2007 Presidents Cup

A capsule look at the U.S. team for the seventh Presidents Cup matches, to be played Sept. 27-30 at Royal Montreal Golf Club (listed in order of how they made the team):

Team Captain: Jack Nicklaus Age: 67 Professional wins: 113 Majors: 18 Captain record: 1998 (Lost 11½-20½); 2003 (Tie 17-17); 2005 (Win 18½-15½)

Tiger Woods
	Age: 31 World ranking: 1st PGA Tour victories: 61 2007 victories: Buick Invitational, CA Championship, Wachovia Championship, Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship, BMW Championship, Tour Championship Majors: Masters ('97, '01, '02, '05), US Open ('00, '02), British Open ('00, '05, '06), PGA Championship ('99, '00, '06, '07). Presidents Cup record: 10-9-1. Backspin: Playing some of his best golf going into these matches, and might be inspired by the thought of taking 10 weeks off as soon as the final match is over Sunday. Woods and Jim Furyk have been teammates the last two years, although a Woods-Steve Stricker pairing also is a possibility. The biggest question is who faces him on Sunday.
Jim Furyk
	Age: 37 World ranking: 3rd PGA Tour victories: 13 2007 victories: Canadian Open Majors: US Open ('03) Presidents Cup record: 10-6-2 Backspin: He appeared headed toward great things this summer, especially after winning the Canadian Open, until tweaking his back in early August. Has slowly been regaining his form, and should be in good shape for Royal Montreal. He could be paired with Woods again, but of greater interest will be keeping his perfect record (4-0) in singles.
PHIL MICKELSON
	Age: 37 World ranking: 2nd PGA Tour victories: 32 2007 victories: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, The Players Championship, Deutsche Bank Championship. Majors: Masters ('04, '06), PGA Championship ('05). Presidents Cup record: 9-12-7 Backspin: The 0-5 mark in South Africa is what brings his record down, but look for that to go up at Royal Montreal. Lefty is starting to play his best golf of the year and could be a force in these matches if captain Jack Nicklaus can find him the right partner. Don't be surprised to see him paired with Hunter Mahan.
ZACH JOHNSON
	Age: 31 World ranking: 15th PGA Tour victories: 3 2007 victories: Masters, AT&T Classic. Majors: Masters ('07) Presidents Cup record: 0-0-0 Backspin: He made quite a splash in his Ryder Cup debut last year by making a ton of clutch putts to halve one match and win another before losing to Darren Clarke in an emotional singles match. The Masters champion is still playing solid golf, but his contributions depend largely on how well he is putting.
CHARLES HOWELL III
	Age: 28 World ranking: 34th PGA Tour victories: 2 2007 victories: Nissan Open Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 3-2-0 Backspin: Not many played better the first three months of the season, and not many have played worse over the final five months. A few issues with his driving sent him into a spiral during the summer, and he is only now showing signs of climbing out. His only other team was the Presidents Cup in 2003, when he and Woods went 2-2 in the team matches, and Howell beat Adam Scott in singles.
SCOTT VERPLANK
	Age: 43 World ranking: 24th PGA Tour victories: 5 2007 victories: EDS Byron Nelson Championship Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 2-2-1 Backspin: He is the last PGA Tour winner at Royal Montreal, winning the 2001 Canadian Open just two weeks after being a captain's pick for his first Ryder Cup team. He is perfect for foursomes (although Tom Lehman benched him during alternate shot in the Ryder Cup) because of his accuracy off the tee and pure putting.
DAVID TOMS
	Age: 40 World ranking: 26th PGA Tour victories: 12 2007 victories: None Majors: PGA Championship ('01) Presidents Cup record: 2-7-0 Backspin: One of two Americans on the team who failed to qualify for the Tour Championship, he hasn't given himself any realistic chances of winning this year. Only top-three was at Memphis, where he finished six shots behind. He also could be a question mark, although his game usually is reliable and his attitude in good form at these events.
STEVE STRICKER
	Age: 40 World ranking: 5th PGA Tour victories: 4 2007 victories: The Barclays Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 2-3-0 Backspin: One of the best comeback stories of the year - again - he hasn't played in a Presidents Cup since Arnold Palmer was captain in 1996, and now he gets to play for Jack Nicklaus. He is considered among the best putters, and his iron play has been superb all year. He could make a great team with Woods, but he should be one of the guys who goes all five matches.
STEWART CINK
	Age: 34 World ranking: 23rd PGA Tour victories: 4 2007 victories: None Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 5-3-1 Backspin: Not the most exciting player, but has proven to be dependable in team matches, either the Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup. He went 4-0 in the 2000 matches at RTJ. Made up most of his ground in the standings through a tie for third at The Players Championship and a tie for sixth at the British Open. Somewhat like Toms in that even his average golf won't hurt a partner.
Woody Austin
	Age: 43 World ranking: 32nd PGA Tour victories: 3 2007 victories: Stanford St. Jude Championship Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 0-0-0 Backspin: Playing in his first team competition, no telling what he will bring to these matches. Very emotional player who often beats himself up, if not his putter, but can be entertaining along the way. His strength is his ball-striking. His weakness is putting. That explains why he thought he outplayed Woods at the PGA Championship when Woods tied a major record with 63 and Austin shot 70. Will need to find a way to blend in with his teammates.
LUCAS GLOVER
	Age: 27 World ranking: 60th PGA Tour victories: 1 2007 victories: None Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 0-0-0 Backspin: A captain's pick who finished 11th in the standings, he is loaded with talent but hasn't quite delivered. His only victory was at Disney two years ago when he holed out from a bunker on the final hole. He was playing some of his best golf in the final months of qualifying, and while he didn't make the Tour Championship, he should be a strong contributor.
HUNTER MAHAN
	Age: 25 World ranking: 41st PGA Tour victories: 1 2007 victories: Travelers Championship Majors: None Presidents Cup record: 0-0-0 Backspin: The third Presidents Cup rookie, who many people believe could be part of several cup teams to come. Finally got out of his way to let his talent come through this year to win Hartford in a dramatic playoff, then was atop the leaderboard just about every week until the playoffs began. Has played several practice rounds with Mickelson this summer.

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