Farmingdale, NY – On the Wednesday before the Ryder Cup, Collin Morikawa was asked a pointed question: which of the Stoic team of Team USA would he like to see Go Wild in a charged Ryder Cup setting?
He thought just before he settled on his answer.
“I would like to see that Cam Young just throws a huge fist pump in someone’s face. I would love it,” he said.
Four days later he got his wish.
Young led the American side in Sunday Singles and first went against the Veteran Firebrand of Team Europe, Justin Rose. He and his teammates started the day in a 12-5 hole, and in a race to 14 Leek winning out of their question, but saving some dignity was still a worthy goal.
It was useful that Young was out first. Meaningful because of his New York connections that run deep; Not only did Young grow up in Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, but his first big win came open in Bethpage Black in the New York State, which he counts to his favorite golf courses in the world.
It was useful because the last time the US played a Ryder Cup, Young was left at home. He finished 9th on the list of qualifying points of 2023, but was passed on while Nos. 10, 12, 13 and 15 were chosen; Keegan Bradley’s snub was documented on Netflix, while Young’s was more anonymous but no less painful. The fact that Bradley Young chose to represent the American side this time was worth something extra.
And it was useful because it reflected his status in this team. In the previous two days, young had proven as the American player who is most suitable for this Ryder Cup. He had been sitting on the couch for Friday’s opening celebrations, but came out in the afternoon Vier-Ball; He played both games on Saturday and improved to 2-1-0. Because the team sessions were such a nightmare for his teammates, Young’s 6 and-5 and 4 and 2 victories served as places of Felrode. He let his clubs talk together with exciting partners Justin Thomas and Bryson Deschambeau. The scoreboard, the statistics and the fans all saw the same: Young played just as well as everyone else in real estate. He earned that first Sunday time.
Young’s match against Rose started with a bang, a 25-footer for Birdie at number 1 who held a shock through the thousands along the ropes. But when Rose Nos. 3 and 5 won, competition 1 became blue on the board – and behind him more blue followed. Justin Thomas 2 down. Bryson Deschambeau 2 down. Scottie Scheffler 1 Down. Patrick Cantlay 1 Down. Five games were on the track, the US was in all five behind and the horror show of the home team got worse in one way or another.
Then Young became hot. Birdie-Par at 6-7 was enough to win both and to get a 1-up lead back. Another Birdie and a series of pars brought him to 3 to 12. Behind him, the teammates of Young followed his leadership; A red wave started to sweep Bethpage.
“A bit felt like nothing could go wrong,” said Young.
But then multiple It went wrong, one after the next.
“Justin Rose started to do some interesting things,” said Young. “I made some putts on me. And suddenly it just feels like I’m just going to give it away.”
Rose made Birdie at the age of 13. Birdie on 14. Birdie at the age of 16. Suddenly he had tied up young, and that is where they stayed on her way at 18. roaring in the home team still extended behind him, Thomas and Dephambeau and Scheffler who assemble their respective comebacks. But given their precarious position, the US needed every point it was possible.
Young hit the fairway. He hit the green. He avoided a rose miss. And then he went to a 12-legged Birdie and the victory, took a final breath and sent it in the middle of the bottom of the cup. The fist pump from Young would have made Morikawa proud.
“I’ve thought about having such a putt for a while,” Young said in an emotional interview after the round. “The way things went halfway through the back nine today, I didn’t want that putt – and when things went through 17, I was very grateful that I had a chance there.”
He added this:
“This is the biggest event that we have, really. There is no bigger stage to play, in my home, a golf course that I love … That and I will remember there for a long time.”
A few minutes later, when Justin Thomas the winning Birdie -Putt from Young corresponded to one of his own, Young was there to greet him with a scream and a huge hug. Deschambeau completed a 5-down comeback of his own to earn a valuable semi-point. And then the young, Deschambeau and Thomas jumped back on carts and racing to their teammates. The comeback had started.
Bradley cried the spark in his post-round Perser.
“When we first sent Cam Young from New York to lead us, we had to have that competition,” said Bradley. “He went outside for the whole world, for his home, and made a 10-footer to beat Justin Rose who is a Ryder cupper of all time and to celebrate at Bethpage Black for everyone.”
In the end it was a memorable and brave but losing effort for the US. Their mountain was too long to climb; Europe scratched enough semi-points to reach 14, then 14.5, then the 15-13 final.
We are not used to hearing much from Young in the victory or defeat. He is not on social media, he is allergic to striking and he does not waste words. But when he was asked to summarize his week, Young delivered the monologue of the press conference.
“It was incredible,” he said. “I mean, from the moment I received the call from Keegan, you know, I feel that this group is incredibly close. We were incredibly driven to win this week. I think that the coolest part of it is to just be one of the 12 boys who play for our country, play for each other, play for each other, play for each other.”
And then he turned to his teammates who started nodding.
“You know, that last bit where we made a point, I know nothing about you, but I have never felt anything like that as golf. I mean, that was really incredible to look after the other just start making putts, fighting against the way they did.
“So I think it’s just a proof of how much it all means for all of us to be here and how much we all want to play well for each other. It was really incredible.”
The Young team did not win. The American fans left inspired but eventually disappointed. There will be days, weeks, months of the second breakthrough. But Young left a stamp on Bethpage Black – and vice versa.
Dylan Dethier welcomes your comments on dylan_dethier@golf.com.
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