Ryder Cup will start with a bang: Bryson DeChambeau in the opening group with fiery Jon Rahm

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. captain Keegan Bradley is making sure fans get their money's worth at the Ryder Cup.

It's been 12 years from the time Bethpage Black was announced as the host of this Ryder Cup, two years since Europe celebrated victory in Rome and four days of anticipation that has been building even on a rain-soaked course Thursday.

And then Bradley announced Bryson DeChambeau would be smashing away in the opening foursomes session with emotionally charged Justin Thomas. They face Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, the fiery Spaniard who has never lost in this format.

“They're a formidable force,” DeChambeau said. “But we want to send a message.”

Soon after the four matches were announced, DeChambeau headed to the range and began blasting drives to simulate the 389-yard opening hole, slightly downhill that turns hard to the right over trees, reachable by those who can fly their drive some 365 yards in the air.

“That's nothing, right?” DeChambeau said. In his last Ryder Cup, at Whistling Straits in 2021, he drove the green on the first hole and walked 364 yards to the green carrying his putter.

European captain Luke Donald has 11 players back from his winning team in Rome. He considers this a new team for a new challenge — Europe hasn't won on the road in 12 years — and he mixed up a few of his pairings.

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood are together again. They won both foursomes matches in Rome. But he split up Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, both with new partners.

Bradley said he had DeChambeau and Thomas in mind for a while. DeChambeau hasn't played foursomes in the Ryder Cup since 2018 — he lost matches while paired with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in France — and the alternate-shot format requires a measure of conservative play so as not to give away the hole.

DeChambeau is not one to play it safe. He is an entertainer as much as an elite golfer, and Bradley expects him to hit driver off the first tee.

“We want him to do what he does, and he got up there today and hammered one right in front of the green,” Bradley said. “Bryson thrives under this sort of atmosphere. I can see him walking out there just relishing the moment and relishing the chance to get up there and hit that shot.”

Thomas brings so much emotion to these matches that in an informal poll in 2023, most Europeans said he would be the one player who gets under their skin.

Europe countered by sending out the same team that put the first blue point on the board for Europe at Marco Simone. And neither Rahm nor Hatton lack emotion.

“We are facing two fantastic, very accomplished players. It will not be easy,” Rahm said. “They are both players that like to get the crowd going. It will be a very energetic match. But I wouldn’t say Tyrrell and I are short of energy ourselves. So I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for both teams.”

In other matches: Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, and Russell Henley take on Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick of Europe; McIlroy and Fleetwood face Collin Morikawa and Harris English; and Hovland and Robert MacIntyre play Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

It all unfolds Friday morning for spectators who paid $750 for a ticket at face value. The high anticipation is now fueled even more by the planned visit of President Donald Trump in the late morning. Trump and DeChambeau golf together, and Trump appointed the two-time U.S. Open champion to his fitness council earlier this year.

At stake for the Americans is to win back the 17-inch gold trophy from Europe, which has won 10 of the last 14 times and seems to have the recipe to win this team game.

Donald has spent all week reminding his team what it is capable of doing on the road. The uniforms in practice each day were colors won by previous European teams that won on U.S. soil — for the final practice day, it was Saturday's colors from the “Miracle at Medinah” that Europe won in 2012.

The last five Ryder Cups have not been particularly close, with the home teams winning by five points or more. The Americans hold the record with a 10-point win over Europe in 2021.

“Whatever team ... is the one to break that duck, I think honestly is going to go down as one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history,” McIlroy said.

Beyond the mystery of how DeChambeau performs with his clubs and revving up the gallery is whether Bethpage Black lives up to its reputation of having the loudest and rowdiest fans for a championship of this magnitude — two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship since 2002.

But they are sure to be entertained from the start with the opening match.

“We wanted to send out a fiery group to lead us out with these fans that have been waiting ... to see this tournament,” Bradley said. “Bryson just relishes in these opportunities. He wants them. He’s one of these guys where you hear on a basketball team who wants the ball for the last shot. He’s one of those guys — and so is Justin. Let’s not forget, Justin is the heartbeat of our team. They are to go out and be a really tough team to beat.”

Donald has been part of the Ryder Cup dating to 2004. He appreciates how each day brings a little more anxiety to the start of three days of competition that are relentless with passionate, flag-waving fans.

“The buildup of any Ryder Cup is pretty intense. You feel every day getting a little bit more, Tuesday, Wednesday and even today a little bit spicier, a little bit more stuff going on,” Donald said. "And tomorrow will be a different level.

“It’s pure energy. It’s pure passion. But I think my guys are ready for it.”

AP Ryder Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup

Europe's Rory McIlroy plays on the fifth hole during a practice round at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, on the Bethpage Black golf course, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Europe captain Luke Donald speaks during a news conference at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, on the Bethpage Black golf course, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

United States captain Keegan Bradley watches during a practice round at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, on the Bethpage Black golf course, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Europe's Jon Rahm, of Spain, watches on the 12th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, on the Bethpage Black golf course, in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

United States' Bryson DeChambeau watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Robert Bukaty)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Knowing New York had waited 53 years to see the Knicks hoist the NBA championship trophy, owner James Dolan didn't even wait to be handed the 30-pound gold-plated prize.

He grabbed it and lifted it skyward with a yell.

“I want to say something to New York,” Dolan shouted. “Hey New York! I'm sorry it took so long! But here we are, and hopefully it won't take that long again!”

