EUROPE will attempt to defend its hard-won Ryder Cup crown by winning on American soil for the fourth time - but the United States are in no mood to make it easy.
Rookie Brandt Snedecker has even said he will "try to beat their brains in" when asked about his European counterparts.
Meanwhile, American captain Davis Love III expects the gallery at the Medinah Country Club to play its part over the weekend.
"Chicago is an incredible sports town and the fans are going to be fired up. The first tee could be the loudest any of these guys have ever seen," said Love.
Of course, there is no way that Snedecker meant what he said literally and bullish pre-match predictions are all part of the show which is fair enough.
But the fired up Americans need to be careful that their emotions do not get carried away on the course, just as they did in 1991 at Kiawah Island, South Carolina - the so-called 'War on the Shore' - and again in 1999 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The 1991 contest was staged with the first Gulf War as its backdrop, and the Americans - deprived of the trophy in the previous three match-ups - went on the offensive.
European captain Bernard Gallacher recalled: "It was like that World Wrestling Federation stuff on television, where you have bad guys and good guys. We were the bad guys.
"When the Americans apply themselves to winning something as seriously as they have the Ryder Cup, you know you have to cope with a very ruthless animal."
And the Americans did win - but the hosts' attitude was pretty much summed up by Paul Azinger who celebrated victory by declaring: "American pride is back.
"We went over there and thumped the Iraqis. Now we've taken the cup back. I'm proud to be an American."
A similar, and just as inappropriate, comment was made by Bubba Watson yesterday, perhaps demonstrating a hardened approach from the Americans as they aim to improve their poor recent record.
Watson said: "Well, it's the United States flag. You know, the military, the military that wears our flag everywhere they go. They give us freedom to play golf, to play the Ryder Cup."
Now, of course, the tired cliche that sport and politics do not mix has been thoroughly disproved over the years - just consider the Olympic boycotts in 1980 and 1984 - but sports and actual real war crosses an uncomfortable line for me.
At least in 1999, the Americans apologised for their awful eschewing of golfing etiquette when all their players, and even their wives, invaded the 17th green in Brookline following a putt from Justin Leonard.
Nevertheless, that victory in 1999 - and the win in Valhalla, Kentucky in 2008 - are the only two times over the last eight matches across 17 years that the USA has come out on top.
Team Europe was introduced in 1979 due to the one-sided nature of the competition until then between the United States and Great Britain & Ireland.
Europe promptly lost its first three match-ups but bit back in the latter part of the 1980s with two wins and a thrilling tie in 1989 from which it retained the Cup.
The 1990s were also evenly contested, bookended by the aforementioned events in 1991 and 1999, before the September 11 attacks in 2001 forced the contest into even-numbered years.
Since then, Europe has won four out of the five ties, and such dominance is evident in the players respective individual records.
For, while none of the Americans has a winning record, both Luke Donald and Ian Poulter can boast a 72% outright-win ratio - and this competition also seems to bring the best out of the likes of Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood.
Of course, it was notable that, when Tiger Woods' crown slipped, it was a Northern Irishman who has stepped into the fill breach. Rory McIlroy goes into this Ryder Cup as a double major winner and the world's number one golfer.
Times have certainly changed since the American dominance of the 1970s and before - but Europe is hardly a shoo-in for another triumph.
In fact, the Americans are favourites with every single bookmaker. Home advantage does not always count but it is usually a factor, and there can be no doubt that the Americans are trying to ramp it up as much as possible this time.
Europe had a patchy record in the Ryder Cup in the 1980s and 1990s but it always used to revel in its underdog role. Can Spanish captain Jose Maria Olazabal reprise it?
