US captain Tom Lehman believes the form of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will determine the success or failure of his team's bid to reclaim the Ryder Cup on European soil.
Woods and Mickelson famously lost twice on the opening day when Hal Sutton played them together at Oakland Hills two years ago.
That set the tone for a humiliating defeat for the US and Lehman has made it clear the world's top two players will not be playing together this time around, with Mickelson set to partner Chris DiMarco and Woods lined up with Jim Furyk.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The hope in the US camp is that playing with new partners will bring out the best in the duo and that they can generate a ripple of confidence through the rest of the team.
"Any time your star players get their points, it is very positive motivationally for the team," Lehman said. "It makes everyone more confident. It is very important that our top players play as well as they can, and if they do that, they will get their share of points."
Of the pair, it is Mickelson who has the better record in Ryder Cups, having won nine and halved three of the 20 matches he has played in five previous cup appearances.
Woods has played the same number of matches as his team-mate but won only seven and halved two, a record that many have ascribed to his perceived discomfort in a team setting.
Whether or not that was the case in the past, Lehman believes it does not apply to Woods this time around.
In the run-up to this year's clash, Woods himself has been talking enthusiastically about taking on more of a leadership role in a team that counts four Ryder Cup rookies -- Brett Wetterich, Vaughn Taylor, JJ Henry and Zach Johnson -- among its 12 members.
And Lehman believes that the world number one's body language speaks volumes about how he has engaged with the US team like never before.
"I was watching him on the 11th hole when Brett Wetterich made a 15-foot putt for birdie," Lehman said. "He walked over to high-five Tiger and Tiger gave him a shove, like, `get out of here, what're you doing.'"
"That's the kind of gesture, the kind of thing you do when you feel you're comfortable with other people. He has gone to great lengths to make other people comfortable with him and vice versa. He is doing a great job."
Among the steps Woods has taken to break down any reserve between himself and his team-mates was picking up the microphone as the team enjoyed a night of Irish beef, music and Guinness before getting down to the serious business this week.
The fact that Woods was prepared to risk embarrassment by picking up the microphone in the first place however speaks volumes about the relaxed spirit of togetherness and common purpose Lehman has successfully cultivated in this US team.
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