Cameron Young leads after 8-under 64

NASSAU, Bahamas — The calendar may not flip for a few more weeks but Cameron Young already is treating the Hero World Challenge as if it is 2025.

“To me, this kind of feels like the start of a new season in a way,” he said. “I’m playing this week, next week, have a couple of weeks off and then we start (in Maui).”

It had been 102 days between shots in competitive rounds for Cameron Young, who last played in the BMW Championship in August and then flew to Mexico in November for the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, but withdrew before the tournament began. Was he surprised with how sharp his game was after the long layoff?

“I didn’t play great yesterday,” he said. “But you always feel like you can shoot a number like that. I really felt very well in control, which isn’t necessarily surprising but it’s a nice thing to come out and just feel like yourself.”

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Especially with the driver. Young used the big stick as a weapon to set up a bogey-free eight-under 64 at Albany Club on Thursday and open up a two-stroke lead over Justin Thomas after the first round of the 20-man unofficial event hosted by Tiger Woods.

“[The drive on] No. 18 was really nice, especially after waiting a little bit just to kind of get that one down there in place is good. Hit a really good one off 11, I was really proud of that one today,” he said. “I’m sure I missed a fairway or two, but for the most part I was really well in position. Then I made a couple putts early, which was nice. Just kind of got off to a nice start with the putter. There’s a bunch of par 5s and a couple drivable holes, so I feel that if you’re on top of it, especially off the tee, you can make a bunch of birdies.”

And that’s exactly what he did, reeling off birdies on three of the first four holes and five of the first eight. It was a relatively stress-free day for the 27-yer-old native of Scarborough, New York.

“The one on 12 is really as close as I came to having (a bogey) – 12 and then 13, so those two holes in a row,” said Young, who is still seeking his first Tour title. “No. 13 I had a really tricky chip, kind of had to play it over the sprinkler heads from right of the green. Yeah, a three-footer. I pitched it close on the next hole. It wasn’t where I would have put it with my second shot, but happy to get it up and down and kind of make the rest of my round easy.”

Cameron…