ESPN Golf

There are a lot of things that make the Ryder Cup so compelling, things such as match play, quirky formats like alternate shot, a little nationalism and surprise heroes. When we look back over the history of the nearly 80-year-old competition, it is painfully clear that the Ryder Cup didn't become a top-tier sporting event until relatively recently. And that surge in popularity can be attributed to only one thing: Europe started winning with startling regularity. Here's a tip for this year's competition: When they stick the peg in the ground next month at Oakland Hills in Michigan look out for the European player you know the least about.

It was 25 years ago when the Great Britain and Ireland team was expanded to include continental Europe. And the two decades that followed saw some of the best players in the world come from Europe and star in the Ryder Cup. There were Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and others. But time and again the European player who always managed to come up with a crucial point was someone unfamiliar to most American fans.

The laundry list of European heroes reads like a Who's Who of Who's He. There has been Paul Way, David Gilford, Phillip Walton and, most recently, Phillip Price. One of the astounding things about the Ryder Cup is that while we always go into the competition saying the European team has strong players up front but that it is American depth of talent that will be the difference, it is time and again someone from well down the European depth chart that steals a crucial match. That has as much to do with Europe's 5-4-1 record in the last 10 competitions as anything.

This year's U.S. team will be finalized on Aug. 16 when captain Hal Sutton names his two wildcard picks. The European side will be finalized two weeks later. Let's take a look at where the teams stand right now, speculate on who the captain's picks might be and take a somewhat educated guess at who could be surprise heroes.

The top 10 on the American points list reads like this: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III and Jim Furyk have clinched spots. Kenny Perry, David Toms, Chad Campbell, Fred Funk, Steve Flesch and Jerry Kelly follow them. The two guys just outside the 10 automatic spots are Jeff Maggert and Scott Verplank.

The Europeans have tweaked their selection process this year in an effort to not penalize as much the players who compete mostly on the PGA Tour. Instead of using the European Tour money list, it now selects the top five from the Ryder Cup World Points List and the top five not already eligible from the World List from the European Ryder Cup Points List.

The 10 men who would be the automatic selections to the European team are: Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Lee Westwood off the Ryder Cup World Points list and Thomas Levet, Paul Casey, David Howell, Ian Poulter and Joakim Haeggman off the European Ryder Cup Points List. Among those just outside the two qualifying lists for the European team are Fredrik Jacobsen, Thomas Bjorn, Colin Montgomerie and Luke Donald.

Now if Sutton decided to simply go with Nos. 11 and 12 on the list for his captain's picks he certainly would be picking two worthy players. Maggert and Verplank are both the kind of guys who can stand up to the pressures of a Ryder Cup. But don't be surprised if Sutton looks a little deeper and gives Champions Tour member Jay Haas a shot. He could also go a little wacky and reach down a little deeper and give the competition a little sizzle by picking John Daly to his first Ryder Cup. Now that would make good television. Daly, currently ranked No. 20, would not be an undeserving selection.

Insiders say that Bernhard Langer is the kind of captain most likely to pick the next two guys on the qualifying list. But he would be wise to select a guy not next in line -- Colin Montgomerie. The guy proved at Royal Troon that he can still play the game and he is one of the best Ryder Cup players in the history of the competition. He could be the kind of player who could cajole an inexperienced player to victory. As for the other selection, Jacobsen and Bjorn are certainly qualified players, but perhaps Langer should go for young talent and select Luke Donald.

As for surprise heroes, half of the European squad would qualify as surprise heroes. But look for someone like Levet, Jimenez, Poulter or Howell to knock off one of the American Big Four -- Woods, Mickelson, Love and Furyk -- in singles. Hey, maybe Langer should just select Maarten Lafeber of The Netherlands and play him all five matches.

The really fun thing about the Ryder Cup is that because it is match play and because it is in a team format, shrewd maneuvering by the captain -- and a little luck -- can offset the clear talent advantage one side may appear to have. The cream tends to rise to the top over the course of a four-day stroke-play tournament, but anything can happen in a one-day match play encounter. That's exactly why the Ryder Cup is the best event in professional golf.

Ron Sirak is the Executive Editor of Golf World magazine