NAPA, Calif. – The new PGA Tour season felt like an old one to a trio of Ryder Cup players Thursday at the Frys.com Open.

Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar and Jimmy Walker met on the 10th tee at Silverado. With a morning chill in the air and beautiful scenery of Napa Valley, it was vaguely similar to the rolling hills of Gleneagles just two weeks ago at the Ryder Cup.

Except that no one was singing. There was hardly anyone in the grandstand, or on the golf course.

“It’s a little strange off the tee when no one is really here at 7:45,” Mahan said after opening with a 2-under 70, leaving him four shots out of the lead. “And out there at 7, everyone is singing along and the party is already started.”

It was back to normal for those three Americans, along with Lee Westwood of England, who made two late birdies to salvage a 73.

And it was another chance for Andres Gonzalez, who made it back to the PGA Tour for the third time. He has yet to keep his card, and while this was only the first round of the new wraparound season, he was plenty happy with no bogeys on his card and a 6-under 66.

Sang-Moon Bae made seven birdies in the afternoon and joined Gonzalez at 66. They were a shot ahead of Martin Laird. Brooks Koepka was in a large group at 68.

The star attraction at the Frys.com Open was the Ryder Cup trio, and there were about 500 people tagging along by the end of their round. The par-5 ninth summed up the round for each of them.

Mahan lagged perfectly from 75 feet for a two-putt birdie. Kuchar showed off a sharp short game, and his pitch from short of the green struck the pin and settled about a foot away. He shot 71. Walker thought his full wedge was perfect until it took a hard hop and landed in a gnarly spot in the rough, leading to a bogey and a 75.

Most of them would have preferred at least another week off.

Walker is defending a title for the first time in his career. Mahan and Kuchar are at the Frys.com Open as part of a deal with the PGA Tour for letting them play an exhibition in Turkey two years ago. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy also were supposed to play this year until they deferred, McIlroy because he was wiped out from a busy summer of winning back-to-back majors, Woods while he tries to regain his explosiveness from back surgery earlier in the year.

The tour is in its second year of a wraparound season that starts in October and ends with the Tour Championship in September, and it’s still hard to digest that everyone is starting over at Silverado.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. and Ottawa’s Brad Fritsch lead the Canadians after opening with matching 2-under 70s. They duo has a share of 25th spot.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. was a shot back, carding a 71, while Brantford, Ont. native David Hearn is at even-par thanks to a 72.

Brights Grove, Ont.’s Mike Weir opened with a 73 and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. shot 74.

Thursday’s round marked Hadwin and Taylor’s first as full-time members of the PGA Tour.

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – The decisive match. The shot of his life. Jamie Donaldson will never forget his Ryder Cup debut.

The chance to clinch Europe’s third straight victory in golf’s biggest team event fell to a strapping, mild-mannered Welsh rookie who was nothing more than a journeyman pro only two years ago.

He didn’t let it pass.

Unaware he had already retained the cup for Europe on the previous hole, Donaldson hit a 9 iron from 146 yards to within 18 inches of the pin on No. 15 at Gleneagles on Sunday.

The crowd roared. Donaldson thrust his right arm up in the air and was slapped on the back by his captain. He didn’t need to make the tap-in – Europe had won again.

“This is the pinnacle,” said Donaldson, draped in a Welsh flag and surrounded by joyous teammates and family members by the side of the 15th green.

He guzzled down champagne and soaked in an atmosphere and experience he’d always dreamed of being part of.

Donaldson is a late developer in golf, winning his first tournament – the Irish Open in the summer of 2012 – at the age of 36. The following two years has seen him top a loaded field in Abu Dhabi at the start of 2013, crack the top 30 in the rankings and make regular appearances at the majors.

But making the Ryder Cup team, by winning the next-to-last qualifying event in the Czech Republic, sealed a career ambition.

“It was all he ever wanted,” his mother, Jacqui, told The Associated Press as she looked over at her son surrounded by reporters and camera crews on the 15th. “It’s what he has ever aimed for all his life.”

Donaldson, the seventh Welshman to play in the Ryder Cup, won two points in three matches with Lee Westwood over Friday and Saturday and was sent out in the 10th match in the singles.

Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer won three of the first six matches, Justin Rose had earned a half, but Europe still needed another half to retain the cup and a win to take it outright.

Step forward Donaldson.

Four up with five to play, Donaldson narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 14 and swiped the ball away in disappointment. He walked off with a stern look on his face.

He didn’t know it yet but halving that hole kept the cup in Europe’s hands.

Donaldson split the fairway with his drive on No. 15, leaving him with perfect yardage for a wedge to the green.

“I knew the crowd was gathering,” said Donaldson. “I knew things were coming down to my game. I was just trying to win my point.

“And it was the shot of my life.”

The noise was deafening as Donaldson marched to the green. U.S. captain Tom Watson shook Donaldson’s hand and then European counterpart Paul McGinley’s.

The Ryder Cup was effectively won – but it still needed Bradley to officially concede a 4-and-3 victory, which he did when he saw how close Donaldson’s ball was to the hole.

Donaldson was mobbed by McIlroy, then Henrik Stenson and then a sea of media who battled for a sight of Europe’s match-winner.

“Oh Jamie, Jamie,” the crowd sang.

“It’s hard to describe how good it is,” Donaldson said. “There’s nothing else like it in golf. It’s just a total one-off. It’s just a huge, huge thing, and it’s just been amazing to be a part of it.”

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – The decisive match. The shot of his life. Jamie Donaldson will never forget his Ryder Cup debut.

The chance to clinch Europe’s third straight victory in golf’s biggest team event fell to a strapping, mild-mannered Welsh rookie who was nothing more than a journeyman pro only two years ago.

He didn’t let it pass.

Unaware he had already retained the cup for Europe on the previous hole, Donaldson hit a 9 iron from 146 yards to within 18 inches of the pin on No. 15 at Gleneagles on Sunday.

The crowd roared. Donaldson thrust his right arm up in the air and was slapped on the back by his captain. He didn’t need to make the tap-in – Europe had won again.

“This is the pinnacle,” said Donaldson, draped in a Welsh flag and surrounded by joyous teammates and family members by the side of the 15th green.

He guzzled down champagne and soaked in an atmosphere and experience he’d always dreamed of being part of.

Donaldson is a late developer in golf, winning his first tournament – the Irish Open in the summer of 2012 – at the age of 36. The following two years has seen him top a loaded field in Abu Dhabi at the start of 2013, crack the top 30 in the rankings and make regular appearances at the majors.

But making the Ryder Cup team, by winning the next-to-last qualifying event in the Czech Republic, sealed a career ambition.

“It was all he ever wanted,” his mother, Jacqui, told The Associated Press as she looked over at her son surrounded by reporters and camera crews on the 15th. “It’s what he has ever aimed for all his life.”

Donaldson, the seventh Welshman to play in the Ryder Cup, won two points in three matches with Lee Westwood over Friday and Saturday and was sent out in the 10th match in the singles.

Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer won three of the first six matches, Justin Rose had earned a half, but Europe still needed another half to retain the cup and a win to take it outright.

Step forward Donaldson.

Four up with five to play, Donaldson narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 14 and swiped the ball away in disappointment. He walked off with a stern look on his face.

He didn’t know it yet but halving that hole kept the cup in Europe’s hands.

Donaldson split the fairway with his drive on No. 15, leaving him with perfect yardage for a wedge to the green.

“I knew the crowd was gathering,” said Donaldson. “I knew things were coming down to my game. I was just trying to win my point.

“And it was the shot of my life.”

The noise was deafening as Donaldson marched to the green. U.S. captain Tom Watson shook Donaldson’s hand and then European counterpart Paul McGinley’s.

The Ryder Cup was effectively won – but it still needed Bradley to officially concede a 4-and-3 victory, which he did when he saw how close Donaldson’s ball was to the hole.

Donaldson was mobbed by McIlroy, then Henrik Stenson and then a sea of media who battled for a sight of Europe’s match-winner.

“Oh Jamie, Jamie,” the crowd sang.

