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In case you haven't been paying much attention to the upcoming Presidents Cup, here's what you need to know:

Like the Ryder Cup, it features two 12-man teams playing match-play events. Also like the Ryder Cup, there's plenty of pride -- and absolutely no cash -- at stake.

But very unlike the Ryder Cup, the U.S. team may be the underdog for the first time ever in a professional international team competition.

The Weekly 18 starts with one man in particular who warrants special attention and continues with some interesting Presidents Cup predictions.

Two years ago, Ernie Els was the undisputed leader of the International side, playing Tiger Woods to a draw in extra holes, eventually leading to a Presidents Cup tie. This week, Els is out with a knee injury, seemingly leaving the team's top-player honors to Vijay Singh, the only golfer other than Woods to hold the world's top ranking in the past six years.

Vijay may be the man who matches up against Tiger on Sunday, but don't be surprised to see Retief Goosen finish Sunday as the overall points leader in the event.

Why Goosen? Well, for one thing, he's simply the hottest golfer on the planet.

It's a title that seemed improbable, if not impossible, just two months ago. A two-time U.S. Open winner, Goosen lost a three-stroke lead entering the final round at Pinehurst, shooting a final-round 81. He had a chance to win a month later at the British Open, but finished T-5 following a Sunday 74, then again at the PGA Championship where he was stymied by a final-round 72.

And just like that, the unflappable player was shrouded by doubts about his nerves.

But Goosen has since come back with a vengeance, winning on three tours -- the PGA Tour's International (one week before the PGA), the Asian Tour's China Masters and the Euro Tour's German Masters -- to dispell any myths about his ability to seal the deal.

So what does that mean for this week? Just that the Americans will have a worthy foe in the unassuming South African. And while Woods and Singh battle in a match of top-ranked players, Retief Goosen could hold the key that unlocks the Presidents Cup come Sunday.

Herewith some unconventional predictions for the upcoming Presidents Cup:

• Most likely to win his first Four-ball match: Well, let's see -- Stewart Cink has won one before ... Michael Campbell has a win ... Justin Leonard ... Peter Lonard ... ah, here's one! How about this Tiger Woods fellow? That's right -- in six previous Four-ball matches, Tiger is 0-for-everything, failing to garner even a half-point in that format.

• Least recognizable player to U.S. fans: One of our favorite memories from the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage: While Angel Cabrera stood on the 10th tee during the second round, one boisterous fan, no more than a few feet away from the player, began shouting, "Hey, AIN-jell! AIN-jell! Look over here, AIN-jell!" When informed the correct pronunciation of the player's first name was ahn-HEL, the fan didn't skip a beat, proceeding to yell, "Hey, ahn-HEL! Look over here, ahn-HEL!" until Cabrera finally hit his tee shot. There's a pretty good chance the crowds at RTJ will be a little more subdued toward the first-time International team member this week, but the 13th-ranked player from Argentina is still the least familiar face in the world's top 20.

• Most likely to be hawking souvenirs in a tent near the clubhouse: No, John Daly won't be making the trip this year, which means two things. One, the long-drive competition is wide open; and two, no free Hooters buffalo wings for the U.S. team. It also means that supply could be in demand for Michael Campbell's own clothing line, Cambogolf. Not as in-your-face as Daly's own duds, Campbell's line is available on his website. Following his U.S. Open win this year, Cambo reported a clothing sale increase of more than 2,000 percent.

• Rivalry of the straight shooters: One match we'd like to see -- Fred Funk vs. Nick O'Hern. Ol' Freddie has a bone to pick with the up-and-coming Aussie. Oh, it's nothing personal; this is purely an on-course rivalry. You see, O'Hern leads Funk by two percentage points in his attempt to claim the PGA Tour's driving accuracy title this season. And Funk doesn't take kindly to guys trying to steal his thunder; he's won the event each of the past three seasons and seven of the last 16 years.

• Most likely to need a massage come Sunday: This one goes to Fred Couples, who is always one balky mattress from being laid up with a back injury. Freddie's recurring back problems seem to have been stifled this season as he was ranked in the top 30 on the money list entering this past week, but you never know what the combination of pressure, stress and up to five matches in four days can do to a man. Keep in mind, one major difference between the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup is that every player must compete in the first two rounds in this format, meaning all golfers will play at least four matches in four days.

