The Ryder Cup at a glance

BY THE NUMBERS

23 - The most Ryder Cup matches won in a career by one player (Nick Faldo).

6 - The U.S. record for most best-ball matches lost in Ryder Cup history, a record shared by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III and Jim Furyk.

200,000 - Amount (in dollars) each American player and captain will donate to charities and universities of their choice from the Ryder Cup proceeds.

WEATHER FORECAST

It's expected to be close to ideal for the next three days with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s predicted. Winds are forecast to be light.

THEY SAID IT

"It's like drawing back a bow string. For two years, I've been pulling that string back, and now I've got to let the arrow go. I just hope I've pointed it in the right direction." - U.S. captain Paul Azinger

"You don't know what you've got until you get out there and play with it. It's like getting a new pack of hounds when you were growing up and going deer hunting. You don't know what kind of dogs you've got until you run them, so let's run them and we'll see." - Boo Weekley on the American team with six rookies

"Probably the cookies and the brownies." - European captain Nick Faldo when asked his team's greatest weakness

CHIP SHOTS

- U.S. captain Paul Azinger chose not to pair Kentuckians Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes in the alternate-shot portion of today's matches but didn't rule out putting them together at some point during the weekend.

- Azinger also reiterated his plan to use all 12 Americans today, meaning Ben Curtis, Steve Stricker, Boo Weekley and Holmes will play in the afternoon best-ball matches. Azinger also said he has already made his afternoon pairings.

- European captain Nick Faldo wouldn't commit to playing all of his players today, saying he will see how the morning goes before determining who plays in the afternoon.

OBSERVATIONS

- It was interesting to see Faldo almost tear up when asked about meeting Muhammad Ali on Wednesday morning at Valhalla. Faldo needed a moment to compose himself when asked, then said, "It was just an incredible moment."

- Azinger also talked about how special the meeting was, telling Ali he used the boxer's effort against Ken Norton despite a broken jaw as an inspiration through his life.

- Did Azinger make the right move by not pairing Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes to start the matches? Probably.

- Holmes is a gamble in alternate-shot play because he can be wild off the tee, and he's not a great putter. He's better suited to best-ball.

PAIRINGS

(Alternate-shot format)

8:05 a.m.: Phil Mickelson-Anthony Kim (USA) vs. Padraig Harrington-Robert Karlsson (E).

Comment: Mickelson and Kim asked to play together, and they could set an early tone.

8:20: Justin Leonard-Hunter Mahan (USA) vs. Henrik Stenson-Paul Casey (E).

Comment: The American pairing fits together nicely but faces a huge challenge.

8:35: Stewart Cink-Chad Campbell (USA) vs. Justin Rose-Ian Poulter (E)

Comment: Buddies Rose and Poulter haven't had great years, but that could change here.

8:50: Kenny Perry-Jim Furyk (USA) vs. Lee Westwood-Sergio Garcia (E).

Comment: If the U.S. can bump off Europe's power pairing, it could be the boost it needs.