Consistency defines finalized European Ryder Cup team

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Nick Faldo announced on Sunday that Ian Poulter and Paul Casey were his two captain's picks for the 2008 Ryder Cup.

The European Ryder Cup team was finalized on Sunday, and, by the looks of things, it will be an uphill battle for the United States team at Valhalla Golf Club in three weeks if it's going to avoid its fourth consecutive loss in the biennial matches.

The points for Captain Nick Faldo's European side closed Sunday after the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland, and shortly after, Faldo made his two captain's selections.

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Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington is hoping to lead the Europeans to their fourth consecutive Ryder Cup win.

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Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson all qualified for the team based on points, while Faldo used his two wild-card picks on Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.

"I've been watching these guys throughout the summer," Faldo said of his two picks Poulter and Casey in a press conference at Gleneagles in Scotland. "Ian is obviously a very determined guy, and I love his attitude. The back nine he played at the Open Championship he played with the intention to win. He had that emotional feeling. Rather than just finishing second, he felt he was playing to win the Open Championship...

"I've also been watching Paul a lot with my role now in television," he said. "I was kind of waiting for the putting to turn around, and the last few weeks he's been very close to being No. 1 in putting average. He's also a former World Match-Play Champion and has a fairly good record in past Ryder Cups and Walker Cups going way back. I feel very good about those two picks."

The Europeans all seem to be on fire lately. Here's a look at what the Europeans have done recently to earn a spot on the team:

1. Ireland's Harrington has been incredible over the last two years, winning both the 2007 and 2008 Open Championships, along with the 2008 PGA Championship just a few weeks ago at Oakland Hills.

2. Garcia won THE PLAYERS Championship in May. The Spaniard has also tied for second in both the PGA Championship and The Barclays in his last two starts.

3. England's Westwood has 10 top-10 finishes in 2008, including a third at the U.S. Open and a tie for second at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

4. Sweden's Stenson, like Westwood, has 10 top-10 finishes on the European Tour in 2008, highlighted by a third-place finish at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, a tie for third at the Open Championship and a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship.

5. Karlsson, another Swede, has had nine top-10 finishes on the European Tour, including six in a row that were bookended by a tie for eighth at the Masters and a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open. He also tied for seventh at the Open Championship.

6. Jimenez has two wins in 2008. The Spaniard won the European Tour's season-opening UBS Hong Kong Open and also won the BMW PGA Championship. Jimenez also tied for eighth at the Masters and tied for sixth at the U.S. Open.

7. McDowell is a Ryder Cup rookie from Northern Ireland. To make the team on points, McDowell enjoyed a fantastic season on the European Tour with wins at the Ballentine's Championship and the Barclays Scottish Open.

8. Rose, from England, is another Ryder Cup first-timer. He won the European Tour's Order of Merit in 2007, and in 2008 he recorded his best finish of the year on Sunday with a tie for fifth at the Johnnie Walker Championship. Rose also spends a lot of time on the PGA TOUR with two top-10 finishes this year -- a tie for second at the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley and a tie for sixth at the PGA Championship.

9. Hansen will be making his Ryder Cup debut. The Dane had seven top-10 finishes on the European Tour this season, highlighted by third-place finishes at both the Open de Espaņa and the Open de France.

10. Wilson, who was a rookie in 2005, is another player who has been remarkably consistent in 2008. The Englishman had eight top-10 finishes, including runner-up showings at the South African Airways Open, the Italian Open and BMW PGA Championship.

Captain's Pick: Poulter. The colorful Englishman has split time between the PGA TOUR and European Tour in 2008. The highlight of his year -- and career -- was a second-place finish at the Open Championship after an incredible final nine holes where he shot 2 under in extremely windy conditions.

Captain's Pick: Casey. Like just about everyone else on his squad, Casey has been the model of consistency throughout 2008. He hasn't had a win and didn't qualify for the team on points, but he has had a grueling schedule, splitting his time between two tours. Between the PGA TOUR and the European Tour, he has compiled six top-10 finishes, including a tie for seventh at the Open Championship and a tie for eighth at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Now all the pressure is on U.S. Captain, Paul Azinger.

Eight players -- Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley all qualified on points, which closed after the final round of the PGA Championship.

Azinger will be in New York City on Tuesday to announce his four captain's picks. With the recent slump of the U.S., Azinger lobbied hard for a new points system upon becoming captain. The PGA of America allowed Azinger to tweak the system, which now puts more emphasis on how the player is performing over the course of the Ryder Cup year.