“It’s hard to describe how good it is,” Donaldson said. “There’s nothing else like it in golf. It’s just a total one-off. It’s just a huge, huge thing, and it’s just been amazing to be a part of it.”

GLENEAGLES, Scotland – As if players don’t already face enough pressure in the Ryder Cup, the walk into golf’s most boisterous arena goes through a tunnel of time.

One side of the short tunnel is painted American red and celebrates past victories, with images of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Paul Azinger and Ben Hogan. The other side is European blue with a roll call of winners that feature Tony Jacklin and Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer.

Emerging from the tunnel, players immediately see blue bunting on a three-story hospitality suite with the words, “Where Legends are Forged.”

Take a breath.

They make their way to the first tee, where a U-shaped grandstand has 1,892 seats filled with fans who are chanting, singing and stomping.

This is no ordinary golf tournament.

“It’s like walking into a football stadium,” said Stephen Gallacher, who grew up near Gleneagles and has never seen the course looking like this. Not with fans 10-deep on both sides of the fairway, draped in flags of the European Union, the nine European countries represented, and yes, even the Stars & Stripes.

“That tunnel has got some iconic images through it, and you’ll hear the crowd, you’ll hear the noise,” Justin Rose said. “You really begin to sense that even on the practice range. The atmosphere really amps up. … I can only imagine that by the time you walk to the tee, you’re fully ready to go. There’s absolutely no doubt.”

And there was one more touch to add inspiration to the home team.

From the first tee, players can’t help but notice a message written across the back of the 50-foot grandstand behind the 18th green to the left. It’s a quote from Seve Ballesteros, forever the face of European golf in the Ryder Cup.

“As a player and captain, there are unforgettable moments when you are competing for the people of your continent.”

Four long days of speculation and anticipation give way to the most frenetic three days in golf, starting with a tee shot unlike any other.

“It’s definitely the most impressive first hole we play throughout our careers,” Sergio Garcia said. “That tee shot on the first is always different, the way they build it up and all the songs you hear and everything.”

It all unfolds onFriday morning when Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson go for a third straight victory in fourballs against Rose and Henrik Stenson.

Considering the last two Ryder Cups – both European victories – were decided by one point, every match matters.

Europe has won seven of the last nine times, and it has not lost on home soil since 1993 when Tom Watson was the American captain. Going back in time to change its fortunes, the U.S. team brought back Watson to lead the way. At 65, he is the oldest captain in Ryder Cup history.

Watson stuck with what has worked, and he threw in a few wrinkles. Bubba Watson and Simpson won both their fourballs matches at Medinah, wrapping up both of them on the 14th hole. Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson went 3-0 at Medinah, and they are the anchor match against Rory McIlroy and Garcia, Europe’s most powerful tandem.

“We’re looking to hand them their first defeat tomorrow morning,” McIlroy said.

The new wrinkle? Old Tom Watson created the youngest pairing in Ryder Cup history with 21-year-old Jordan Spieth and 24-year-old Patrick Reed going against Europe stalwart Ian Poulter and Gallacher, another rookie and the lone Scot in a Ryder Cup that has not been held in the home of golf since 1973.

“I would imagine for the rookies, it’s going to be a bit of a shock,” Lee Westwood said of the first tee. “It’s a bit of an intimidating atmosphere, but nothing they can’t handle.”

Watson has been preaching redemption from the Americans’ meltdown at Medinah, where they lost the largest lead ever by a home team. Europe captain Paul McGinley is talking about a template of success, even though his four teams on Friday morning are entirely new.

“The fun is only starting now,” McGinley said. “We relish the challenge.”

Adding to the fun are the final two matches.

Poulter is like a peacock, strutting around Gleneagles, eager as ever to show off his Ryder Cup feathers. He was singled out even ahead of McIlroy – a four-time major champion and golf’s No. 1 player – as the one guy Americans would love to knock off. Watson is sending out a pair of rookies against him who have nothing to lose.

“I told them today, `I’m going to throw you in the ocean without a life preserver. You’re on your own. You get out there and you get it done,'” Watson said.

As for the anchor match involving Mickelson and McIlroy? Watson compared that match with the “main event in the first round.”

“Now see what happens in the next 72 hours,” he said.