2012 Ryder Cup, Team USA: Deep squad hopes to defend home turf

Although the European squad features four of the top five golfers in the world, Tiger Woods will try to lead a deep Team USA squad to victory.

The Ryder Cup hasn't been kind in general to the United States over the past two decades: Team Europe has won four of the last five events and six of the last eight. However, both of the American teams most recent victories have come on American soil: at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. in 1999 and at Valhalla in Louisville in 2008. Now, the scene shifts to the Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago.

Tiger Woods is the only American golfer in the top five of the world rankings, but the team contains 12 of the world's top 23 golfers, with the lowest rated player Jim Furyk. Meanwhile, six of the players on Team Europe come in at No. 25 or below on the world list. That means at least half of Europe's squad will be playing higher-ranked competitors in the one-on-one singles matches on the final day of play.

In addition to Woods, the team features 2012 Masters winner Bubba Watson and Ryder Cup rookie Brandt Snedeker, who won the FedEx Cup at last week's Tour Championship. Snedeker, Furyk, Steve Stricker, and Dustin Johnson were the four players selected by non-playing captain Dustin Johnson to represent Team USA, while the other eight placed due to their Ryder Cup standings, which compile results from the past two seasons. Here's the full team:

Tiger Woods

Bubba Watson

Jason Dufner

Keegan Bradley

Webb Simpson

Zach Johnson

Matt Kuchar

Phil Mickelson

Steve Stricker

Jim Furyk

Brandt Snedeker

Dustin Johnson