Cameron Young heaps praise on Abraham Ancer after narrowly missing out on Saudi International win: "He just didn't make any mistakes"

Mexican golfer Abraham Ancer edged out US golfer Cameron Young on February 6 to win the 2023 Saudi International. Ancer topped the leaderboard ever since the opening round and wonderfully managed to maintain that lead to take home the victory.

He bravely withstood Cameron Young's challenge and the windy conditions at times. Even with so many obstacles blocking his way, Ancer's game didn't waver for a minute.

He made two bogeys to win his fourth professional title. Interestingly, he has won all four of his events in four different countries.

Cameron Young made four birdies in his first seven holes to catch Ancer, who started with birdies on the first and fourth holes.

Abraham Ancer then made a brilliant par save on the seventh hole to stay level. He then completed a two-shot swing on the eighth hole with a 30-footer birdie putt against his opponent's bogey.

Abraham Ancer at the PIF Saudi International - Day Four (Image via Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Young, who has now finished second five times in the last year, fought hard before finally giving Ancer some breathing room with a double bogey on the 15th hole.

Cameron Young, despite his narrow loss, was all praise for Abraham Ancer's game. Young said that Ancer didn't make any mistakes. He further added that the champion displayed his phenomenal control of the golf ball and mental strength. He said:

"Abe played some really nice golf. He just didn't make any mistakes, I think maybe made two bogeys this whole week. And with the wind blowing, and as hard as it was, that shows tremendous control of your golf ball, and a lot of mental toughness."

However, at the end of the day, Cameron Young was dejected that he lost and said:

"I really thought I played pretty well. I'm playing a bunch of tournaments the next few weeks, so I think I'm just in a nice place moving forward."

He certainly showed true sportsman spirit.

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"You've got to hit the shots and you can't play it safe" - Abraham Ancer

Abraham Ancer at the PIF Saudi International - Day Four (Image via Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Abraham Ancer is doing really well with his career. His phenomenal win at the 2023 Saudi International is expected to propel him to the World no. 27 spot next week.

He revealed that one of his tricks to secure the title was the mind game he played in his head:

"I just kept telling myself that I was in 20th place. I didn't really look at the leaderboard that much. I feel like if you're just thinking 'I've just got to hold on', then it's probably not going to be a good result."

He added that he constantly reminded himself that he shouldn't play safe:

"I kept telling myself, you've got to hit the shots and you can't play it safe. I've got to play just the same as I've been playing, try to make some birdies and attack the golf course."

It was his first time playing such a close match and he thoroughly enjoyed himself:

"It's the first time that I've been able to win wire-to-wire, so that was a lot of fun, and so was being able to play good golf every single day."

Of course, winning such a narrow match must have been an added bonus for Ancer.