Tiger Woods will be playing in his first Ryder Cup since Ireland in 2006.

BY MIKE CORMACK
sportsnet.ca

Is it just us, or is there a little extra buzz leading up to this year's Ryder Cup?

Maybe it's because Tiger is back, or maybe it's the added intrigue of seeing how young stars and Cup rookies such as Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler fare in golf's ultimate pressure cooker.

Regardless, this week's event features no shortage of storylines with Colin Montgomerie's European squad installed as 4/6 favourites.

How will Tiger be received?

The Ryder Cup will be just Woods' second foray across the pond since his sex scandal broke last fall, but unlike at the Open Championship this past July, Woods won’t be playing in front of ultra-respectful Scottish galleries. He’ll no doubt receive the requisite polite applause when his name is introduced on the first tee, but from there on in you can bet he’ll be hearing it from some of the more well-lubricated European supporters.

Of course this isn’t Woods’ first rodeo -- or road Ryder Cup -- so he knows what to expect. What remains to be seen is whether he can channel the heckling to produce his best golf, just as Colin Montgomerie did at an extremely hostile Country Club in 1999.

Westwood’s health

The biggest X-factor entering the event is the health of Europe’s top player, Lee Westwood.

The 37-year-old Englishman hasn’t played a competitive round of golf in six weeks due to a calf injury but following a charity event last week he declared himself fit and hopeful of playing in all five sessions.

Expect the unexpected

Whether it’s the 119th-ranked Phillip Price defeating No. 2 Phil Mickelson in Sunday singles, or the U.S. storming back from a four-point deficit in ’99, the only thing we can guarantee this week is at least one major surprise.

Going back to 1995, five of the past seven Ryder Cups have been won by the pre-event underdog and in one of the cases where the favourite did prevail (1999) the U.S. needed the biggest final-day comeback in the event’s history to pull it off.

The captains' picks

One of the more intriguing -- and controversial -- aspects of any Ryder Cup surrounds the captains' picks, and this year is no different.

U.S. captain Corey Pavin used three of his four picks on veterans (Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Stewart Cink), but he raised a few eyebrows by using his final selection on the winless, albeit extremely talented, 21-year-old rookie Rickie Fowler.

Meanwhile over in Europe, some corners of the British media were positively apoplectic over Colin Montgomerie’s inclusion of the inconsistent Padraig Harrington at the expense of Paul Casey, the No. 7 ranked player in the world.

Monty used his other two picks on the ultra-steady Luke Donald (he of the 5-1-1 career Ryder Cup record) and rising Italian star Edoardo Molinari, one of the hottest players in the world in 2010.

As is always the case, the picks will be playing under increased scrutiny this week, expecially in Harrington’s case. But after flirting with missing the cut last weekend in France, the three-time major champion went 13-under for his final 39 holes, including a final round 64, to suggest his game is right where Monty expected it would be.

The Captainess

Speaking of scrutiny, Corey Pavin’s wife Lisa has become somewhat of a celebrity in her own right in the lead-up to the matches, thanks to her omnipresence on Twitter (account since pulled) and her hands-on approach to all team matters, most notably her role in designing the U.S. team’s retro-look uniforms.

Avid Golfer magazine recently profiled Her Excellency in their September issue (provocative cover pic included) and they paint her as an opinionated, extrovert not afraid to call U.S. team members at any time -- day or night.

She also recently threw herself into the middle of the Jim Gray controversy after the Golf Channel reporter confronted her husband at a press conference.

With Elin Nordegren no longer around for NBC to focus on, we suspect the American network will provide viewers with a heavy dose of Mrs. Pavin this weekend.

Who to follow on Twitter

This will be the first Ryder Cup contested with Twitter serving as a major news and social media tool. However, Pavin decided there will be no tweeting by his players due to its potential for distraction, while Montgomerie says his players can use Twitter, but what goes on in the team room is off limits. Of course, the "ban" will be completely lifted come Monday. It'll be interesting to see what thoughts or insights the players might provide.

European team members worth a look include Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell), Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) and Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter), the latter giving us this sneak peak at the type of behind-the-scenes access he might provide throughout the week.

U.S. team members and frequent tweeters include Rickie Fowler (@rickiefowlerpga), Stewart Cink (@stewartcink), Bubba Watson (@bubbawatson) and the captain himself (@rc_captain_2010).

As for non-participating personalities worth following this week, Paul Casey (@paul_casey), and Paul Azinger (@paulazinger) -- who will be providing first-day analysis for ESPN before flying home to watch the Sunday singles while "tweeting from my couch" -- are opinionated guys who will likely have lots to say.

Last week Azinger even gave us a sneak peak at his Sunday plans.