ESPN 2008 Ryder Cup

"On paper, Europe's team is superior to the United States entering this year's Ryder Cup."

Admit it: You've heard that statement so often in recent months that it no longer feels like opinion. No, it's definitely a fact. There's proof. Top to bottom, the European team is simply better than the Americans, right?

Wrong.

Don't believe the hype. Each team has six players in the top 20 on the Official World Golf Ranking and six others in the top 60. (No. 57 Chad Campbell is the lowest-ranked player on the U.S. team; Oliver Wilson owns that distinction for the Europeans at No. 48.)

The U.S. players have combined to win 12 PGA and Euro tour titles this season, while the Europeans have only won eight times. And the home boys have doubled up the opponents when it comes to career majors, with six total victories (three for Phil Mickelson, one apiece for Justin Leonard, Jim Furyk and Ben Curtis) to three (all by Padraig Harrington).

What does it all mean? Absolutely nothing, as far as the final result is concerned. Sure, the U.S. team should still be considered the underdog entering the week, based on the fact that it has lost each of the past three editions of this event, but that will be irrelevant once the first tee shot is struck at Valhalla.

The Weekly 18 asks more questions -- and proffers more answers -- in advance of this week's competition.

C'mon, let's not hem and haw around the one question that everyone wants answered. It's been nine years since the Americans last captured the Cup and the team has lost five of the past six. Play the blame game all you'd like -- perhaps it's a perceived lack of desire from the U.S. players, or less camaraderie than the Europeans, or a dearth of leadership -- but facts are facts: The Europeans have simply totaled more points.

"Those are all excuses to try to explain why they've played well," said Furyk, who is playing on his sixth straight team this year and owns a career Ryder Cup record of 6-12-2. "There is no excuse other than they've outplayed us. They've played better. They've deserved to win more often than we did and we need to change that tide."

Of course, it all leads to this query: Will the U.S. win? Well, that's a question for later on. (Keep reading; we'll get there.)

Answer: Yes, the U.S. really, truly can win this Ryder Cup -- even without Tiger Woods, with six newcomers and against biennially mercurial Sergio Garcia (all topics we'll cover). Captain Paul Azinger's team has a legitimate shot of claiming the Cup.

There's been a groundswell of support lately for the notion that the U.S. team is better off without Woods, who owns a middling 10-13-2 career Ryder Cup record. The theory behind this idea is twofold: First, some believe Woods' fellow compatriots can't handle the pressure of having the No. 1-ranked player as a teammate. Secondly, there's a feeling that the other 11 players have too often relied on him to sort of bail them out at the Ryder Cup.

Captain Azinger, set these folks straight, please: "We are missing Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest player on Earth -- well, not arguably; he is the greatest player on Earth. Arguably the greatest player ever," Azinger said. "That's a big blow to us."

He's right -- don't let the record fool you.

Answer: The simple fact is, the American side without Tiger Woods is like the New England Patriots without Tom Brady. Having the worldwide superstar in the lineup doesn't always assure victory, but it's a whole lot better than the alternative.

The American team's demise in recent years certainly can't be pinned on one player alone, but Mickelson has perhaps served as the poster boy for its futility. In the past three editions of the event, Lefty has posted a 3-9-2 record. Particularly troubling is his disappointing mark in four-ball matches -- a format which would ostensibly suit his freewheeling style of play -- because Mickelson hasn't won any of 'em since Friday morning in 2002.

Answer: Without Woods, the role of team leader may not fall on Phil's broad shoulders, but he is, without a doubt, the team's top-ranked player. A strong performance en route to a U.S. victory could salvage a season that included two wins but no serious title contentions at any of the four majors.

It's anyone's guess as to whom Azinger will pair together during the first two days. Mickelson no longer has Chris DiMarco at his disposal. Likewise, Furyk is left without his usual partner in Woods. In fact, of the dozen players on the roster, there have been only four occasions in which current players have been paired in the Ryder Cup: Kenny Perry and Stewart Cink (2004 Friday foursomes); Campbell and Furyk (2004 Saturday four-ball); Cink and Furyk (2002 Friday foursomes); and Mickelson and Furyk (1999 Friday foursomes). Of those, only the Cink/Furyk team earned a point. Meanwhile, Garcia and Lee Westwood alone have combined for six matches together. While the former started out with Jesper Parnevik then found success with Jose Maria Olazabal and Luke Donald along the way and the latter has most recently teamed with Darren Clarke, don't be surprised to see a reunion tour this week.

Answer: Whether Westwood gets the nod to play with Garcia again doesn't necessarily matter for our response. The most dominant pairing will be Sergio Garcia ... and whoever rides his coattails for two days, high-fiving and back-slapping all around Valhalla.

Consider it the ultimate irony that in our pre-major Weekly 18 columns, the question we've often asked is, "Will Sergio ever win?" For all the shoulda-woulda-coulda close calls that Garcia has encountered in major championships, he's very nearly been the picture of perfection at the Ryder Cup. Following the 2006 Ryder Cup, El Nino was more than halfway to breaking Nick Faldo's all-time points record before his 27th birthday.