THE TEAMS (*= captain's wildcard selection)
United States (Captain: Davis Love III, Vice-captains: Fred Couples, Mike Hulbert, Jeff Sluman, Scott Verplank)
| Age | Points rank (World) | Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) | World ranking | Majors | |
| Tiger Woods | 36 | 1 | 12-14-2 | 2 | 14 |
| Bubba Watson | 33 | 2 | 1-3-0 | 7 | 1 |
| Jason Dufner | 35 | 3 | Rookie | 6 | 0 |
| Keegan Bradley | 26 | 4 | Rookie | 13 | 1 |
| Webb Simpson | 27 | 5 | Rookie | 8 | 1 |
| Zach Johnson | 36 | 6 | 3-3-1 | 16 | 1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 34 | 7 | 1-1-2 | 14 | 0 |
| Phil Mickelson | 42 | 8 | 11-17-6 | 15 | 4 |
| *Steve Stricker | 45 | 10 | 3-3-1 | 10 | 0 |
| *Jim Furyk | 42 | 11 | 8-15-4 | 28 | 1 |
| *Brandt Snedeker | 31 | 13 | Rookie | 18 | 0 |
| *Dustin Johnson | 28 | 15 | 1-3-0 | 12 | 0 |
Europe (Captain: Jose Maria Olazabal, Vice-captains: Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Miguel Angel Jimenez)
| Age | Points rank (Euro) | Points rank (World) | Ryder Cup record (W-L-H) | World ranking | Majors | |
| Rory McIlroy (NI) | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1-1-2 | 1 | 2 |
| Justin Rose (ENG) | 32 | 2 | 3 | 3-1-0 | 9 | 0 |
| Paul Lawrie (SCO) | 43 | 3 | 6 | 3-1-1 | 27 | 1 |
| G McDowell (NI) | 33 | 4 | 5 | 4-2-2 | 17 | 1 |
| F Molinari (ITA) | 29 | 5 | 8 | 0-2-1 | 31 | 0 |
| Luke Donald (ENG) | 34 | 7 | 2 | 8-2-1 | 3 | 0 |
| Lee Westwood (ENG) | 39 | 10 | 4 | 16-11-6 | 4 | 0 |
| Sergio Garcia (ESP) | 32 | 13 | 7 | 14-6-4 | 19 | 0 |
| Peter Hanson (SWE) | 34 | 6 | 9 | 1-2-0 | 23 | 0 |
| Mart Kaymer (GER) | 27 | 8 | 10 | 2-1-1 | 32 | 1 |
| *Nic Colsaerts (BEL) | 29 | 9 | 12 | Rookie | 35 | 0 |
| *Ian Poulter (ENG) | 36 | 17 | 11 | 8-3-0 | 24 | 0 |
COURSE
Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois, USA (Par 72, 7657 yards)
| Hole | Yards | Par | Hole | Yards | Par | ||
| 1 | 433 | 4 | 10 | 578 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 192 | 3 | 11 | 440 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 412 | 4 | 12 | 476 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 463 | 4 | 13 | 245 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 536 | 5 | 14 | 609 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 509 | 4 | 15 | 390 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 617 | 5 | 16 | 482 | 4 | ||
| 8 | 201 | 3 | 17 | 193 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 432 | 4 | 18 | 449 | 4 | ||
| OUT | 3765 | 36 | IN | 3862 | 36 |
RYDER CUP HISTORY: EUROPE v UNITED STATES
Since 1979, Europe has held the Cup for 18 years, and the United States for 15 years. Before 1979, United States won all but four of the first 22 matches against Great Britain/Great Britain & Ireland. The exceptional years were 1929 (GB won 7-5), 1933 (GB won 6½-5½), 1957 (GB won 7½-4½), and 1969 (a 16-16 tie - USA retained the Cup).
Matches 16
Europe 8
United States 7
Ties 1
| Year | Course | Holder | |||
| 1979 | The Greenbrier, VA | Europe | 11-17 | United States | United States |
| 1981 | Walton Heath, Eng | Europe | 9½-18½ | United States | United States |
| 1983 | Palm Beach, FL | Europe | 13½-14½ | United States | United States |
| 1985 | The Belfry, England | Europe | 16½-11½ | United States | Europe |
| 1987 | Muirfield Village, OH | Europe | 15-13 | United States | Europe |
| 1989 | The Belfry, England | Europe | 14-14 | United States | Europe |
| 1991 | Kiawah Island, SC | Europe | 13½-14½ | United States | United States |
| 1993 | The Belfry, England | Europe | 13-15 | United States | United States |
| 1995 | Oak Hill, NY | Europe | 14½-13½ | United States | Europe |
| 1997 | Valderrama, Spain | Europe | 14½-13½ | United States | Europe |
| 1999 | Brookline, MA | Europe | 13½-14½ | United States | United States |
| 2002* | The Belfry, England | Europe | 15½-12½ | United States | Europe |
| 2004 | Oakland Hills, MI | Europe | 18½-9½ | United States | Europe |
| 2006 | K Club, Ireland | Europe | 18½-9½ | United States | Europe |
| 2008 | Valhalla, KY | Europe | 11½-16½ | United States | United States |
| 2010 | Celtic Manor, Wales | Europe | 14½-13½ | United States | Europe |
*Originally scheduled for 2001 but delayed for a year following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Subsequent tournaments have been played on even-numbered years.
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