Cam Young or Matt Fitzpatrick? Debating Who Is Third Right Now Behind Scottie and Rory

Young and Fitzpatrick have won a combined five times in eight weeks and are neck-and-neck for the third spot in the world ranking, along with the PGA Tour Player of the Year race.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Cam Young have won a combined five times in 2026 and climbed to Nos. 3 and 4 in the world ranking. | Imagn Images

Little did we know at the time that the Players Championship would be a glimpse into the next two months of dominance on the PGA Tour. 

Cam Young and Matt Fitzpatrick, paired together in the final round, went to the 18th tee tied for the lead. Young smashed his tee shot 375 yards, the longest drive of the tournament, and Fitzpatrick would slice his drive right into the pine straw. He then kicked out and placed his third shot 8 feet from the cup, but missed his par putt. Young, meanwhile, safely two-putted for the title. 

In the ensuing seven weeks, the two have combined for four wins and now occupy the third and fourth spots in the Official World Golf Ranking (Young, No. 3; Fitzpatrick, No. 4). 

For the record, Young, who jumped Fitzpatrick in the OWGR after winning the Cadillac Championship last week, has a 33.05-point advantage over the Englishman in the world ranking (Fitzpatrick could take the spot back this week at the signature Truist Championship). 

Regardless of what the numbers say, though, there could be nuance in the debate: After Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, Nos. 1 and 2, is Young or Fitzpatrick the third-best player in the world? 

Let’s begin with the results, starting with the 2026 season:

CRUSHED! 375 yards down the fairway.

Cameron Young sets the tone down No. 18 with the longest drive of the day by nearly 20 yards.

📺 NBC | @THEPLAYERS pic.twitter.com/tWdwg9CSB1

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 15, 2026

Young has made nine starts. He has zero missed cuts with seven top 25s, including a T7 at the Genesis Invitational, a T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (both signature events), a T3 at the Masters, playing in the final pairing with Rory McIlroy after co-leading through three rounds, and wins at the Players and Cadillac Championship (signature events). 

Fitzpatrick has made 10 starts. He, too, has no missed cuts, along with eight top 25s, including a T18 at the Masters, the runner-up at the Players Championship and wins at the Valspar Championship (a week after the Players), the RBC Heritage (a signature event) and the Zurich Classic, which was a team event he played with his brother, essentially securing the title with an impeccable bunker shot on the 72nd hole; though, the event doesn’t award world ranking points. 

So, yes, Fitzpatrick has the edge in total wins. However, Young’s two victories came in higher-tier events (the Cadillac and RBC Heritage could be considered equals). There’s also something to be said about a  T3 at the Masters, yet a runner-up at the Players, essentially the toughest non-major in golf, is nothing to scoff at, either. 

Now, what do the statistics say?

Young’s ranks on Tour in each strokes-gained category are as follows: strokes-gained total (third), tee to green (fifth), off the tee (fourth), approach (19th), around the green (35th) and putting (37th). 

These are Fitzpatrick’s: strokes-gained total (second), tee to green (first), off the tee (11th), approach (fifth), around the green (16th) and putting (72nd). 

GOLF SHOT!

Matt Fitzpatrick plays it beautifully to set up for birdie and the win @Zurich_Classic. pic.twitter.com/FAnaC08xEE

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 26, 2026

For those who don’t want to do the math themselves, Fitzpatrick leads Young in four of those six strokes-gained statistics. 

Young is currently the better putter, but Fitzpatrick is the better ball-striker, as he’s second in driving accuracy (70.20%) and fourth in greens in regulation percentage (70.99%), too.  

It’s fair to declare these two the top players in the world at the moment. They each have more wins than Scheffler and McIlroy combined this year. However, McIlroy won in Augusta and Scheffler, despite not having hoisted a trophy since his season debut in January, is a top 10 machine and has recorded three straight runner-ups (not to mention all he’s done the previous two seasons).

So perhaps this Young/Fitzpatrick debate could be reimagined into: Who’s leading the Player of the Year race?

Of course, in golf and sports, things can change in a flash. Maybe Young or Fitzpatrick wins this week’s Truist Championship, a signature event. Or one of them claiming the PGA Championship the following week will certainly separate one from the other. 

At this moment, though, they’re neck and neck. And what they’ve both been able to accomplish this season should be marveled at.