In short.
STEWART CINK
Age:35.
Birthplace:Huntsville, Alabama.
Residence:Duluth, Georgia.
Turned Pro:1995.
Tournament Victories:7.
Ryder Cup Record:Played 12, Won 3, Lost 5, Halved 4. Points 5.
Lowdown:The first to be named Nationwide and US PGA Tour rookie of the year in successive seasons (1996, '97). The MCI Heritage win in 2004 was the largest come-from- behind victory (nine strokes) since Paul Lawrie at the 1999 British Open. He is a laid back character and likely to be asked to mentor one or two of America's rookies.
Trivial Pursuit:Missed a tiny putt - Cink is an excellent putter - that would have got him into a play-off for the US Open won by Retief Goosen. Third-most famous resident of Duluth behind singer Toni Braxton and rapper Bow Wow.
Least likely to say:"The nerves, the nerves . . . someone give me that putt."
KENNY PERRY
Age:47.
Birthplace:Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Residence:Franklin, Kentucky.
Turned Pro:1982.
Tournament Victories:12.
Ryder Cup Record:Played 2, Won 0, Lost 2, Halved 0. Points 0.
Lowdown:His 22nd season on the Tour has been his best as Perry matched his career high in wins with three, coming in a brief span of just five starts. Two of those victories came in successive events, highlighting a stretch of six tournaments in which he was out of the top-six just once.
Trivial Pursuit:In 1985 a Franklin businessman gave him $5,000 for a last shot at Q-school and asked that he give a percentage of his tour earnings to Lipscomb University if he qualified. He earned his card and has maintained that commitment to Lipscomb.
BEN CURTIS
Age:31.
Birthplace:Columbus, Ohio.
Residence:Stow, Ohio.
Turned Pro:2000.
Tournament Victories:3.
Ryder Cup Record:Debut.
Lowdown:Many observers view his victory at the 2003 British Open as one of the greatest long-odds wins in sport. Curtis languished outside the top-395 players in the world ranking at the time. He added two more wins in 2006, had top-10 finishes in the 2007 and '08 British Open Championships and finished tied for second at this year's PGA Championship behind Harrington.
Trivial Pursuit:He has inherited the late Payne Stewart's tag of wearing American football (NFL) team colours (usually caps) while playing. Interestingly, he has parted company with his English caddie, Andrew Sutton, for the duration of the Ryder Cup. Curtis smiled: "He's rooting for Europe. It would just be better to get an American."
HUNTER MAHAN
Age:26.
Birthplace:Orange, California.
Residence:Plano, Texas.
Turned Pro:2003.
Tournament Victories:1.
Ryder Cup Record:Debut.
Lowdown:Won for the first time on the US Tour at the 2007 Travellers Championship. He was a captain's selection for the Presidents Cup and has recorded four career 62s, the last of which came in the first round of the Barclays in August. Mahan has cooled this summer with just one top-10 and two missed cuts in the last six events.
Trivial Pursuit:Favours long hair, has a distinctive dress sense and, away from the course, likes to restore trucks and cars.
Least likely to say:"I think we should all get a short back and sides."
CHAD CAMPBELL
Age:34.
Birthplace:Andrews, Texas.
Residence:Colleyville, Texas.
Turned Pro:1996.
Tournament Victories:4.
Ryder Cup Record:Played 6, Won 1, Lost 3, Halved 2. Points 2.
Lowdown:One of the best ball-strikers on the US Tour. The long-hitting, soft-spoken Texan was considered a mild surprise as one of Paul Azinger's wild cards, but the US captain pointed to Campbell's impressive power as one of the reasons he chose him.
Currently, Campbell ranks third on tour in the all-around category and is in the top 10 in ball-striking.
Trivial Pursuit:The town of his birth, Andrews, is named after Richards Andrews, the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution.
Most likely to say:Anything polite and inoffensive, as he is noted for his quiet modesty.
JB HOLMES
Age:26.
Birthplace:Campbellsville, Kentucky.
Residence:Same.
Turned Pro:2005.
Tournament Victories:2.
Ryder Cup Record:Debut.
Lowdown:Captain Paul Azinger called JB Holmes a bomber, an accurate assessment as the long-hitting Kentuckian ranks third in driving distance with a 310.4-yard average. And he knows Valhalla like the back of his hand.
Trivial Pursuit:In college was known as Long John Holmes, but got tired of that sobriquet because it was the name used by a American famous porn star. One day, while playing with Gary McCord, the American commentator referred to Holmes as JB and it has stuck since.
Most likely to say:"That's very kind of you, but you're mixing me up with someone else."
JIM FURYK
Age:38.