Everyone in the world of golf breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was learned that David Toms, who was listed in critical condition at one point on Thursday, would make a full -- and quick -- recovery from a heart ailment that can be treated through medication and surgery. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise when Toms announced two days later that he would still compete in this week's Presidents Cup. Toms is known as one of the PGA Tour's nice guys and is one of the most popular players in the U.S. locker room. Expect his presence to give the American side some much-needed inspiration entering the week.

Jason Gore's Cinderella story has transformed from one of golf's nice little tales to the biggest story of the year so far. Think about it: First there was Woods' resurgence in the majors, winning The Masters and U.S. Open after failing to claim any of his previous 10 major starts. Then there was Sean O'Hair, the 22-year-old rookie, who withstood a tough upbringing from his father to become a top professional, as evidenced by his win at the John Deere Classic. But neither story is bigger -- no pun intended -- than that of Gore. Here's the quick recap of his season: Spent part of the spring playing mini-tours, where he didn't even win; had his car broken into while on his way to Pinehurst; played in the final group of the U.S. Open, only to shoot 84 and finish T-49; went back to the Nationwide Tour; won an event; won another event; shot a second-round 59 en route to winning a third event; earned an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour; and won in his fourth tournament back in the big leagues. Whew. It's been a wild ride unlike any other in the modern history of the sport.

Fun trivia question to stump your friends: Before Gore, who was the last player to win titles on both the PGA and Nationwide Tours in the same season? It sounds improbable, but yes, it's been accomplished before. You have to go back to 1996, when Paul Stankowski won the Louisiana Open in late March, then followed it up with a victory at the BellSouth Classic one week later.

Gore and Couples have a few things in common: They're both fan favorites (although Gore's fame is recent and Couples has owned some of the tour's largest galleries for 20 years). they each hit the ball a long way and, now, they can say they've made the unlikeliest of pars. On Friday, Gore hit his tee shot on the par-3 12th hole into the water hazard guarding the green. So he simply threw down another ball on the tee box and fired it right into the hole -- thanks to some well-timed backspin -- for par. The shot was very similar to that of Couples, who made par the exact same way on the famed 17th hole at Sawgrass in The Players Championship in 1999.

Jason Gore, you just won the 84 Lumber Classic! Where are you going next? Uh, not Disneyland. More like Boise, Idaho, for a Nationwide Tour event that he committed to a few months back. That's right -- even though Gore now owns a PGA Tour card through 2007, he will honor his commitment to the Boise Open. We can only imagine the minor leaguers still fighting to win a card won't exactly welcome him back with open arms.

Cameron Beckman (181st on the money list entering this past week) and Steve Flesch (84th) are each having disappointing seasons, but predictably fared well at the 84 Lumber. Beckman was in contention for much of the final round and finished T-5; Flesch shot four rounds of par or better for a T-13 result. Why were their performances predictable? Entering this week, they were two of only four players to make the cut in all five previous versions of the event. Chris DiMarco also kept his streak alive, finishing T-5, while Len Mattiace erased his name from the never-cut list, failing to make the weekend after shooting 74-75.

You've got to give credit to Campbell. After winning the U.S. Open in June -- earning instant PGA Tour status -- he could have sought richer paydays in the U.S., but instead opted to complete unfinished business. That victory, which also counted towards his European Tour money total, vaulted him to the top of that tour's Order of Merit ... and he decided he wanted to finish what he started. Cambo recently lost No. 1 status to Goosen, but earned it back by winning this week's exclusive 16-man World Match Play Championship in Wentworth, England, beating Paul McGinley in the final. "The Match Play could be the make or break tournament in deciding who eventually wins the Order of Merit," Campbell presciently said on his website before the tournament. And he may be right. With only a few events left on the Euro schedule, Campbell is now in the driver's seat after earning the major-like paycheck at Wentworth.

A six-time winner of the World Match Play, Els was conspicuous in his on-course absence this week, but that doesn't mean he wasn't around. The Big Easy owns a home on the Wentworth course and spoke of what this tournament means to him. It's going to be a tough one to sit out," Els said on his website before the event. "I mean, this is one of my favourite [sic] tournaments of the year and one that I really look forward to competing in. I'm going to be seeing all the people flooding in through the gates here at Wentworth, and feeling that fantastic buzz you get on tournament days, and not be able to play. Being on the sidelines is really not my idea of fun, but that's the way it is." While waiting for his bum knee to heal, Els passed the time in the BBC broadcast booth, lending his expertise to the viewing audience.

