Presidents Cup player analysis: U.S. team

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Boasting the world's top three players and four of the top five, the United States enters this week's Presidents Cup heavily favored to win the biennial match play competition for the fifth time. Here's our anaylsis of each of the 12 players on the U.S. squad (career records for Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup in parentheses):

INTERNATIONAL TEAM: Analysis of each player | International team previews | Countries represented

MORE PRESIDENTS CUP: American team previews | Course history | Course rebirth | Competition | Complete coverage

TIGER WOODS (13-11-1 Presidents Cup; 10-13-2 Ryder Cup)

He should be rested after a week off, and there's no doubt Woods is at the top of his game after a win -- his sixth of the season -- and solo second in his last two starts. He went 3-2 at Royal Montreal in 2007 but lost to Canadian Mike Weir in Singles. Woods has had seven different Presidents Cup partners but among members of the current team he's only played with Jim Furyk (5 times in the Presidents Cup and four times in the Ryder Cup) and Justin Leonard (once in each). His Foursomes (alternate shot) record of 7-2-1 is far superior to his Four-ball mark of 3-7-0. Look for the recent FedExCup champ to partner Steve Stricker or Sean O'Hair this year. And did we mention he won the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship at Harding Park in 2005 -- beating John Daly in a playoff? Click for player preview

PHIL MICKELSON (11-13-9, Presidents Cup; 10-14-6 Ryder Cup)

Mickelson is the only player on the U.S. Team to have played in every Presidents Cup. Given everything that has happened in his personal life this summer, Mickelson might have been a question mark at Harding Park. But he emphatically ended a five-tournament stretch where he didn't crack the top 20 with a win at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. He's comfortable with his putter again, and the ball-striking has been there for a while. Lefty has had nine different partners in seven Presidents Cups, but only one of those, Hunter Mahan, is playing this year. He brought Presidents Cup rookie Anthony Kim along well at the Ryder Cup, though, with a 1-1-1 mark. Click for player preview

STEVE STRICKER (5-5-0, Presidents Cup; 0-2-1 Ryder Cup)

He's come a long way from the player who went to Australia in 2001 and captured the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship only to endure a six-year victory drought. Stricker had excelled in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- tying for second at The Barclays and winning the Deutsche Bank Championship, his third title of the season. He played seven times with Woods during the Playoffs, too, and appears extremely comfortable with the world No. 1. Stricker has history with Mahan, too, though, going 2-1-0 together at the 2007 Presidents Cup. Click for player preview

KENNY PERRY (7-6-0, Presidents Cup; 2-3-1 Ryder Cup)

The affable man from Kentucky had a big week at East Lake -- winning the Payne Stewart Award and taking the lead into the final round of THE TOUR Championship. He closed with a round of 4 over, though, and ended up in a tie for fourth which was his best finish, and only top-10, since he won the Travelers Championship in June. That victory in Hartford was his second win of 2009, though, and was preceded by six other top-10s. So despite that stumble on Sunday, what happened at East Lake should give Perry some momentum to take to Harding Park. It's not Valhalla, but another chance to play for the red-white-and-blue should get Perry's juices flowing again. Click for player preview

ZACH JOHNSON (2-2-0, Presidents Cup; 1-2-1 Ryder Cup)

Both his victories came by May, but Johnson has had a really steady season overall with six other top-10s and a total of 15 finishes of 25th or higher. His last missed cut came at the U.S. Open and he's had three top-10s -- including a tie for second at the John Deere Classic -- in his nine starts since Bethpage. He's had five different partners while playing on the last two U.S. Cup teams but at Harding Park a good fit would probably be his good buddy Stewart Cink, with whom he has a 1-1 record in Foursomes. Click for player preview

STEWART CINK (8-4-1, Presidents Cup; 4-7-4 Ryder Cup)