The New York Knicks are champions of the NBA for the first time since 1973, beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games for this title. The clincher came Saturday night in a 94-90 victory, the Knicks' fourth comeback win of the series.

Some will say it’s the first “major” professional sports championship for New York in more than 14 years; that would be true when counting only Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL and the NBA, though it would be wrong to ignore the New York Liberty’s run to the 2024 WNBA title and New York City FC winning the MLS Cup in 2021.

But as far as the teams that have been part of the city’s fabric for generations and generations, yes, this 14-year drought is finally over. The New York Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012, capping the 2011 season.

The Yankees — the most decorated team in U.S. major pro sports history — haven’t won a World Series since 2009. The Mets haven’t brought a World Series title to New York since 1986. The Rangers last hoisted that trophy in 1994, the Islanders in 1983. The New York Jets haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1969.

None of that matters, at least not right now. The Knicks — who won 13 consecutive games at one point in this playoff run and rallied from 29 points down to win Game 4 of the finals at MSG — are the toast of the town.

“Of course I've never seen anything like it, because it'd never happened before,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said of the Game 4 comeback in an interview on NBA TV on Saturday. “But it's been amazing."

The Amazin' Knicks, indeed.

It took them 80 years — the Knicks won the first game in NBA history in 1946, three years before what was then the Basketball Association of America started being known as the National Basketball Association — but the franchise has now become the ninth that can say it has at least three championships.

Boston has 18, the Los Angeles Lakers have 17, Golden State has seven, Chicago has six, San Antonio has five, and Philadelphia, Detroit and Miami all have three.

Welcome to the club, New York.

“I enjoy watching these guys," Knicks legend Larry Johnson said. "The Garden is back. ... It’s back like when we played and made our little run. The city is behind us.”

It's a franchise that has gone through 24 different coaches and more than 400 players since what was, until now, the most recent championship season. Some of the game’s biggest superstars called Madison Square Garden home and couldn’t end the title drought, names like Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Bernard King and Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks lost a Game 7 in the 1994 finals to Hakeem Olajuwon and Houston, then made a miracle run to the 1999 finals in a shortened season only to lose to San Antonio in five games — the first of what became five championships for Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.

“We didn’t get it done. ... I always say the third time is the charm,” former Knicks guard John Starks said.

Starks was right. It took the Knicks 27 years to get back to the finals, had the Spurs again standing in their way, and to fully flip the script, it was New York prevailing in five games.

And finally, the world's most famous arena — which has raised banners for Billy Joel, Elton John and Harry Styles more recently than it had hoisted one for the Knicks — will be adding to the collection swaying from the rafters. If it follows form from the others, the banner will only have the Knicks logo, then 2025-26 World Champions beneath that.

A simple message. Getting to the place where the Knicks could say those words again, that wasn't so simple.

“There are a couple of franchises that are pretty iconic just because of the history that they have, the location that they’re in, sometimes even the building that they’re in,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown, who won this title in his first season with the club. "New York is definitely one of the few that you could say that to in all three facets.

“Everybody goes through their ups and downs. I don’t really think much about the tough times that they had, because everybody has tough times, including individuals. You just want to try the best you can to be a part of whatever you can to bring joy to the city, to the organization. At the end of the day, the chips are going to fall how they fall. I feel blessed, fortunate, lucky, to be a part of what is going on now.”

It is, to put it mildly, an interesting organization. Dolan — who rarely speaks publicly — isn't afraid of clashes, even including ones with former Knicks greats like Charles Oakley, who was at road games in this title run but has remained away from MSG for years. Leon Rose, the team's president, typically doesn't make himself available to reporters either. There is an absolute mystique around the team and how it operates.

It has not always worked. Over a 25-year stretch that ended with the 2021-22 season — not that long ago — the Knicks had the worst record in the NBA. In the four years since, starting with the acquisition of Jalen Brunson from Dallas, the Knicks have the NBA's fifth-best record.

And now, Brunson — the finals MVP — is the best player on the best team in the world.

“It means the world to me,” Brunson said.

And this year, as Frank Sinatra said, the Knicks are king of the hill, top of the heap. Some in the fan base grumbled when the Knicks declined to hang an NBA Cup championship banner after beating San Antonio for the in-season tournament title earlier this season. Turns out, the Knicks were just waiting for something better.

So, the 53-year wait is over. It was a very different league, and a very different game, in 1973.

There were 17 teams in the NBA that season, barely half of the 30 that there are now. Teams called places Buffalo, Baltimore, Kansas City-Omaha and Seattle home then; the league has expanded many times since, adding 13 teams in nine different states, plus Canada and the District of Columbia.

The top salary in the league then was about $380,000, or roughly $2.9 million in today’s dollars. There was no 3-point line then, no multi-billion-dollar television deal, no international players.

The Knicks flew home on a United Airlines flight from the 1973 title clincher in Inglewood, California, and officials at Kennedy Airport expected what was then called a “rabid” crowd of fans present to greet the plane. They braced for “hundreds” of people that day.

This celebration might be a little bigger.

“To have the fans that we have in New York City and be able to bring home a championship after all these years is absolutely amazing,” Brown said. “It’s a surreal feeling.”

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The New York Knicks celebrate after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, right, hugs forward Og Anunoby during the after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

The New York Knicks celebrate after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The New York Knicks celebrate after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

New York Knicks fans celebrate after winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series against the San Antonio Spurs, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)