1995. His Braves managerial legacy will never be matched,” the Braves said in a statement.
Cox took over a last-place team in June 1990 and led the Braves to a worst-to-first finish in 1991, losing the World Series to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. That was the start of what was to become a record 14 consecutive division titles, a feat no professional team in any sport had accomplished.
He managed the Braves for 25 years and led Atlanta to its first World Series title in 1995, retired after the 2010 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
Cox ranks fourth all-time with 2,504 wins, fifth with 4,508 games, first with 15 division titles including a record 14 in a row, first with 16 playoff appearances and fourth with 67 playoff victories. Only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa had more regular-season wins than Cox.
“He was the first one to the park every day," Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said of Cox. "He’d have his spikes on at 12 o’clock. I never saw a manager wear spikes, but that was one of Bobby’s trademarks. He just loved the game. He loved the game, and he loved leading a group of men trying to win a championship.”
Cox also was first in being ejected from 158 regular-season games. Weiss, who called Cox instrumental in bringing him back to the Braves as a bench coach, was asked if he might get tossed in Cox's honor.
“It’s a different game now, you know, a very different era,” Weiss said. "Nobody can do it like Bobby, believe me.”
Cox's death came four days after that of fellow Atlanta icon Ted Turner, who as owner of Braves lured Cox back to the team in 1990.
The Braves retired Cox’s No. 6 jersey in 2011, when he joined the team’s Hall of Fame.
“RIP my second father,” Andruw Jones wrote on social media. The 10-time Gold Glove winner with Atlanta in July will become the sixth who played for Cox with the Braves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Cox spent 29 seasons as a major league manager, including four with Toronto. He managed 16 postseason teams. He brought an old-school approach to the dugout. He always wore spikes and stirrups, and his fatherly demeanor inspired loyalty from his players.
Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux said players around the league always wanted to know what it was like playing for Bobby Cox: “The first word that comes to mind is respect. He had that from players. When Bobby talked, we listened. We wanted to play for him.”
Cox was the first NL manager to win at least 100 games in a season five times. He was Manager of the Year four times and the only one to win in consecutive years (2004, 2005). He also had close ties with his successors, Fredi González and Brian Snitker.
He regularly attended games and spring training before a stroke in 2019 that affected his speech and movement. Cox recovered enough to visit the Braves later that season, watching a game from the press box level. His wife, Pam, said in 2020 that heart trouble slowed his recovery from the stroke.
His long marriage survived a 1995 confrontation in which he was accused of hitting his wife in the face. He was charged with simple battery and in custody for an hour. The following day, Bobby and Pam appeared at a news conference and each denied he hit her in the face.
Cox said the couple would seek counseling. The charge was eventually dropped.
Despite all his regular-season success, Cox won only the one World Series title in five tries. He led the Braves to Atlanta’s first major professional sports championship in 1995, beating the Cleveland Indians in six games to win the World Series. Cox said critics usually focused on the World Series losses instead.
The Braves lost in 1992 to Toronto in six games and in 1996 in six to the New York Yankees before being swept by the Yankees in 1999.
“It’s a game of breaks when you get down to a four-game, must-win series,” Cox said. “We’ve played well. We’re proud of what we’ve done. They always ask that, though. It is irritating, to be honest with you.”
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 21, 1941, Cox graduated from Selma High School in California in 1959 and attended nearby Reedley Junior College before signing with the Dodgers for a $40,000 bonus.
He spent seven years in the Dodgers’ farm system before being traded to the Braves’ organization, playing one year at Richmond (1967). He was traded to the Yankees for Bob Tillman and Dale Roberts and played third base for his only two seasons in the majors (1968-69) before bad knees forced him to retire at age 30.
Cox began the first of six years as a minor league manager in 1971. He returned to the majors in 1977 as a first base coach for the Yankees, who went on to win the World Series.
His first major league managerial job came with the Braves in 1978. The best season of his first stint in Atlanta was an 81-80 finish in 1980, and he went 266-323 in four seasons.
The Toronto Blue Jays hired Cox in 1982, and he led them to their first American League East championship in 1985, in his fourth and final year there. He was lured back to the Braves as general manager by Turner, their outrageous owner and visionary media mogul, in 1986.
As GM, his Atlanta teams never had a winning season. Cox did develop players key to the Braves’ success in the ’90s: Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Jeff Blauser, Mark Lemke, Dave Justice, Javy Lopez and Ron Gant. He also had two No. 1 draft picks who excelled, Steve Avery and Chipper Jones.
Cox returned as field manager on June 22, 1990, after Russ Nixon was fired.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman played the first 12 seasons of his career with the Braves. He recalled Cox giving him 80 plate appearances in spring training when he was 19. Freeman has a jersey signed from Cox saying, “To Freddie, keep on hitting.”
“He lived a great life,” Freeman said. "Everyone loved him in baseball. Braves country loved him.”
Cox usually shied away from the limelight and was uncomfortable when talking about himself.
“Honestly, I’m just doing my job. I let everything else fall where it may,” he said.
AP freelance writer Dan Greenspan contributed from Los Angeles.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
FILE - Manager Bobby Cox smiles after the Atlanta Braves board meeting in Atlanta on Sept. 30, 1981. (Andy Sharp/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
FILE - Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, left, argues with home plate umpire Rick Reed during the fourth inning of interleague play against the Toronto Blue Jays, in Toronto, June 13, 2001. (Aaron Harris/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - National League manager Bobby Cox, right, and American League manager Cito Gaston look over Camden Yards during All-Star workouts in Baltimore, Md., July 13, 1993. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
FILE - Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox smiles while talking to reporters during team practice at Turner Field in Atlanta, Oct. 4, 2005. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke, File)
FILE - Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox waves to fans after a loss to the San Francisco Giants in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series in Atlanta, Oct. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)
