European Team / Paul Krishnamurty / 02 September 2008 /

Paul Krishnamurty provides a play by player rundown of the Europeans who will be teeing off at Valhalla on September 19th.

Sergio Garcia

Ryder Cup Record: 15 points from 20 matches.

With so many rookies in this year's line-ups and Tiger Woods absent, Sergio is poised to be the star of the show once again. The Majors remain a source of constant frustration, but there's no arguing with Garcia's record in this team event. Playing in his fifth Ryder Cup at only 28, Garcia looks certain to eventually accumulate the 11 points needed to overhaul his captain's record Ryder Cup tally and become Europe's highest ever scorer.

Team Europe's famous camaraderie always seems to bring the best out in the Spaniard, who has provided the bedrock of recent victories with an outstanding record on the opening two days of pairs golf. In foursomes, he has a perfect eight wins from eight matches.

Garcia has been called upon to play the maximum five matches in each of his previous appearances, and looks certain to do so once again. Bearing in mind that he is in arguably the best form of his career to date, Sergio looks a red-hot favourite to top the individual points list.

Padraig Harrington

Ryder Cup Record: 8 points from 17 matches.

Very much Europe's man of the moment after winning the Open and USPGA, making it three Major titles in just over a year. In the absence of stalwarts Montgomerie, Clarke and Olazabal, Europe will now depend heavily on Harrington's top-level experience in what will be his fifth Ryder Cup.

The popular Irishman has certainly improved bundles of late, and is another almost certain to play all five matches. For these reasons Padraig will be a warm order in the top points scorer markets, but there must be a slight concern that he hasn't produced anywhere near his best outside the Majors for a while. Furthermore, he is yet to win a match when paired with any of this year's team-mates.

Lee Westwood

Ryder Cup Record: 15.5 points from 25 matches.

Besides Garcia, nobody else lining up at Valhalla comes close to rivalling Westwood's Ryder Cup record. Nor can many boast a more impressive record over the last year despite the lack of a recent title. This prolific worldwide winner has developed into a more complete player and, judging by near-misses in the US Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, is on the verge of a breakthrough in the biggest events.

He too has played the maximum five matches in each of his appearances, forming prolific partnerships with Garcia and Darren Clarke in fourballs and foursomes. Whether Faldo chooses to restore that pairing with Garcia or not, Westwood is certain to be one of his 'bankers'.

Henrik Stenson

Ryder Cup Record: 1.5 points from 3 matches.

Holed the winning putt last time at the K Club on his Ryder Cup debut, and has made swift strides since. Now comfortably inside the world's top-10, Stenson played his part in the recent European domination of the Majors by making the frame in both the Open and PGA Championships.

Stenson's wider record in matchplay events suggests he relishes the format. Having won the 2007 WGC-Matchplay, his defence was only derailed by Tiger after an epic semi-final. An excellent run in last year's Wentworth equivalent also fell short at the semi-final stage, again at the hands of the tournament specialist, this time Ernie Els.

Justin Rose

Ryder Cup Record: Debutant

Considering that Rose has been one of Europe's leading lights for several years, this represents a surprisingly late Ryder Cup debut. Largely based in the States, he'd previously failed to earn enough points in European events before the scoring system began to greater reflect worldwide form.

His commitment can't be faulted this time, as Justin notably spurned the prospect of Fedex Cup millions to secure his place in the team by playing in lesser events in Holland and Scotland. Watch out for a partnership with his good mate Ian Poulter.

Paul Casey

Ryder Cup Record: 4 points from 6 matches.

Big-hitting Casey is another former World Matchplay winner who seems to thrive in this format. A series of impressive displays on the PGA Tour were enough to convince Faldo that Casey deserved a wild-card after a largely disappointing year. His proven ability to produce his best golf in the US should be an important asset for a team including several players with limited experience outside the European Tour.

Two previous successful Ryder Cup appearances are great cause for encouragement, with Casey boasting an impressive 67% strike-rate. He also provided one of the highlights of Europe's rout last time at the K Club with a hole-in-one.

Ian Poulter

Ryder Cup Record: 1 point from 2 matches.

Formerly better-known for his dress-sense and big mouth, Poulter's stock has risen over the summer, culminating in Faldo's controversial decision to hand him a wild-card. In particular, Poulter won many new friends for his battling display chasing home Harrington at the Open. And like the other wild-card selection Casey, Poulter's frequently competitive form in the States may have been a factor in Faldo's decision.

He played a minor role at Oakland Hills four years ago, winning 1 point from 2 matches, but is expected to be one of the key players this time. That is assuming that his team-mates have forgiven some less than complementary remarks about them in that infamous interview where Poulter claimed to be the man to challenge Tiger.

Robert Karlsson

Ryder Cup Record: 1 point from 3 matches.

The experienced Swede is playing in his second Ryder Cup, after being one of the lesser contributors to Europe's nine-point thrashing at the K Club.

Earlier in the year, Karlsson looked one of Europe's best bets every time he teed it up. In the four months from April to July, he only finished below 8th once, yet somehow contrived not to win. Unfortunately that form appears to have tailed off, and a recent injury scare is further cause for concern.

Miguel-Angel Jiminez

Ryder Cup Record: 3 points from 9 matches.

'The Mechanic' returns to the European side for his third Ryder Cup appearance after missing out last time. At 44, Jiminez is Europe's oldest player by some distance. He's looked anything but a player in decline this season though, with good efforts in the US Majors and two European victories including the prestigious Volvo PGA. His experience will be critical for a fairly young European side.

Graeme McDowell

Ryder Cup Record: Debutant

Another debutant. McDowell earned his place with two lucrative European Tour wins in 2008, most recently in July's Scottish Open. He does have some experience of international team matchplay, as a member of the successful 2001 Walker Cup side and seems to possess the strong temperament required for these stomach-churning occasions. Should be a strong asset.

Soren Hansen

Ryder Cup Record: Debutant

Hansen becomes the second Dane to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup after Thomas Bjorn, having developed a reputation as one of the most consistent players on the European Tour. His lack of Stateside experience must be a slight concern though, as must a poor win ratio of two titles this century.

Oliver Wilson

Ryder Cup Record: Debutant

Still yet to win a professional title, Wilson looks the weakest European player. He only just scraped into the side by making the cut at Gleneagles on Sunday, and owes more to his consistent form in the earlier part of the season than anything over the last couple of months. Wilson would therefore seem unlikely to play a huge part in Faldo's selection plans, but that hasn't stopped a plethora of supposed journeymen Europeans making their mark on previous Ryder Cups.

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