Instead of his game, the Cameron Young story at the PGA focuses on his golf ball. Why?

Cameron Young heads into the 2026 PGA Championship as one of the favorites and playing some of the best golf of anyone in the world. Yet none of the conversation surrounding him is about his game.

Young confirmed Wednesday he has played with a Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot golf ball since last year's Wyndham Championship, his first PGA Tour victory. The golf ball is believed to be one that would conform to the USGA/R&A golf ball rollback that is expected to be implemented by 2030.

So that 375-yard drive on the 18th hole at the Players Championship? It was with a rolled-back golf ball. So much for these players losing distance.

"I think I put it in play the same reason that everybody else plays the ball that they play," Young said Wednesday during a pre-tournament press conference. "I hit it during a ball test, one of the Titleist facilities probably close to two years ago and didn't know anything about it and just kind of say, 'hey, what's that one?' Because I liked the flight.

"Then as things progressed, I was able to test it last year at Wyndham, able to put that in play, and it's been there since."

That same golf ball has seen him win the Players and the Cadillac Championship two weeks ago. He was also in the final pairing at the Masters with Rory McIlroy, ultimately finishing T-3 at Augusta National.

Since putting the golf ball into play, Young has ascended into the top 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking and has been a threat to win every time he tees it up. And the biggest noticeable difference? He hasn't lost any distance off the tee.

"I don't think any of us are out really here playing the ball that goes the farthest," Young said. "I think you'd struggle to find a single person that's doing that. We're all sacrificing a certain amount of things that we feel are worth it, control with irons, control with wedges. For me, that's the biggest thing is being able to control spin, and this is the ball that does the best for me."

Young had no idea the golf ball would have been on the confirming list under the new regulations. He only recently found out about that.

"At no point was that a consideration," Young said. "It was just really me trying to optimize my golf, and it's the ball that seems to work the best for me."

For Young, the biggest difference has been with his irons. He said the golf ball is easier to control and allows him to be more consistent with his distance control. He also feels on top of his driver, with a little bit of added spin allowing him to hit the ball at a "perfectly playable range."

Young's thoughts on golf ball rollback haven't changed much since finding out his golf ball would be conforming under the new rules. He believes his opinion is irrelevant to the entire conversation. He wants to focus on playing golf and trying to win his first major championship. At Aronimink, he has a good chance to do just that, regardless of the golf ball he's using.

"I feel like I'm playing a golf ball that's best for how I'm playing the game at the moment," Young said. "If that works out to mean that this goes into effect and I'm still playing the ball however many years from now makes it an easy change. The manufacturers are so good. They're going to find their way to make a good golf ball no matter what the restrictions are. So it doesn't really concern me that much frankly."

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Why is everyone talking about Cameron Young's golf ball at Aronimink?