Power Rankings: The Presidents Cup

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The Presidents Cup returns to the site of its first foray overseas in 1998 -- Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. In what was the third edition of the biennial competition, the International team recorded its only victory in eight tries. Former club professional at the host course, five-time British Open champ, World Golf Hall of Fame member and Australian golf legend, Peter Thomson, captained that crew to 20-1/2 points, the second-most ever earned in a single event.

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Thomson's 12-man squad featured four Aussies, including 2011 captain, Greg Norman. The Shark will have five of his fellow countrymen in play this year, two of whom are at his choosing -- captain's picks Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley. That Norman is leaning as much as he can on home-turf advantage is no surprise, but he's faced with the ever-present task of blending talent from all over the globe, not a single nation or even one continent. The remaining seven on Norman's roster include three from both South Africa and South Korea, and one from Japan.

On the other side of that argument is the fact that natives of the same countries are natural pairs based on comfort level and communication alone. What's more, the home team has only four rookies while half of the Fred Couples-led U.S. contingent are first-timers. It's difficult to gauge the value of experience in a team format in what is primarily an individual sport because of the inflated element of leadership. It's equally as challenging to dissect vagaries such as pairings and momentum in advance, so this version of the Power Rankings angles at potential impact.

Royal Melbourne is a unique creation in the Sand Belt in that it features two courses that contribute for a third. The East was designed by Alex Russell in 1932; the West by Alister MacKenzie one year prior. As was the case in 1998, the Presidents Cup will utilize what is known as the Composite Course; that is, six holes from the East and 12 from the West.

The Composite plays as a par 71 measuring 7,000 yards although overall par and yardage is irrelevant in a match-play format. It's all about match-ups on individual holes. The Composite has three par 3s (holes 3, 5 and 14) and two par 5s (holes 2 and 15). There are eight consecutive par 4s beginning at the sixth hole.

The Americans have the customary edge in distance off the tee so expect Norman to manipulate a setup that will penalize the longest drives. A total of 200 bunkers will also add to the test, particularly around putting surfaces. Depending on one's perspective, it might appear that greens will feature infinite edges since the grass will be cut extremely low at the border of the bunkers. This will force a premium on approach shots. Meanwhile, Bentgrass greens will roll at 12 on the Stimpmeter, a feature that will favor full-timers on the PGA TOUR regardless of nationality.

Projection: U.S. 18, Internationals 16

PRESIDENTS CUP: Course: Hole-by-hole | Couples on the U.S. | Norman on the Internationals