The reigning British Open champ is one of the most experienced American players. This is his eighth Cup team in the last nine Presidents Cup and Ryder Cups. In fact, he has one of just three winning records on this year's Presidents Cup team -- and has proven a particularly strong partner in alternate shot with a 4-1 mark. He also has the distinction of handing International Captain Greg Norman a 2 and 1 Singles defeat. Cink turned an inconsistent year around with that win at Turnberry and is coming off top-25 finishes in the last two Playoffs events. Possible partners include Zach Johnson and Lucas Glover. Click for player preview

SEAN O'HAIR (0-0-0, Presidents Cup; 0-0-0 Ryder Cup)

O'Hair may be making his international team competition debut this week but it looks to be the first of many. The 27-year-old already has three PGA TOUR victories, including one earlier this year a major-caliber course at Quail Hollow, and is coming off three top-10s in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. In fact, O'Hair has finished fifth or better six times this year. He's had a week to incorporate that putting tip Tiger Woods gave him into his game, and the world No. 1 has already expressed a desired to play with his friend. It's hard to imagine a better scenarios for the talented young American. Click for player preview

JIM FURYK (13-8-2, Presidents Cup; 8-13-2 Ryder Cup)

The last time the United States played an international competition that didn't feature Furyk was in 1996, the second renewal of the Presidents Cup. He's played in 11 straight since then and has been one of the American's steadiest players. He's also Tiger Woods' most frequent partner. The two have played together five times at Presidents Cups and four times at Ryder Cups -- compiling a 5-3-1 record. Furyk hasn't won in over two years, but he's posted top-10s in his last three starts to bring his total for the season to 10. He should be one of Fred Couples' go-to guys. Click for player preview

ANTHONY KIM (0-0-0, Presidents Cup; 2-1-1 Ryder Cup)

Remember his Singles match with Sergio Garcia at the Ryder Cup at Valhalla last fall? Kim was so focused he had no idea he had closed the Spaniard out when he walked off the 14th green. The talented 24-year-old, who is making his Presidents Cup debut, needs to bring that same intensity to Harding Park. With the exception of a tie for second at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship and two thirds during the month of July, Kim hasn't been able to build on last year's breakthrough two-win season. The red-hot Phil Mickelson proved a steady partner for him at the Ryder Cup. Click for player preview

JUSTIN LEONARD (6-10-2, Presidents Cup; 2-4-6 Ryder Cup)

Another American veteran, Leonard could turn around a sub-par year in which he's only had five top-10s and none since he tied for eighth at the British Open. A 12-time TOUR winner, the Texan will be playing in his eighth Cup. He could be a threat in the Four-ball competition -- ranking 19th in birdies and 13th in putting. He also hits more than 65 percent of his fairways and greens in regulation, which could make him a dependable Foursomes partner. He's got a 2-0 mark in Foursomes with Jim Furyk and was 2-0-1 overall with Mahan at last year's Ryder Cup. Click for player preview

LUCAS GLOVER (2-3-0, Presidents Cup; 0-0-0 Ryder Cup)

The South Carolinian has been pointing toward this, his second Presidents Cup, all year long and that win at Bethpage in the U.S. Open should be a huge confidence boost. Glover's had a solid season with six top-10s, 12 top-25s and a run through all four events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. His solo 10th at East Lake was good send-off to Harding Park, too. Glover is accurate and long with his driver and he ranks 10th in birdies, which should be a good combination. It will be interesting to see who Captain Fred Couples pairs him with -- he won two Foursomes at Royal Montreal with Scott Verplank but lost in Four-ball with Stewart Cink and Charles Howell III. Click for player preview

HUNTER MAHAN (2-3-0, Presidents Cup; 2-0-3 Ryder Cup)

With the exception of Tiger Woods, there's probably no one who's been more consistent this year than Mahan. His only missed cut in 24 starts came at the British Open, but he also tied for 10th and sixth at the Masters and U.S. Open, respectively. Mahan has had six top-10s total and three of those came in his three starts leading up to Turnberry and one afterwards. He cooled off slightly in the Playoffs but made it through all four. He has a couple of proven partners, too, in Steve Stricker (2-1-0 at the 2007 Presidents Cup) and Justin Leonard (2-0-1 at last year's Ryder Cup). Click for player preview