Records, romps and rivalries: Test your knowledge

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Who will hoist The Presidents Cup trophy this year?

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The teams have arrived, even if Jim Furyk's clubs were a tad tardy, and the first practice rounds for the ninth renewal of the Presidents Cup are in the books.

As we await Thursday's opening Foursomes, here's a chance to see how much you really know about the highly-anticipated competition at Royal Melbourne. Take our quiz below.

Q. Who are the only two players playing at Royal Melbourne this week who competed in the first Presidents Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 1994?
A. Robert Allenby and Phil Mickelson. Allenby posted a 1-4-0 record overall while Mickelson went 2-1-2. (Note: Current U.S. Captain Fred Couples also competed in 1994, posting a 3-0-0 mark overall, as did his assistant Jay Haas, who went 3-2-0. International Captain Greg Norman had to withdraw due to illness but his assistant Frank Nobilo also played in 1994, posting a 1-3-1 record and teaming with Allenby three times.)

Q. Vijay Singh failed to qualify for the International Team this year for the first time since The Presidents Cup debuted in 1994. Of the 12 players on this year's InternationalTteam, who has played in the most Presidents Cups?
A. Ernie Els. The South African made his first appearance in 1998 and is playing in his seventh President Cup. (Els missed the 2005 matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Manassas, Va., after surgery that summer to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.)

Q. Which American has played in every Presidents Cup?
A. Phil Mickelson. He has a 15-13-10 record overall. His 15 wins tie Mickelson for third best among the Americans all-time. He has played in 38 matches overall, just two shy of Vijay Singh, whose record Mickelson will likely break this week.

Q. How many different countries have been represented by players on the International Team in the history of the Presidents Cup?
A. There have been 11 different countries represented with Australia fielding the most players, a total of 13. This year's International Team consists of five Aussies, three South Africans, three Koreans and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.

Q. Who has won more matches than any other American?
A. Tiger Woods. He has an 18-11-1 record, aided considerably by a perfect 5-0 mark two years ago at Harding Park.

Q. There are 10 rookies competing in this year's Presidents Cup. Which team has the most first-timers?
A.. The United States, which has six rookies (Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson and Bill Haas).

Q. Who has won the most matches on the current International Team?
A. Ernie Els, who has a 16-12-2 record. He is tied for the all-time lead with Vijay Singh, who missed this year's Presidents Cup and has a 16-15-9 record overall.

Q. Who are the only two brothers to have played in the Presidents Cup?
A. Jumbo and Joe Ozaki. Jumbo, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame earlier this year, was a member of the first International Team, posting a 1-2-0 record. Joe played in 1998 and went 2-1-0.

Q. What is the shortest match in Presidents Cup history and who played in it?
A. The shortest match ended on the 12th hole at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 1996 as David Frost (International) def. Kenny Perry (U.S.) 7 and 6.

Q. Two players have won the weekend prior to being named a Captain's Pick, and both are here at Royal Melbourne. Who are they?
A. American Bill Haas won the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola -- and the FedExCup -- to sway U.S. Captain Fred Couples this year. Ryo Ishikawa won the 2009 Fujisakei Classic to cement Greg Norman's pick. Ishikawa didn't need a pick this year; he finished 10th in the International Team standings.

Q. Three players -- two Americans and one member of the International Team -- have posted perfect 5-0 records. Who are they?
A. Mark O'Meara was the first player to go undefeated in in 1996, winning three matches with David Duval, one with Scott Hoch and beating Nick Price 1 up in Singles. His good buddy Tiger Woods went 5-0 in 2009, partnering Steve Stricker to four wins and beating Y.E. Yang 6 and 5 in Singles. The only International player to accomplish the feat was Shigeki Maruyama, who won two Foursomes with Craig Parry, two Four-Balls with Joe Ozaki and beat John Huston 3 and 2 in Singles at Royal Melbourne in 1998. The affable Maruyama earned the nickname that week of the "Smiling Assasin."

Q. Conversely, two players went winless in five matches in a single year. Who are they? You might be surprised.
A. Ernie Els went 0-5 in 2000 while Phil Mickelson played in every session in 2003 and didn't win a match.

Q. Which current assistant captain has never played in The Presidents Cup?
A. John Cook. Cook was a late addition to the U.S. Team. Cook, who represented the U.S. in the 1993 Ryder Cup, replaced Michael Jordan, the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, who decided to remain in the United States due to the on-going NBA labor talks. The two International Team assistants, Frank Nobilo and Tim Clark, have each played in three Presidents Cups while Jay Haas of the U.S. competed twice.

Q. Who has served the most stints as a Presidents Cup captain?
A. Jack Nicklaus has been captain of the Uniited States team four times -- 1998, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Gary Player and Peter Thomson are the longest-serving International captains at three terms each.

Q. Who has won the most points in Presidents Cup history?
A. Vijay Singh has contributed 20 1/2 points to the International cause while Phil Mickelson has scored 20 to lead the U.S. Team.

Q. Three players -- all Americans -- have won four Singles matches. Who are they?A. Jim Furyk (4-2-0), Davis Love III (4-1-1) and Tiger Woods (4-2-0). Four International Team members -- Mike Weir, Craig Parry, Retief Goosen and Ernie Els -- have each won three Singles.

Q. Who has played in more Presidents Cups -- International Captain Greg Norman or his U.S. counterpart Fred Couples?
A. Couples has played in four Presidents Cups, posting a 9-5-2 record overall. Norman has competed in three and owns a 7-6-1 record. The two have played each other three times -- twice in Four-Balls and once in Foursomes -- and Couples has a 2-1 edge.

Q. The President Cup has been played in four different countries. The U.S. has hosted the biennial event five times. Where else has it been played?
A. The 1998 Presidents Cup was played at Royal Melbourne, which hosts the matches again this week and remains the site of the lone International Team victory. The 2003 matches were held at The Links at Fancourt in George, South Africa where the matches ended in a memorable tie. The U.S. Team won for the sixth of seven times in 2007 when Royal Montreal Golf Club served as the host venue.