Just how good is he in this event? Try on these stats for size: He went 4-0-1 in 2004 and 4-1-0 in '06; he's never lost -- or even halved -- a foursomes match (8-0-0); and he hasn't lost a pairings match since Saturday afternoon at the Belfry six years ago.

Answer: Surprise, surprise. Garcia is just starting to play some of his best golf -- T-2, T-5, T-2, T-20 in his past four starts -- heading into this week. And his putter is hotter than it has been in years -- all of which should spell trouble for his opponents.

In just his second full PGA Tour season, Anthony Kim has won two events, finished in the top 10 seven times and ranks third in scoring average. And, oh by the way, he's just 23 years old. The future is indeed bright for Kim, who listed making the Ryder Cup team as a main goal entering the season, then earned his way onto the roster with ease. Now that he's there? "I'm ready for the challenge," he said recently, "and ready to bring that Cup back home."

Answer: The Americans' best players have often been quiet performers on the course, leaving the fist-pumping and gallery-prodding to those who are more brash and demonstrative. (See: DiMarco, Chris.) Kim has a chance to fill both roles, which -- come to think about it -- would make for a very favorable comparison to Sergio.

Two years and three major titles ago, Harrington helped the European side to a victory in his native Ireland. He punctuated the win by crowd-surfing through the adoring gallery before losing a shoe. (True story -- he told us.) Lost amid the post-tourney celebration wasn't just footwear, though; it was also the memory of Harrington posting a record of 0-4-1 for the week. In the time since, he has claimed two British Opens and a PGA Championship, proving his mettle as a steely eyed competitor when the pressure is on.

Answer: His form has regressed in recent weeks, but really, after claiming those two majors, there was nowhere to go but down, right? That said, Harrington is a different player than he was two years ago. If he finds himself standing over a putt to win a match on the final hole, don't bet against him.

Perry and J.B. Holmes are back in their old Kentucky home, as each player returns to his native Bluegrass State for this week's festivities. As Harrington can attest, though, that doesn't always translate into personal success. J.B. and KP will have more friends and family in attendance than anyone else, they'll be hearing their names chanted more than anyone else and they'll quite likely feel the pressure more than anyone else.

Answer: They each love the venue -- "To be able to play a course that you've played a lot and being in your home state, that's just unbelievable," Holmes said recently -- but they can't love their recent results. Perry has consistently talked about how making the team was his main goal throughout the year, but his hot streak appears to have run out; he's failed to finish inside the top 40 at a tournament since July.

Meanwhile, Holmes owns only three top-10s all year -- and none since May. The lack of strong recent performances plus the added pressure of playing in front of the home folks could be a fateful combination for the Kentuckians.

Less than a week ago, rumors were running rampant that Westwood, one of Europe's most consistent performers who has competed in each of the past five Cups, may be sidelined from the event due to a severe bout of tonsillitis. The illness, which he says occurs "two to three times a year," recently forced him to withdraw from the European Masters, his final tune-up before heading to Valhalla.

Answer: Not so fast, my friends. "I'm confident I'll be 100 percent by the end of the week," Westwood told Sky Sports on Wednesday. "There is no truth in speculation that I am a doubt for the Ryder Cup."

Last month, soft-spoken Hunter Mahan made plenty of noise when -- prior to being named to his first team -- he spoke about the Ryder Cup with Golf Magazine.

"The PGA of America could care less about winning it, honestly," Mahan said. "They pick a site where they're going to have the Senior PGA, the PGA and the Ryder Cup, which means less money they have to pay out to get more money. And from what I've heard the whole week is extremely long. You've got dinners every night  not little dinners, but huge, massive dinners. I know, as players, that's the last thing we want to do. We want to prepare ourselves. That's part of the whole thing; you're just a slave that week."

Shortly thereafter, Mahan issued a mea culpa to the PGA, Azinger and those U.S. players who have been involved with such proceedings in the past.

Answer: While the controversy will no doubt resurface during the week, Mahan can get back into good graces by simply winning points. And don't be surprised if he does just that; after Mickelson and Kim, Mahan may have the most raw talent of anyone on this team.

Pierre Fulke ... Andrew Coltart ... Jarmo Sandelin ... Ignacio Garrido. None were household names -- even in Europe, where each plied his craft full-time -- but each earned his way onto the Ryder Cup team for one appearance.

Wilson is the latest "no-name" to qualify for the event. How inexperienced is he on an international level? He has competed in only five career professional events in the U.S.

Answer: The young Brit (he turned 28 Sunday) has the unique distinction of being the first European player to make the Ryder Cup team without ever having notched a single victory. It's not like he hasn't been close, though; Wilson owns four runner-up finishes on the Euro Tour this season.

For the American squad, it's six of one, a half-dozen of the other. That is to say, there are six players who have previously competed in the Ryder Cup and six others who will feel the butterflies churning even more when they first tee it up.

