America

Phil Mickelson

World Ranking: 2

Appearances: 6

Record: 9-12-4

What he brings: Preparation, experience, the capacity for other-worldly golf, willingness to bond … for a week at least.

What he lacks: Tiger’s dominating, intimidating, brooding focus.

Kenny Perry

World Ranking: 20

Appearances: 1

Record: 0-2-0

What he brings: The crowds and the desire. No one wants to perform in front of the Louisville crowd more than Perry who lives 150 miles or so south of Valhalla. Kentuckians will flock to the course in large numbers ready to root for their home-state hero.

What he lacks: Good Ryder Cup memories. He lost both his matches at Oakland Hills in 2004. Plus, he lost in a playoff at Valhalla in the 1996 PGA Championship.

Anthony Kim

World Ranking: 10

Appearances: Debut

What he brings: Superb all-round game built on immense power, fun attitude, confidence of the young.

What he lacks: Ryder Cup experience. He has played the Walker Cup, but as anyone who has played both will tell you, the feeling on the first tee in that event is very different to what Kim will experience at Valhalla.

Europe

Padraig Harrington

World Ranking: 4

Appearances: 4

Record: 7-8-2

What he brings: The confidence of two recent major victories, old head on slowly aging shoulders. Smooth potential matchup with fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell.

What he lacks: Not much.

Sergio Garcia

World Ranking: 5

Appearances: 4

Record: 14-4-2

What he brings: Spirit, inspiration, a well-documented passion for beating Americans, a vastly better putting stroke than even in 2006 when he holed an awful lot of important putts.

What he lacks: Again, not much, but his performances at the Ryder Cup, coupled with his antics, have made him a marked man. Every American would love the opportunity to silence the Spanish dynamo.

Paul Casey

World Ranking: 38

Appearances: 2

Record: 3-1-2

What he brings: Distance. Casey is the most powerful of the Europeans and will struggle to keep up only with Holmes — and an excellent match-play record. Casey won the HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth in England in 2006 beating Shaun Micheel 10&8 in the final. And he took down Jim Furyk, one of America’s doughtiest golfers at the K Club two years ago.