Ryder Cup 2008: European Team Announcement

Pádraig Harrington (Ireland)
Age: 37 (yesterday)
Caps: 4 (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006)
World ranking: 3
Ryder Cup record: Played: 17 Won: 7 Halved: 2 Lost: 8
Majors: 3 (British Open 2007-08, USPGA 2008)
Tour wins: 16.
First European to make a successful defence of British Open in 102 years and then became the first European since 1930 to win US PGA

Sergio Garcia (Spain)
Age: 28 (9/1/1980)
Caps: 4 (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006)
World ranking: 4
Ryder Cup record: Played: 20 Won: 14 Halved: 2 Lost: 4
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 16
Cup success rate of 75 per cent already makes him one of Europe's all-time greats. At 19, became event's youngest-ever player.

Lee Westwood (England)
Age: 35 (24/4/1973)
Caps: 5 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006)
World ranking: 12
Ryder Cup record: Played: 25 Won: 14 Halved: 3 Lost: 8
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 28
Unbeaten in last 10 games, two short of Arnold Palmer's record. Needed wild in 2006, but responded with three wins and two halves.

Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
Age: 32 (5/4/1976)
Caps: 1 (2006)
World ranking: 6
Ryder Cup record: Played: 3 Won: 1 Halved: 1 Lost: 1
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 6
Sank the match-winning putt on his debut before becoming World Matchplay champion in Arizona last year. Joint third at British Open.

Robert Karlsson (Sweden)
Age: 38 (3/9/1969)
Caps: 1 (2006)
World ranking: 21
Ryder Cup record: Played: 3 Won: 0 Halved: 2 Lost: 1
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 7
Eighth, fourth and seventh in first three majors this year. Made his cup debut at 37. Halved two fourballs before losing singles to Tiger Woods.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain)
Age: 44 (5/1/1964)
Caps: 2 (1999, 2004)
World ranking: 18
Ryder Cup record: Played: 9 Won: 2 Halved: 2 Lost: 5
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 15
Has had more victories since turning 40 than before and biggest was the BMW PGA. Third cap will come in America like previous two.

Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland)
Age: 29 (30/7/1979)
Caps: 0
World ranking: 29
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 4
Former amateur star won on only his fourth European Tour start as a professional in 2002. Just missed out on a first cap two years later, but won in Korea this March and then added Scottish Open in July.

Justin Rose (England)
Age: 28 (30/7/1980)
Caps: 0
World ranking: 14
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 6
Won the European Order of Merit last year from just 12 events, starting and ending with a win and posting top-12 finishes in all four majors. Still remembered for his fourth place as a 17-year-old amateur at the 1998 British Open.

Soren Hansen (Denmark)
Age: 34 (21/3/1974)
Caps: 0
World ranking: 45
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 2
Irish Open victory in 2002 was his only Tour success in more than 200 starts, but he won again in Germany late last season, finished a best-ever eighth on the Order of Merit and staged strong finish to the cup race.

Oliver Wilson (England)
Age: 27 (14/9/1980)
Caps: 0
World ranking: 51
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 0
Member of winning Walker Cup team in 2003 becomes first player to make team without ever winning a tournament. Has had seven runners-up finishes, four of them this year including play-off loss in BMW PGA.

Ian Poulter (England)
Age: 32 (10/1/76)
Caps: 1 (2004)
World ranking: 23
Ryder Cup record: Played: 2 Won: 1 Halved: 0 Lost: 1
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 8
Second in British Open, but controversially did not play in last qualifying event when he still could have qualified on merit.

Paul Casey (England)
Age: 31 (21/7/77)
Caps: 2 (2004, 2006)
World ranking: 37
Ryder Cup record: Played: 6 Won: 3 Halved: 2 Lost: 1
Majors: 0
Tour wins: 8
Only player to have finished a Ryder Cup match with a hole-in-one. World Match Play, Walker Cup and World Cup winner.

Overlooked: Darren Clarke
"Obviously, I am disappointed that I wasn't selected but I have dealt with much worse and it will make me more determined to make the team that will play in Wales (in 2010)."
-Darren Clarke

The Captain: Nick Faldo
Age: 51
Caps: 11 (1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997).
Ryder Cup record: Played: 46, Won: 23, Halved: 4, Lost 19.
Majors: 6 (British Open 1987, 1990, 1992, US Masters 1989, 1990, 1996).