Young delighted to 'feel like himself' after Hero World Challenge opening round

Cameron Young holds a two-shot lead after the first round of the Hero World Challenge, which is being hosted by Tiger Woods in the Bahamas.

The 27-year-old shot eight under par with no bogeys on Thursday, which gave him a lead over Justin Thomas, who birdied four of the last five holes.

Young is number 38 in the world rankings and was named the 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, but has not yet won a PGA title.

The American was understandably pleased with his start to the tournament.

"It's a nice thing to come out and just feel like yourself," he said.

"Really happy with it. I feel like with the driver I was just really comfortable and that's a huge key out here.

"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."

Leaderboard after Round 1 in the Bahamas1. Cameron Young (-8)2. @JustinThomas34 (-6)T3. @AkshayBhatia_1 (-5)T3. Ludvig ÅbergT3. @Patrick_CantlayT3. Scottie SchefflerT3. @SRTheegala
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 5, 2024

Elsewhere, defending champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler is on five under through the first round, three shots back on Young.

Scheffler is tied with Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala, Patrick Cantlay and Akshay Bhatia.

Woods, who is the host and a 15-time major winner, was forced to miss the tournament having been originally expected to take an exemption spot – the tournament itself features 20 of the world's top players.

While there was no official reason given for Woods' absence, a lengthy injury history has ensured a limited competition schedule in recent years.