MEDINAH, Ill. (MCT) — Leading the Ryder Cup after Day One is only slightly more significant than leading the climb halfway up Mount Everest. Over the last 14 Ryder Cups, the first-day leader has a 7-6-1 record.

So maybe it’s not so much the 5-3 lead the U.S. team built during the opening sessions at Medinah Country Club on Friday. Maybe far more noteworthy is how it got there — on the backs of underachieving veteran Phil Mickelson and uninhibited rookie Keegan Bradley.

Among the most accomplished players of his generation, Mickelson entered the match-play fray with a tawdry Ryder Cup reputation. He was 11-17-6 in eight previous appearances, including 2-5-4 in foursomes. Extracting a favorable performance has been one of the great challenges of American golf.