Mighty Bethpage Black was as quiet as a morgue during Friday morning’s opening foursomes session to begin the 45th Ryder Cup.
It didn’t take long for the full-throat support from the rabid home crowd to become sore throat and, eventually, no throat as the Europeans boat-raced the Americans with an early assault en route to a 3-1 lead entering the afternoon four-ball session.
Legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells used to talk about how the most satisfying thing to him was silencing the home crowd as a visitor. As the Giants coach, he used to live for silencing Washington’s RFK Stadium and Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.
European captain Luke Donald experienced that very Parcells euphoria on Friday at Bethpage, which was expected to be the greatest home-course advantage in Ryder Cup history.
The silence was music to Donald’s ears as the Europeans continued to make more putts than the Americans.
There were a handful of moments that defined the morning for the Americans.
After Scottie Scheffler hit his tee shot on the 10th, he began to walk slowly off the tee with slumped shoulders, wearing a distressed look on his face as he and Russell Henley were being boat-raced by Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg, 4-up at that point, a fan blurted out, “Scottie, body language!’’
The shoulders of U.S. players were slumped all over the course. On 13, with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton 2-up on Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas, Hatton had to back off a 15-foot putt to win the hole when an insect was flying around his ball. The fans in the gallery booed and heckled him.
Hatton reset himself, ignoring the noise, and buried the putt to take a 3-up lead.
As the players walked across the road to 14, it sounded more like a European home game, with a strong contingent of Euro fans at the 14th tee box chanting and singing.
Not even the presence of Michael Jordan on the 14th tee box was enough to inspire DeChambeau and Thomas.
DeChambeau made a 10-foot birdie putt and the U.S. fans came alive. It felt like a make-and-wake as there was finally some buzz in the air. Rahm, however, topped that birdie with an 8-footer of his own to stay 3-up with four to play.
Alas, a moment for the U.S. was quickly thwarted.
DeChambeau and Thomas were closed out on the next hole, No. 15, losing 4&3 to give Europe its first point, at 10:32 a.m., some three hours and 22 minutes after they teed off first to begin the matches.
Exactly three minutes later, the Americans were down 2-0 when Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood crushed Collin Morikawa and Harris English 5&3.
And then, at 10:43 a.m., Europe made it 3-0 when Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick dusted world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley 4&3.
It was hauntingly quiet around Bethpage Black until President Trump’s Air Force One, carrying President Trump for his planned visit, buzzed right over the 18th hole en route to landing in what was a certain showoff.
The Americans saved some face at the end of the session when Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele won the fourth and final foursomes match 2-up to leave the proceedings at 3-1 Europe entering the afternoon four-ball session.
“If we were only going to win one point, it was good to get it out of the anchor match to get some momentum going for the afternoon,’’ Schauffele said. “We need to get some points back.’’
And get the crowd back into it.