Even though the Presidents Cup is slated for this week, it's never too early to start looking ahead at next year's Ryder Cup. The early points standings finds the top-10 U.S. players comprised of nine Ryder Cup veterans ... and one surprising name. Vaughn Taylor, the 29-year-old who successfully defended his title at the Reno-Tahoe Open last month, was 10th on the list heading into the 84 Lumber Classic. That means less than it has in other years, however. Late last year, the PGA of America reached a decision to weigh current-year points more than the previous year. That means Taylor -- and everyone else currently in the top 10 -- still has a long way to go to qualify for the team.

The Presidents Cup isn't the only world-class team event to take place this week. The little-known Seve Trophy (yes, named after Mr. Ballesteros) pits European Ryder Cup teammates against each other, as Great Britain & Ireland square off against Continental Europe. Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal will act as playing captains, with plenty of other big-time players -- Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter for GB&I; Thomas Bjorn, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Levet for the continental team -- also involved. And for those who think U.S. players should care more about the Presidents Cup, take this to heart: At least the Americans compete. Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood are among those who won't play this week in England.

In terms of its importance on golf's radar, the Grand Slam of Golf hardly merits a blip. Perhaps we should start paying more attention. Last year, Phil Mickelson shot a final-round 59 to win the two-day event. This year, the four-man tournament will again take place in Hawaii during Thanksgiving week -- and it won't lack for storylines. Mickelson, the PGA Championship winner, is back along with Campbell and Woods, who won The Masters and British Open. The event is supposed to consist of all four major winners, but because Woods won two, the final spot was determined by a points system. Goosen was first on the list, but declined the invitation, leaving it for Singh. You don't see a whole lot of staredowns and fist-pumps in big-money, silly-season competition, but with these four players -- many of whom have a phlegmatic attitude towards each other -- the Grand Slam could be a fun event to keep an eye on this year.

You'll never guess who leads the PGA Tour in final-round scoring average. He's a multiple tour winner, but it's not Singh. He won a major in 2002, but it's not Woods. He reached the playoff at the BellSouth Classic, but it's not Mickelson. Nope, the tour's leader in final-round scoring, with an average total of 68.80 entering this past week is ... Rich Beem. Unfortunately for the one-time PGA Championship winner, the scoring averages for his other rounds pale in comparison. Beem averages 73.37 before the cut (205th on tour), 71.60 in the third round (152nd) and 72.98 overall (202nd). Of course, the numbers are skewed a bit, however, by his lack of weekend rounds. Beem, who didn't play this past week, has only seen three Sunday final rounds (67 at the Sony, 73 at Doral and 68 at Reno) and played in two other weather-affected final rounds (a pair of 68s on Friday at the Nissan and Monday at the BellSouth Classic).

It's called the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic, but Annika Sorenstam was anything but hospitable in defense of her title in Tulsa this week. Perhaps exacting a little revenge for the Solheim Cup loss a week ago, Annika defeated U.S. Solheim star Paula Creamer by one stroke to once again win the event. Last year, Sorenstam used the win as a springboard, claiming titles in three of her final five starts of the season following the Hammons. Don't be surprised to see more of the same this year; she seems extra-motivated following the Solheim Cup.

She'd had Nick Price's former caddie, Jimmie Johnson, on her bag. She's had Jim Furyk's current caddie, Mike Cowan, on the bag. She's even employed the services of her father, B.J., over the years. But this week comes word that Michelle Wie may have finally found her Steve Williams. Greg Johnston, the long-time caddie for LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, will caddie for Wie next month at the Samsung World Championship and, if all goes according to plan, into next season and beyond. It's a solid choice by the Wie camp, and should pay off in the form of a stroke or two at LPGA venues throughout the season.

After a 20-year career on the PGA Tour that included six victories, Steve Pate probably never thought he'd be back in golf's minor leagues as a 44-year-old, but that's exactly what has happened. Pate, who finished outside of the top 150 on the tour money list in each of the past four seasons, is still splitting time between two tours, but hasn't seen much success on either. In nine PGA Tour events, the man known as "Volcano" has only earned a paycheck once, taking $12,402 at Pebble Beach. His Nationwide Tour record is better, but not by much; after missing the cut in his first four starts, he's reached the weekend in each of his last five, including a T-42 at this week's Mark Christopher Charity Classic, buoyed by opening rounds of 69-67.

"Bro, I don't dance." -- Vijay Singh, talking to Verne Troyer (Mini-Me of Austin Powers fame) in a series of hilarious commercials along with John Daly.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com