Power Rankings: The Presidents Cup

Rank Player   Comment Charl SCHWARTZEL Rookie. Went 15-for-15 on the PGA TOUR with a historic capture of the Masters. It also bears repeating that he has no weaknesses. Look for him to be paired with Ernie Els and carry The Big Easy. Schwartzel could go undefeated. Nick WATNEY Rookie. Given his propensity to fire at flags and find a groove during which he holes every putt over which he stands, Captain Couples has to be licking his chops. A good partner for Watney hits fairways and then gets out of the way. Jason DAY Rookie. You're of the confidence that this will be the first of many successive appearances. He finished ninth on the PGA TOUR money list with nearly $4 million despite no victories. Natural partner would be the ball-striking Robert Allenby. Hunter MAHAN Likely eager to turn the page after his infamous flubbed chip at Celtic Manor in 2010. A veteran of two Presidents Cups, he went 2-1-0 while paired with Steve Stricker in Montreal in 2007. Fearless with a putter, he's viable in any format. Adam SCOTT Already his fifth go-around at this event. The Aussie is a mediocre 8-10-2, but he's back inside the top 10 of the world ranking following a stretch of five top 10s in eight starts. His devotion to the broomstick has paid dividends. Matt KUCHAR Rookie. Made his Ryder Cup debut last year and went 1-0-2 with Stewart Cink, who didn't crack the squad at Royal Melbourne. Kuchar's strength is on and around greens. Ranked inside the top six on TOUR in bogey avoidance since 2009. Geoff OGILVY In two appearances, he's yet to find a viable partner. Perhaps the fact that he lives walking distance from the course will help his game. He's 4-5-0 with two wins in singles, but he's 0-3-0 in foursomes. His greatest asset is clutch putting. Aaron BADDELEY Rookie. The captain's pick had a return to the kind of the form most fans expect. He won at Riviera in February and posted four other top 10s, hitting $3 million for the second time on the PGA TOUR. Arguably the best putter in the competition. Steve STRICKER The linchpin. The obvious partner for Tiger Woods won the 2001 WGC-Match Play on MacKenzie-modified Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne. However, he's recovering from a herniated disc in his neck that has stripped him of strength. Tiger WOODS This event and the Masters are the only two competitions has hasn't missed due to his injuries of the last three years. He's 18-11-1 in the Presidents Cup and holds the record for most overall victories and wins in foursomes (nine). Jim FURYK A mainstay on the team since 1998, he owns a stout 15-10-3 record. He's 6-5-0 in fourball in the Presidents Cup but an alarming 1-8-0 in the same format in the Ryder Cup. While he could play with anyone, a good putting partner would be best. Webb SIMPSON Rookie. First meaningful match-play action since the 2007 Walker Cup. As the PGA TOUR's leader in the all-around ranking, all he lacks is experience. And since he's not the straightest driver, a pairing with Jim Furyk is logical. Phil MICKELSON The only golfer to play in all nine editions. Owns a 15-13-10 record. He's evolved into the role of a mentor but influence is lacking execution. Went a combined 0-3-0 with Dustin Johnson (two losses) and Rickie Fowler at the 2010 Ryder Cup. Dustin JOHNSON Rookie. In his first taste of the team competition at the professional level, he went 1-3-0 at the 2010 Ryder Cup picking up his only victory in singles. Lost his fourball and foursomes matches while paired with Phil Mickelson. K.J. CHOI Returns for his third appearance. Owns an underwhelming 3-6-0 record including 0-3-0 in foursomes. That said, he's poised to snap out of his funk. He's been on a tear since sharing 10th place at the BMW Championship in mid-September. Ryo ISHIKAWA At 20 years of age, he's the youngest in the competition for the second time, but after receiving a captain's pick in 2009, he earned his way on this year. He's very average tee to green, but his short game is off the charts. Retief GOOSEN Has played in each of the last five editions. Owns nearly polar opposite records in fourball (6-2-1) and foursomes (2-6-2). Went 3-0-1 paired with Adam Scott in 2005, but just 0-1-1 with the Aussie since. Countryman Schwartzel would be a good fit. Bill HAAS Rookie. Earned a captain's pick after ousting teammate Hunter Mahan in a playoff at THE TOUR Championship. Haas went 0-1 in his first WGC-Match Play this year. Member of 2003 Walker Cup team. Strength is tee to green. Robert ALLENBY The captain's pick is the only International that was a member of the original squad in 1994. In five appearances, he's 8-13-3 with a losing record in every format. On paper, he would seem to complement fellow Aussie, Jason Day. Y.E. YANG Went 2-2-1 at Harding Park in 2009, logging both wins with Ryo Ishikawa. Yang gets the most out of his game on tougher tracks by wearing out greens, but when he's off, he struggles making adjustments. The wildcard among the Internationals. Bubba WATSON Rookie. As a first-timer at last year's Ryder Cup, he went 1-3-0 that included a 1-2-0 record with Jeff Overton. While a no-brainer for fourball, might benefit most from an experienced partner to help him compartmentalize his emotion. David TOMS First appearance since 2007. While playing alone, his success hinges on him hitting fairways. Period. That makes him a better candidate in foursomes than fourball, and it limits him to a sensible pairing with another straight-shooter. Ernie ELS Only member of 1998 team to qualify this year. Making seventh appearance. Has played every session every time he's qualified (16-12-2), but streak might end. First top 10 anywhere this year occurred in his 25th start at the Frys.com Open in October. Kyung-Tae KIM Rookie. The 25-year-old South Korean leads the Japan Golf Tour in scoring average and sits inside the top five in greens hit and putting. He's also inside the top 25 of the world ranking. Likely to be paired with fellow countrymen, Choi and Yang.