Sky Sports - Ryder Cup

We look at some fascinating facts surrounding the contest between Europe and the US.

WELL-SUITED

Nick Faldo may be separated from his third wife Valerie, but she will be with him at Valhalla and has chosen the outfits for the players' wives and girlfriends.

"They remain great friends," said Faldo's manager Martin Forsyth, while Europe's captain has commented himself: "She has come on board to help me. The guys are going to look pretty sharp on the golf course and I'm sure the ladies will look pretty chic off it."

CHANGE IS FOURSOME

For the first time since 1999 the Ryder Cup will start with foursomes rather than fourballs.

American captain Paul Azinger decided on the switch in the hope of giving his team an early edge.

Europe has won the last three opening fourballs, but even in foursomes it is not since 1991 at Kiawah Island that the United States have taken a lunchtime lead.

In the seven matches since then Europe lead 34-22 in foursomes and 31-25 in fourballs.

TO THE MANOR BORN

The 2010 match will be the first to be staged in Wales, with Celtic Manor near Newport the host venue.

Medinah in Chicago, where Tiger Woods has twice won the US PGA Championship, has been awarded the 2012 match, then it goes to Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014 and Hazeltine in Minnesota two years later.

The 2018 venue has yet to be announced, although it has been decided that the match will be in continental Europe providing a suitable course is found, and in 2020 it goes to Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

PAIRING UP

Each team captain independently submits his pairings to the appointed tournament official, with four players from each side being omitted from each session of foursomes and fourballs.

All 12 players compete in the Sunday singles.

Changes can be made to pairings before a match tees off if a player becomes ill or injured.

If a player is unable to compete in singles the "envelope" system comes into operation, each captain having submitted the name of one of his players to drop out if necessary.

This happened in both 1991 and 1993 following injuries to American Steve Pate and then European Sam Torrance. David Gilford and Lanny Wadkins sat out the session.

FAMILY AFFAIR

There have been several relatives appear in the Ryder Cup over the years.

Until 1997 Percy and Peter Alliss were the only father-son combination, but then Ignacio Garrido followed his father Antonio into the match.

Brothers Charles, Reg and Ernest Whitcombe were later joined by Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt, Joe and Jim Turnesa and then Jay and Lionel Hebert.

The only cousins remain Jackie Burke and Dave Marr and the only father-in-law and son-in-law Max Faulkner and Brian Barnes, while there have been two sets of brothers-in-law - Jerry Pate and Bruce Lietzke and then Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart.

FIGURE IT OUT

The figure on the Ryder Cup trophy is Abe Mitchell, the man who taught Samuel Ryder how to play the game.

Preston-born Ryder made his fortune selling penny seed packets and became mayor of St Albans in Hertfordshire. He joined the Verulam club in the city.

Mitchell was due to be the playing captain of the inaugural match in 1927, but suffered appendicitis. He was a member of the 1929, 1931 and 1933 teams.