Sky Sports - Ryder Cup

With just days to go until the Ryder Cup in Valhalla, many are predicting the closest tournament in many years.

Sky Sports golf expert Mark Roe takes a close look the factors that could swing things in the direction of either team and delivers his verdict on what the final result will be.

USA

HOME ADVANTAGE
Paul Azinger can set the course up as he wishes to suit his team. He knows a lot of his top players are not the straightest drivers of the golf ball so he's cut the rough back and widened it out. He's also changed the format so the foursomes are first because Europe are traditionally strong in fourballs and he doesn't want us to build up a lead. He's obviously doing everything he can to gain an edge.

A PARTISAN CROWD
The Americans will have huge support. The crowd will obviously be very partisan and that could be incredibly intimidating, particularly for the rookies in the European team. In previous matches plenty have things have gone on - and it's not always reported - so there will be a lot of pressure on our guys. One thing that's for sure is that the people of Kentucky will give us an amazing atmosphere. While the front nine is very open, the back nine funnels into the trees, so when you have 40,000 enclosed in that tree-lined area for the last few holes the atmosphere is going to be electrical.

A POINT TO PROVE
In the past, the US team boasted superstars of the calibre of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino who would go out and intimidate their opponents. That won't happen this year. Instead there are six rookies in the team and those guys are really going to want to prove you don't need have to be a team of superstars to win the Ryder Cup back for America. With a little bit more to prove I can see the Americans raising their games. I don't buy into the theory that they'll feel more of a desire to win because Tiger Woods isn't there. In his absence they go in as underdogs - and we all know how dangerous it can be to face an underdog.

THE PASSION OF THE CAPTAIN
Paul Azinger is an incredibly tough and resilient man, as shown by the way he came through a personal crisis in his life with his cancer scare. He's won major championships and was always somebody who maximised his game as a player. He was a very gritty and gutsy Ryder Cup player and was unbelievably difficult to beat in the heat of battle. He will bring that determination, that experience and that passion to his team.

Europe

THE ABSENCE OF TIGER
We've been incredibly dominant in the last two matches with a nine-point win in both. Therefore we expect to be going there as slight favourites - but I feel the presence of Tiger Woods would have really balanced the scales. His loss is a definite blow to the American team because without him we go in as favourites and have that slight psychological edge.

TEAM SPIRIT
The team spirit and camaraderie is stronger in the European camp and we bond better as players. That's borne of the friendships that exist on the European Tour, which is generally friendlier and more sociable than the PGA Tour. Every time John Daly comes to Europe, he is always shouting from the rooftops about how much friendlier the players are and how, if he had the choice, he'd love to make it his home Tour. That will carry through to the Ryder Cup and there needs to be an element of fun along the way to ease the pressure. There should be an abundance of smiles in the European team.

GOOD FORM
The European team are in good form. Robert Karlsson won the Mercedes-Benz Championship with a brilliant performance last week while Miguel Angel Jimenez came in third. The performance of the rookies in Holland and under pressure at Gleneagles - when Soren Hansen, Oliver Wilson and Justin Rose finished in the top 10 - was also extremely encouraging. That shows they can perform under the most intense pressure. I also believe we have a team of more prolific winners. Apart from Wilson, all the members of the team are winners, which contrasts with America who have three rookies who are yet to win a tournament. We also boast the only current major champion at the Ryder Cup in Padraig Harrington.

THE PERFECTIONISM OF THE CAPTAIN
Another reason why Europe could win the Ryder Cup is Nick Faldo's meticulous and "no stone unturned" attitude towards achieving perfection. As Europe's leading points scorer, he has huge Ryder Cup experience and has played under so many different captains. He'll have taken little bits from each of them in order to learn the right way to handle things. I think he might prove to be a good captain.

Mark's call - A draw

I don't see this being another nine-point victory and it could end up being decided by somebody holing a putt on the very last green! This will be much closer than the previous two tournaments and my prediction is that we could see a tied match, which would be a fantastic result. Europe would retain the trophy, America would regain some credibility after the last two hammerings and golf would be the winner.

Of course I'd love Europe to win, but all that I really want is for the teams, the captains and the crowds to behave in a manner that befits the status of the Ryder Cup as a sporting occasion in the history of the game of golf.