Nicolas Colsaerts | (video profile)

Appearance: Rookie
Overall record: N/A
Foursomes record: N/A
Fourball record: N/A
Singles record: N/A

Skinny: European players are salivating at the prospect of being paired with Colsaerts, nicknamed the ‘Belgian Bomber.’ He is a skilled match-play performer, as well - won the Volvo World Match Play in 2012.

Luke Donald | (video profile)

Appearance: Fourth
Overall record: 8-2-1
Foursomes record: 6-0-0
Fourball record: 0-1-1
Singles record: 2-1-0

Skinny: Hard to ignore his perfect foursomes record, and the world No. 3 is one of the world’s best putters - an important attribute in these biennial matches.

Sergio Garcia | (video profile)

Appearance: Sixth
Overall record: 14-6-4
Foursomes record: 8-0-1
Fourball record: 5-2-3
Singles record: 1-4-0

Skinny: Another Ryder Cup stalwart, and another player who thrives in foursomes (still without a loss). These matches tend to bring out the best in Garcia.

Peter Hanson | (video profile)

Appearance: Second
Overall record: 1-2-0
Foursomes record: 0-1-0
Fourball record: 1-0-0
Singles record: 0-1-0

Skinny: A victory at the KLM Open, with his 1-year-old son battling a serious respiratory virus back home, illustrated his mental toughness.

Martin Kaymer | (video profile)

Appearance: Second
Overall record: 2-1-1
Foursomes record: 0-0-1
Fourball record: 2-0-0
Singles record: 0-1-0

Skinny: No player on the European side will be as highly scrutinized as Kaymer, the former No. 1 player in the world who since has fallen on hard times, recording only one top-10 since April.

Paul Lawrie | (video profile)

Appearance: Second
Overall record: 3-1-1
Foursomes record: 1-1-0
Fourball record: 1-0-1
Singles record: 1-0-0

Skinny: The 43-year-old Scot is in the midst of a career resurgence, having won twice in 2012. His lone Ryder Cup appearance was 13 years ago, so it’s difficult to predict exactly what we’ll see from him.

Graeme McDowell | (video profile)

Appearance: Third
Overall record: 4-2-2
Foursomes record: 1-1-1
Fourball record: 1-1-1
Singles record: 2-0-0

Skinny: Expect to see McDowell paired with countryman McIlroy in all formats. There’s no doubt G-Mac can handle the pressure of the cup, too - in 2010, he won the decisive point.

Rory McIlroy | (video profile)

Appearance: Second
Overall record: 1-1-2
Foursomes record: 1-1-0
Fourball record: 0-0-1
Singles record: 0-0-1

Skinny: He’s the No. 1 player in the world, he’s clearly in form (Deutsche Bank, BMW wins), and his long-and-strong game should set up well for Medinah. What’s not to like?

Francesco Molinari | (video profile)

Appearance: Second
Overall record: 0-2-1
Foursomes record: 0-1-0
Fourball record: 0-0-1
Singles record: 0-1-0

Skinny: The Italian failed to record a full point in 2010, and this time, he won’t have the reliable pairing with his brother, Edoardo.

Ian Poulter | (video profile)

Appearance: Fourth
Overall record: 9-2-0
Foursomes record: 3-0-0
Fourball record: 3-2-0
Singles record: 3-0-0

Skinny: No European epitomizes the passion of the Ryder Cup quite like Poulter, whose record in the matches is outstanding and who truly seems to thrive in the pressure-packed moments.

Justin Rose | (video profile)

Appearance: Second
Overall record: 4-0-0
Foursomes record: 2-0-0
Fourball record: 1-0-0
Singles record: 1-0-0

Skinny: He formed a nice team with fellow Englishman Poulter in his lone Ryder Cup appearance (2008), and there could be more of the same this year at Medinah.

Lee Westwood | (video profile)

Appearance: Eighth
Overall record: 16-11-6
Foursomes record: 7-2-4
Fourball record: 7-4-2
Singles record: 2-5-0

Skinny: Westy has been working diligently on his short game, and as the most experienced member of the European side, he’ll be heavily relied upon. His only knock is his singles record.

Captain Jose Maria Olazabal | (video profile)

Appearance: Seven
Overall record: 18-8-5
Foursomes record: 7-2-1
Fourball record: 9-2-3
Singles record: 2-4-1

Skinny: In his prime, the passionate Spaniard thrived in the team format. His most interesting task will be pairings and managing the players who are/are not playing well.