Two years ago, four rookies infiltrated the U.S. roster and proceeded to collect exactly one win in 11 total matches. (Granted, they did account for five halves as well.) This year's crop of newbies -- which includes Kim, Holmes, Mahan, Boo Weekley, Ben Curtis and Steve Stricker -- is a more impressive group of players overall, ranking between eighth to 56th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Answer: Experience, shmexperience -- or so says Azinger.

"I think experience is overrated at the Ryder Cup. ... My best Ryder Cup was my first Ryder Cup," the captain said of his 3-1-0 performance in 1989. "I played great the whole week."

Of course, based on recent results, having some new blood on the team shouldn't be considered a detriment. "I think it's going to be good," Stricker said, "that there are some guys that haven't been there, haven't experienced the losses of previous Ryder Cups."

Amen.

Talk all you'd like about Mickelson, Furyk and Kim for the U.S. and Harrington, Garcia and Westwood for Europe, but somebody unexpected will tally a few major points for his side. Maybe it will be a rookie or an overlooked veteran or a captain's pick, but rest assured that at least one guy who's off the radar screen to the casual fan will raise some eyebrows.

Answer: We'll give you one for each team. Curtis owns five finishes of 13th or better in his past seven starts, yet it seems like he still gets underestimated on a weekly basis. For Europe, keep an eye on Miguel Angel Jimenez, who coincidentally will be playing in his third Ryder Cup -- all in the United States. The pony-tailed Spaniard doesn't own an outstanding record (2-5-2), but he has the type of relaxed resolve needed to succeed in this format.

Every two years, the respective captains walk on eggshells, praising everything about the opponent -- their players, their wardrobes, even the other captain -- in hopes of avoiding an international incident, or at least one as far as the British tabloids are concerned. (They, uh, tend to blow things out of proportion just a bit.)

In Azinger and Faldo, however, this week's event has been blessed by a pair of silver-tongued skippers who have spent time slinging arrows at one another over the years as players, as TV analysts and in the run-up to this week's event. Don't expect anything too malicious, but don't expect the captains to roll over and play dead when it comes to taking on the tough questions, either.

Answer: Take heart, U.S. fans: Even if this one results in another blowout loss for the red, white and blue, the interview room give-and-take between Azinger and Faldo will provide plenty of fodder for the masses and enough entertainment to hold your interest throughout.

The host team is in charge of setting up the venue, so expect Valhalla to feature fairways that widen at the 300-yard mark on most driving holes and rough which will be minimal in all places but around the greens. The idea behind this is to both capitalize on the half-dozen U.S. players who average 292 yards off the tee or more, while also taking advantage of their propensity for hitting greens in regulation; eight of the 12 players rank in the PGA Tour's top 33 in that category.

Answer: Sounds good in theory, but it's not like the European players are slouches when it comes to hitting the ball a long way and finding the putting surfaces. Robert Karlsson, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson are among the Euro Tour's big bombers and Harrington and Garcia should be included on any list of the world's top ball-strikers. It's not necessarily the wrong setup, but don't expect it to provide that much of an advantage, if any.

Colin Montgomerie had played in the last eight editions of the Ryder Cup, never losing a singles match. Five-time team member Clarke recently found his form, with two Euro Tour victories since April and a handful of other top finishes. Each was left off this year's squad in favor of Casey and Ian Poulter, a pair of players who split their time between the U.S. and Euro tours -- without a win between them this season.

"I think we have got enough guys who can carry the atmosphere in the room more than comfortably," Faldo said by way of explaining his decision to go with the two younger players.

Answer: No matter the outcome, Faldo's decision will be scrutinized ad infinitum in the European press, but here's the simple truth: We'll never know how Monty and Clarke would have played, so unless Poulter and Casey absolutely tank at Valhalla, the captain won't lose any sleep over his choices.

Big news on the assistant captain -- or vice captain, as the Euros call it -- front: Faldo will go to Valhalla with only Olazabal by his side, while Azinger will employ the aid of Raymond Floyd, Dave Stockton and Olin Browne.

"I'm doing it the way I want to do it. I'm surrounding myself with people that I think can contribute to our success," the U.S. skipper said. "I haven't really modeled the way I'm approaching this team and this concept after anybody."

Believe it or not, this has actually turned into a bit of a hot-button topic in some circles, where it's being debated whether the U.S. has too many assistants or Europe has too few.

Answer: Can't overstate this enough: While it's nice to have former captains such as Floyd and Stockton in the team room, the assistants will have as much impact on the final outcome as the guy selling concessions near the seventh hole.

Maybe, maybe not. After all, we can analyze the Ryder Cup, breaking down the players and the captains and the matchups, but as for the eventual winner, your guess is as good as ours.

Two things we do know: The team that holes the most putts will win. And there's no certain strategy that will ensure a victory.

"Friday, I'm going to kick back and relax," Azinger said with a laugh. "I'm going to watch these guys play."

Whether he watches success or failure will have little to do with what he -- and Faldo -- bring to the team.

Answer: Europe has recent history on its side, but the U.S. side has the law of averages. We've often contended that if this competition was played 100 times every other year, each team would win 50 of 'em. Does that mean it's finally the Americans' turn? Like we said ... maybe, maybe not.

Jason Sobel covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.