Fred Couples' quick opinions on each of his players

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Fred Couples sizes up his team as they prepare for The Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

United States team captain Fred Couples is hoping to avoid the U.S.'s second loss in Presidents Cup history. The Internationals' lone victory came in the 1998 event, also at Royal Melbourne where the International team crushed the U.S. squad for its first and only Presidents Cup win.

During a recent interview with Couples, he was asked to comment on each of the 12 players on his team. Here are his answers (for more on each player, click on his name):

United States team

Player   Fred Couples says ... Matt KUCHAR "A tremendous talent and a great team player." Steve STRICKER "Someone who I admire and would want on any team I was on." Dustin JOHNSON "Unbelievable talent. Will be on Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams forever." Webb SIMPSON "Coming to his own. I don't know much about him except for his golf game, and I think his golf game is pretty sporty. I like the way he plays." Nick WATNEY "Someone who I've known for a long time through some mutual friends. I admire the way he plays and I think this is a big deal for Nick Watney to be on this team. It will show him what really his game is all about but then it will become better -- just like when I was on that Ryder Cup team in '87. I struggled with that and I became a better player overnight." Phil MICKELSON "Best player to have on your team. He's a guy you want on your team and obviously a terrific talent. Great in the team room." Bubba WATSON "Hits it 100 miles which I always like. Great putter. Someone who you can pair up with a lot of guys so he's a good guy for that. A great player." David TOMS "(I was) rooting very hard for him to finish in the top 10 because he's a great team player and a very solid and consistent player and has been on a lot of teams." Hunter MAHAN "Another one of those special players who I think plays well every year. Great to be on this team, and he won a huge point in San Francisco." Jim FURYK "In the category with David Toms. Great in the team room. Was unbelievable in San Francisco for me and the assistant captains. He took on duties of playing with 2 or 3 different guys out of the blue that we flipped up a couple of teams so perfect for the team room." Tiger WOODS "Tiger Woods was the best player in the world for 12 years, has slowed down a little bit, but I definitely want him on the team and so does everyone else." Bill HAAS "Another guy in that Nick Watney category. A tremendous amount of talent. I'm very proud of him to make this team but I also think that his father is an assistant which is a big deal, but they will have a great time together and so will his family. But I think down the line this will make him a much better player. I think they'll just see what it's all about. When you get paired with great players on a Sunday and you don't win and you go back and you say "I just need to putt better." There's a little bit more to it than that. The Phil Mickelsons, the Furyks, the Toms will show these guys there's more to missing a 5-foot putt because you needed to make it. Everyone misses 5-foot putts. I think the Hunter Mahan, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson -- these young guys - will become much better players. It's a proven fact."