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Cameron Young, a native New Yorker, was a rare bright spot for US on Ryder Cup Day 1

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — When the U.S. needed a spark, Cameron Young delivered.

The New York native, playing about an hour's drive from where he grew up, sank five birdies in his Ryder Cup debut Friday as he and Justin Thomas beat Europe’s Rasmus Højgaard and Ludvig Åberg 6 and 5. Young ended the match with a birdie on the par 5 13th hole.

It was one of two matches the U.S. won all day, and the only one the Americans claimed in the afternoon fourball session as Europe came away with a 5 1/2-2 1/2 lead.

“It’s a lot of emotions. It’s excitement. It’s some nerves,” Young said. “But I had a great partner to kind of walk me through the day, and thankfully we’ve played some good golf.”

“I really just kind of sat back and watched the show," Thomas said.

“Playing in your first Ryder Cup is hard, and playing in front of the home fans is harder," he added. "But he played like a veteran today.”

Young, 28, said he'd been waiting for this moment since captain Keegan Bradley picked him for the team in August. And then he had to wait a little longer as Bradley held him and two other rookies out of Friday‘s morning session.

Now, after his hot start, he'll be going out first on Saturday, paired with Bryson DeChambeau in foursomes.

“I was really proud to go out there and watch him play the way he did,” Bradley said. “He played awesome. He’s been playing great for a long time. We’re excited have him in the lineup tomorrow."

Young grew up in Westchester, went to Fordham Prep in the Bronx and roots for the NFL’s Giants, MLB’s Yankees and NHL’s Rangers.

He’s the only player in the field who’s won at Bethpage Black before, taking the New York State Open as an amateur in 1997 and tying the then-course record with a final round 64. That mark stood until Brooks Koepka shot a 63 in the 2019 PGA Championship.

Aaron Rodgers keeps tabs from across the pond

There's at least one U.S. fan in Europe.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in Dublin for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, said he usually roots for Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy but “this week maybe not as much.”

Rodgers, a friend of Bradley, said his affinity for McIlroy stems in part from a practice round they played together at Pebble Beach. He said he came away awed by McIlroy’s swing and accuracy, calling the Irish fan favorite a “transcendent player."

“I got to be on some of the same tees a few times,” Rodgers said. “Some of the lines he takes and the way the ball sounds coming off the club face is pretty amazing."

As for Bradley, Rogers said he thought the captain should've picked himself for the squad. Why? Because “he's playing so damn good.”

Winning like Tom Watson

Tommy Fleetwood has matched Hall of Famer Tom Watson with his team dominance at the Ryder Cup.

Fleetwood won both his matches Friday and is now 8-2-1 in team competition — including a perfect 5-0 in foursomes. He has earned 8 1/2 points out of 11 matches, putting European points on the board 77.3% percent of the time, matching American Watson for the highest percentage among players with at least 10 matches.

“He’s a guy that just loves being around the team and he loves contributing to that team,” European captain Luke Donald said.

Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy rolled to a 5-and-4 victory over Collin Morikawa and Harris English in the morning foursomes, then Fleetwood joined fellow Englishman Justin Rose to beat DeChambeau and Ben Griffin 1 up in the afternoon.

Watson went 4-1-1 in foursomes and 4-1 in fourballs in his four appearances for the U.S.

Better lies at Bethpage

The Ryder Cup might be one of the biggest events in golf, but it isn’t treated like a major. That much was clear when the PGA of America allowed for preferred lies because of heavy rain Thursday that created soft conditions.

Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls — or a replacement ball — when it was in the fairway. Players could place the ball within one club-length, no closer to the hole.

Some stars, including Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, criticized the PGA of America for not allowing preferred lies at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship. The four majors are generally sticklers for playing the ball as it lies in all conditions.

In Donald they trust — Luke, that is

President Donald Trump’s visit to the Ryder Cup on Friday inspired Europe fans to cheer on their own Donald — captain Luke Donald.

A banner hanging from a hospitality tent visible from where Trump watched the action said “In Donald We Trust" in Europe’s trademark blue, white and yellow design.

Several fans sported T-shirts with an illustration of the European captain sitting behind Trump’s Oval Office desk in the White House.

Above it, the shirts said: “There's A New Donald In Town."

Associated Press writer Ken Maguire contributed to this report from Dublin.

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