Presidents Cup player analysis: Int'l team

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Greg Norman's International Team may not have as many players with wins in 2009 as their U.S. counterparts (who lead 20-6 in that category), but it's certainly not giving way in terms of experience. Five of the 12 have played in four or more Presidents Cups and seven have major championships on their resume, including two in 2009. Here's our analysis for each of the 12 players on the International squad (career records for Presidents Cup in parentheses):

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GEOFF OGILVY (2-3-0 Presidents Cup)

The Aussie started the 2009 season like gangbusters with two wins in his first five starts, including his second World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. The 2006 U.S. Open champion has certainly got the head-to-head experience and the ability to rise to the occasion in the big events. Ogilvy has only had three top-10s since that win in Tucson, though, and he'd be the first to tell you that with the exception of solo seventh at the Deutsche Bank Championship his game has left something to be desired. Looks like his driver has been particularly uncooperative. Ogilvy's got a big stretch coming up, though, so this would be a good time to get back on form. Click for player preview

VIJAY SINGH (14-15-6 Presidents Cup)

Singh and his American counterpart, Phil Mickelson, are the only players to have competed in every Presidents Cup. The big man from Fiji has performed particularly well in Four-ball with eight wins in 13 matches, but he's been vulnerable in Singles, where Singh is 1-4-2. Retief Goosen has been one of his steadiest partners -- they're undefeated after winning both their Four-balls and one Foursomes match. He was sidelined by arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus early in the year and admits he came back too soon. The 46-year-old has only had three top-10s this year and only made it through the first two Playoffs events in his FedExCup title defense. Click for player preview

CAMILO VILLEGAS (0-0-0 Presidents Cup)

The young Colombian isn't far removed from his college days at Florida, so he should fit in well in the team room. Villegas hasn't been able to capitalize on the success of last year when he won twice and finished second in the FedExCup, though. He started 2009 strong -- finishing 12th or better in four of his first six starts -- but didn't have another top-10 until he tied for eighth at the BMW Championship and bowed out of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. An uncooperative putter appears to have been the primary culprit, but Villegas has had two weeks to work on it -- and he is nothing if not driven to excel. Click for player preview

RETIEF GOOSEN (11-7-2 Presidents Cup)

Goosen ended a four-year victory drought earlier this year when he won the Transitions Championship. He nearly picked up another, too, in a playoff loss at the RBC Canadian Open, the week after he tied for fifth at the British Open. Goosen's only missed cut in 20 starts of an extremely consistent season came at the Masters back in April. He could be Greg Norman's go-to guy for a struggling Adam Scott -- the two have played together five times and have a 3-0-2 record. Goosen excels in Four-ball with a 6-1-1 record, and he's 3-1-1 in Singles. Click for player preview

ERNIE ELS (13-10-2 Presidents Cup)

Singh has played in more but there arguably is no one else more closely identified with the Presidents Cup than Els. Who can forget that breathtaking Sunday in South Africa when he lost to Tiger Woods in Singles but came back to match the world No. 1 shot-for-shot in an unprecedented playoff before the event was declared to have ended in a tie. Els hasn't won in 2009, but he has finished among the top-10 in four of his last seven starts on TOUR, including the British Open and PGA Championship, so he does bring form as well as experience to Harding Park. Give him a little rest -- Els played last week in Scotland with his dad at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, his fifth straight tournament counting the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup -- and the affable South African should be ready. Click for player preview

ANGEL CABRERA (3-3-3 Presidents Cup)

The Argentine picked up his second major earlier this year, beating Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff at the Masters. The rest of his season has been somewhat erratic, but he did tie for fourth at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and Deutsche Bank Championship so there is some form of late. Not to mention, Cabrera is an imaginative and fearless golfer which could be an asset at Harding Park. And while Norman has discussed potential language issues on his team, Cabrera speaks more English than he lets on to outsiders and knows most of his teammates well. And rookie Camilo Villegas of Colombia might be an interesting partner for the fellow South American. Click for player preview

MIKE WEIR (11-7-1 Presidents Cup)

It's hard to imagine anything better for Weir than his Singles victory over Tiger Woods at Royal Montreal two years ago. He's earned more than $5 million over the last two years without a win -- although Weir came close twice early in 2009 with a tie for third and solo second in his first three starts. The rest of the year hasn't been anything to write home about with nothing higher than three 10th-place finishes, but the Canadian could make a statement at Harding Park. He's had a pair of Four-ball victories -- each -- with Ernie Els and Robert Allenby which gives International Captain Greg Norman something to ponder. Click for player preview

ROBERT ALLENBY (6-11-2 Presidents Cup)

The Aussie's last Presidents Cup appearance came in 2003. He staked his claim for a return with an extremely strong 2008 campaign that saw him finish in the top-10 nine times. He's picked up three more in 2009 -- including at the Bridgestone Invitational where he tied for second on the strength of four sub-70 rounds, including a closing 66. He hits more than 66 percent of his fairways and 68 percent of his greens but ranks a distant 150th in birdies. Foursomes would seem to be his forte, and both of his victories in that format have come with Mike Weir. Click for player preview

Y.E. YANG (0-0-0 Presidents Cup)

No doubt there were plenty of skeptics when the 37-year-old Korean won The Honda Classic earlier this year. After all, in two years on TOUR, his previous best finish had been a tie for ninth at Pebble Beach in 2008. Of course, when Yang followed up his first victory with a win at the PGA Championship -- staring down Tiger Woods in the final round, no less -- we knew it was no fluke. We must have forgotten that Yang had beaten the world No. 1 by two strokes at the HSBC Champions in 2006. He's playing in his first Presidents Cup and admittedly will have a language barrier to conquer. But who wouldn't like to see a Woods-Yang Singles match come Sunday? Click for player preview

TIM CLARK (4-5-1 Presidents Cup)

The talented South African came close to picking up his first PGA TOUR win earlier this year when he lost to Steve Stricker in a playoff at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. It was the fourth runner-up finish of his career -- and his fourth and last top-10 of the 2009 season. Clark has played in two previous Presidents Cups and his steady game has proven a particular asset in Four-ball where he's won twice with Ernie Els and halved the match he played with Vijay Singh as his partner. Click for player preview

RYO ISHIKAWA (0-0-0 Presidents Cup)

International Captain Greg Norman admittedly took a chance on the teenager from Japan, who was 20th in the standings when the Aussie made him a Captain's Pick. Ishikawa's results in the U.S. haven't been particularly inspiring with four missed cuts in six starts and a high finish of a tie for 56th at the PGA Championship. But the 17-year-old clearly has game, and he's won three times on the Japan Tour this year. Not to mention, he's proven adaptable and enthusiastic about his new opportunities. Norman was also impressed by the way Ishikawa conducted himself in the meeting of potential International Team members at the British Open -- introducing himself to everyone in the room and telling them how eager he was to play. Finding the right teammate will be a key. Click for player preview

ADAM SCOTT (6-7-2 Presidents Cup)

Hard to believe given Scott's six PGA TOUR wins, but Norman really went out on a limb in picking his protégé and countryman. Scott tied for second at the Sony Open in Hawaii but he hasn't sniffed the top-10 since. He's missed the cut in 10 of 18 starts in 2009 and that tie for 36th at the U.S. Open was his best before he finished tied for 35th at the Turning Stone Resort Championship -- which he added to his schedule after Norman picked him. He ranked 154th in driving accuracy, 162nd in greens in regulation and 183rd in putting entering that tournament. Retief Goosen might be steadying a influence on Scott, who is 1-0-1 with the South African in Foursomes and 2-0-1 in Four-ball. Click for player preview