Cameron Young waited nearly 11 years for this moment.
He was 16 years old when it was announced that Bethpage Black would be the host of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
Young, who grew up in Scarborough in Westchester County and learned the game at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, where his dad was the head pro for two decades, should have been on the 2023 Ryder Cup but was snubbed by then-captain Zach Johnson.
This time around, he left current captain Keegan Bradley no choice but to pick him for the team when he turned himself into one of the hottest players in the world late in the summer.
It all led to Friday afternoon’s four-ball session, in which he was teamed with Justin Thomas in a match against Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard.
Young, playing in his first Ryder Cup match, and Thomas, playing in his fourth Ryder Cup, obliterated the two Euros, 6 & 5, in what was the most lopsided match of Day One.
He played so well, and coupled with how hot he’s been for the past couple of months, Young showed that Bradley made a mistake not playing him in the morning foursomes session. Because Young was the best player on the U.S. side Friday.
“It’s pretty special,” Young said. “I love this place, and this is a team we worked really hard to make. We’re just super grateful. To have the opportunity to play today alongside [Thomas] in front of these fans is pretty special.”
In 2014, the year after the Bethpage announcement, Young was on a plane ride back from Scotland, where he helped the U.S. win the Junior Ryder Cup, when he told his parents he was going to play in this Ryder Cup.
Moments like Saturday are things of magic when they pan out like this.
“I’ve been looking forward to this so much over the past few weeks and obviously much longer than that, ever since I got the call to be on the team,” Young said. “It’s a lot of emotions. It’s excitement. It’s some nerves. But I had a great partner to kind of walk me through the day, and thankfully we’ve played some good golf.”
Young was a rock star in his own back yard.
Thomas was wide-eyed after the match at what he saw in Young.
“I really just kind of sat back and watched the show,” Thomas said. “I tried to help when I could. I’m just so happy for Cam and I’m proud of him. Playing in your first Ryder Cup is really hard, but playing in front of your home fans, I would imagine, is even harder. He definitely played like the veteran today. It’s been fun watching his game progress, and I’m glad I got to sit alongside the show today.”
Young birdied No. 2 to give the U.S. its first lead at 1-up, an advantage he and Thomas would never released. His birdie on the ninth hole put them 3-up as they made the turn.
Then came No. 12, where he birdied to go 5-up and essentially ice the match. And fittingly, it was Young who closed the match out with a birdie on No. 13. That made for five birdies on the 13 holes he played.
Young won the New York State Open on Bethpage Black as an amateur in 2017, shooting 64 in the final round and winning in a playoff. Had he played 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 he might have bettered that 64. That was how well he played.
Thomas called Young’s performance “epic.”
“I’m so proud of Cam,” Thomas said. “It’s really hard to put into words how hard it is to play with those kind of nerves, let alone in front of your home crowd. He stepped up, every situation, every time he could. It was really, really impressive to watch, and I’m very proud that he’s my partner. It was awesome.”
Young was so good Friday that he’s being sent out in the lead pairing on Saturday morning with Bryson DeChambeau in a foursomes match against Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg.
Bradley called Young’s performance “really cool to see,” adding, “He came back to his home state at a golf course that he’s played. I was really proud to go out there and watch him play the way he did. He played awesome. He’s been playing great for a long time. We’re excited have him in the lineup tomorrow.”
