CAPTAIN: BERNHARD LANGER AGE: 46; RYDER CUP RECORD: 21-15-6 ANALYSIS: As meticulous as Bernhard is, he was made to be the captain or general of something. The way he'll take care of every last detail will instill confidence in his team. He beat Hal Sutton twice in singles, 5 and 4 in '85, and 4 and 3 in '02, so he's going for the hat trick. He'll do copious amounts of research and analysis, and won't miss a trick. He will outprepare anyone, anywhere, anytime. He'll be the Dave Stockton of European captains. Going up against him is like going up against Rommel. I wouldn't want to play him in chess.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON

AGE: 33; WORLD RANK: 8TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 3-3-1
ANALYSIS: He's finished second 26 times. That's bizarre. He's so fastidious, so cerebral, that he lacks the feel of the moment to close the deal. His game looks as if it's been put together with glue and staples, but it works. He can drive opponents nuts with his slow pace. A pairing against a fast, impatient player, like Chris DiMarco, would be a bad matchup for the U.S.

SERGIO GARCIA

AGE: 24; WORLD RANK: 11TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 6-3-1
ANALYSIS: As close to a Seve Ballesteros redux as you can get. He is the opposite of Harrington -- wildly inconsistent but knows how to win. He's not the old Sergio. He hits his irons better than ever but doesn't find as many fairways. He used to be the best driver in the world. He's still fighting his putter, but the Ryder Cup usually seems to cure that.

DARREN CLARKE

AGE: 36; WORLD RANK: 15TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 4-6-2
ANALYSIS: He's the player most likely to crash the other team's party room and exemplifies what the game is about: a handshake, a cold beer and a cigar together after kicking your butt. He's on top of his game and -- uh-oh -- has been working with putting guru Stan Utley. Darren drives the ball well and is a solid iron player. If he starts rolling his rock, look out.

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ

AGE: 40; WORLD RANK: 23RD; RYDER CUP RECORD: 1-2-2
ANALYSIS: You have to love a guy nicknamed the Mechanic. He's kind of like a Fred Funk in that he hits a lot of fairways, wins here and there (four times this year) and gets more out of his game than you'd expect. He's the sort of guy you hate to face in match play. His ball flight isn't stellar, but he doesn't make many mistakes. And I love his ponytail.

LEE WESTWOOD

AGE: 31; WORLD RANK: 41ST; RYDER CUP RECORD: 7-8
ANALYSIS: After a terrible slump he's close to playing like the Westwood of old, when he was the best player in Europe. At his best, he's an outstanding ball striker but has struggled with the putter. If he misses some key putts early, his confidence could be a problem. He has played all five matches in each of his three previous Ryder Cups, so the pressure isn't going to faze him.

THOMAS LEVET

AGE: 36; WORLD RANK: 43RD; RYDER CUP RECORD: 0-0
ANALYSIS: He's one of Europe's best iron players. Because of the layout at Oakland Hills, one player will hit approach shots into 13 of the 18 greens in alternate-shot play, so putting him with a good putter -- like Harrington -- would create a formidable team. Thomas might be the nicest guy on either team and could be the biggest surprise of this Ryder Cup.

PAUL CASEY

AGE: 27; WORLD RANK: 28TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 0-0
ANALYSIS: Seems like a long time ago, but Casey was sixth at the Masters this year. He has a big game. He struggles with his accuracy off the tee but strikes his irons well and is a very good putter. Paul is gregarious and is going to keep everyone on his team loose. Get used to him; he should be on every European team for the next decade.

DAVID HOWELL

AGE: 29; WORLD RANK: 68TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 0-0
ANALYSIS:It's not surprising that there's a Howell in this Ryder Cup. It's just surprising that it's not Charles. A third at the Scottish Open and six other top 10s in Europe say David is for real. His strength is his putting, which makes him dangerous in match play. I'm not sure he'll see much action prior to singles, but he could elevate his game and steal a point. Some Euro always does.

PAUL MCGINLEY

AGE: 37; WORLD RANK: 64TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 0-1-2
ANALYSIS: He's been struggling with his putter -- ironic since he holed the 10-footer that won the last Ryder Cup -- but has also started working with Utley, so he'll be rolling it better on Oakland Hills' undulating greens. He hits nice, crisp iron shots. A Howell-McGinley pairing wouldn't instill fear in anyone, but good luck beating them in foursomes.

IAN POULTER

AGE: 28; WORLD RANKING: 59TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 0-0
ANALYSIS: All you need to know about this guy's personality is that he had the guts to wear those crazy pants -- Union Jack one day, knickers the next -- at the British Open. The pants and the dyed hair obscure a good player. Ian was fifth in the Match Play and has had seven top 10s this year. He ranks sixth in the overall stat, so he has game. Don't underestimate him.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE

AGE: 41; WORLD RANK: 62ND; RYDER CUP RECORD: 16-7-5
ANALYSIS: With only three top 10s this year, Monty's not the player he used to be. Still, there aren't five people in the world who hit the ball better, and in the Ryder Cup he always putts like a genius. Pair Monty with anybody, and he'll make him better. He has never lost a singles match (4-0-2). With the bad breakup of his marriage and his game a shambles, he needs this Cup.

LUKE DONALD

AGE: 26; WORLD RANK: 47TH; RYDER CUP RECORD: 0-0
ANALYSIS: Luke has a fearless demeanor; there's no sign that he can be bothered. He almost single-handedly made Northwestern a power, which is like turning the Expos into a contender. He has an almost perfect, one-plane swing. He reminds me of Bernhard Langer. He's that solid. He's also an artist on the side. I've seen some of his work, and it's amazing.

Thank God he's on our side
Wants to take last shot
I think i can, I think I can
Would rather be at Texas Open
Tin Man

* Players shown in order of qualification. World Rank as of Sept. 5

Photograph by David Bergman/SI