However, Tom Lehman, whilst acknowledging the fact that his side will start as underdogs, believes the emergence of fresh talent with an appetite to win could work in his teams favour.

He said: “You know, the young guys are really hungry. They are really motivated to be part of this team.

"You can't replace the attitude of guys who have a bit of a competitive chip on their shoulder. They have something to prove. That's a great way to play golf. They have this bit of an edge to them. I like that.”

Lehman also indicated what his opening partnership would be for the 2006 competition, an admission which may also indicate he is also well aware that team spirit and chemistry is every bit as important as individual talent and success in a team game.

Woods and Mickelson were paired together on the first day of competition in 2004 in what was billed as a dream partnership. Both went on to lose their matches, enhancing rumours of bad blood between the pair that had surfaced after Mickelson refused to practise with the rest of the team on the two days prior to the tournament.

However Woods’ successful pairing with world No 3 Jim Furyk at the Presidents Cup has led Lehman to confirm that: “Now I can start with Furyk and Tiger. That seems to be a strong option.”

This admission could suggest that Lehman’s captaincy will be about picking the strongest partnerships based on overall chemistry, unlike previous captain Hal Sutton, who paired the current top two golfers in the world in 2004 with the logic that they would be successful because of their ranking whilst ignoring the obvious tensions that existed between them.

What ever does happen at the K Club this weekend, you can be sure of one thing, it will be fiercely competitive. Team USA face the mighty challenge of proving out on the course that they are not a bunch of talented individuals who cannot work as a team.

Europe on the other hand faces the challenge of expectancy. For the first time it is they who are expected to win as the American side face the unusual prospect of being tagged as underdogs. Will the side be able to cope with this pressure? Only time will tell if their team spirit is enough to make history and score Europe their first ever hat-rick of consecutive wins.