Birthplace:West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Residence:Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Turned Pro:1992.
Tournament Victories:18.
Ryder Cup Record:Played 20, Won 6, Lost 12, Halved 2. Points 7.
Lowdown:Has won every year on the US Tour except his rookie season in 1994, and in 2004, when he missed three months due to injury. He had top-10 finishes in three straight majors starting at the 2002 PGA Championship and ending with a victory at the 2003 US Open.
Trivial Pursuit:When Ireland's Paul McGinley holed that 12-foot putt on the 18th green at The Belfry in 2002 to guarantee Ryder Cup victory for Europe, his opponent was Furyk. The match ended in a half.
Least likely to say:"I think everyone should copy my swing."
BOO WEEKLEY
Age:35.
Birthplace:Milton, Florida.
Residence:Jay, Florida.
Turned Pro:1997.
Tournament Victories:2.
Ryder Cup Record:Debut.
Lowdown:Won the Verizon Heritage in 2007 for his first US Tour win, then shot middle rounds of 64-65 there in April to successfully defend his title. In 2008, his third full season on tour, he played in all four majors.
Trivial Pursuit:His full name is Thomas Brent Weekley. He was bestowed with the nickname Boo, borrowed from cartoon character Yogi Bear's loyal sidekick. He was once a hydroblaster at a chemical plant. He would be lowered into large ammonia tanks to clean them.
Least likely to say:"I'm smarter than the average bear." Yes, we know that was Yogi, but . . .
PHIL MICKELSON
Age:38.
Birthplace:San Diego, California.
Residence:Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Turned Pro:1992.
Tournament Victories:36.
Ryder Cup Record:Played 20, Won 9, Lost 8, Halved 3. Points 10.5.
Lowdown:There are six Majors shared between the 2008 USA Ryder Cup team and Lefty is responsible for three: US Masters (2004, 2006) and the US PGA Championship (2005).
Trivial Pursuit:He won his first three singles matches in 1995, 1997 and 1999 against Per Ulrik Johansson, Darren Clarke and Jarmo Sandelin, but since has lost to Philip Price, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal.
Least likely to say:"I think I'll take the three-wood for safety."
STEVE STRICKER
Age:41.
Birthplace:Edgerton, Wisconsin.
Residence:Madison, Wisconsin.
Turned Pro: 1990.
Tournament Victories:6.
Ryder Cup Record:Debut.
Lowdown:In 2006, Stricker stormed back from oblivion. Needing sponsor exemptions or top-10 finishes to get into most fields, Stricker made 15 of 17 cuts and earned $1.8 million on the strength of seven top-10s. He followed that in 2007 with victory at the Barclays, finishing the season number four in the world rankings and was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year for a second time. This year, Stricker has posted five top-10s, including a tie for seventh at the British Open Championship.
Trivial Pursuit:Between 2003 and 2005 he missed the cut in 38 of 69 starts, lost his card and fell to 337th in the rankings. When at home in Madison he practises his bunker play in a seven-by-seven-foot sand box at the Cherokee Indoor/Outdoor Golf Range.
Most likely to say:"I won't be taking anything for granted in my golfing career. I've seen the other side, up close and personal."
JUSTIN LEONARD
Age:36.
Birthplace:Dallas, Texas.
Residence:Same.
Turned Pro:1994.
Tournament Victories:13.
Ryder Cup Record:Played 8, Won 0, Lost 3, Halved 5. Points 2.5.
Lowdown:Apart from his British Open triumph (1997) and losing out to Scotland's Paul Lawrie in a three-way play-off the following year, the Texan will be always be associated with that 45-foot putt he holed that prompted the American team and their wives to salsa across the 17th green at Brookline (Ryder Cup, 1999).
Trivial Pursuit:Although he has never won a match in the Ryder Cup, his record is partially redeemed by a remarkable knack of not losing, as evidenced from five halved matches, including singles duels with Thomas Bjorn and Jose Maria Olazabal.
Least likely to say:"Get off my line."
ANTHONY KIM
Age:23.
Birthplace:Los Angeles, California.
Residence:Dallas, Texas.
Turned Pro:2006.
Tournament Victories:2.
Ryder Cup Record:Debut.
Lowdown:One of the US Tour's hottest tyros. Though yet to complete two full years as a professional, he has already had four top-10s (his rookie season of 2007), and this year he's won twice, at the Wachovia Championship and ATT National. Kim became the first American under 25 to win twice in one year on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods in 2000.
Trivial Pursuit:He has a penchant for wearing garish belts, epitomised by the one he donned when winning at Congressional this season. The belt buckle in question had diamonds embedded into the letters "AK".
Most likely to say:"Ryder Cup: bring it on."
