FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- The video made the rounds Tuesday for everyone who hadn't yet arrived at Bethpage Black: Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau at the first tee, ignoring the fairway and bombing away toward the green.

Imagine that being the first shot of the Ryder Cup, in front of a grandstand packed with a majority of American fans.

"Like 365 (yards to the green), something like that. That's nothing, right?" DeChambeau said Thursday. "Just a normal long drive shot."

The hole is actually listed at 397 yards, but that's a shorter par-4 for professionals in this day and age, especially from an elevated tee box.

It feeds into the prevailing sense this week that Bethpage Black, a course known for its brutal difficulty, has been somewhat defanged for its Ryder Cup debut.

As hosts, the Un

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