Power of Caring
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Heat Index Man of steel No sweat Warm in here or what? Half-baked Gooey mess

Pressure is the X factor in the Ryder Cup. Only those players who can keep their cool during the heat of the battle are likely to succeed on Sept. 26-28 at Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain. How will the U.S. team hold up? The Sports Illustrated Heat Index is based on ability, past performance and—hey, this isn't an exact science—our best guess. Players are rated by how much heat they can tolerate before boiling over (the higher the boiling point the better) and listed in order of qualification.

ALSO

Valderrama: A New Dawn Spain: Land of Opportunity Scott Hoch: Bulletproof Tiger Woods: A Perfect Match Dream Teams Teeing Off Point After: Ryding High Mark O'Meara: Reluctant Warrior

FLASHBACK

Still Hurting Can They Take the Heat? Dos & Don'ts

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1. Tiger Woods Eats asbestos. Forget experience, he's a surefire W in singles.	2. Justin Leonard Mr. Freeze. His game's perfectly suited to Valderrama.
3. Tom Lehman Strong silent type. Could light a fire under someone like O'Meara.	4. Davis Love III Multipurpose veteran. Could hold Couples's hand or assist Kite.
5. Jim Furyk Point guard and quarterback in high school. He wants the ball.	6. Phil Mickelson Awesome at Oak Hill, he's a natural born killer in match play.
7. Jeff Maggert Got rid of the apple at Winged Foot, but he's still a second banana.	8. Mark O'Meara Not his sort of gig. Either write him a check or write him off.
9. Scott Hoch We dare anyone to get in his face. Sleeper pick to reign in Spain.	10. Brad Faxon Charred at Choke Hill, might burst into flames at any moment.
11. Fred Couples Experienced, yes; motivated, no. Only good for three matches.	12. Lee Janzen A reach by Kite? Hope they're not calling him Curtis when it's over.

photographs by (from left): Robert Beck (2), John Biever (2), Robert Beck, Simon Bruty