U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

The simple definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly the same way and expecting different results.

Here's the thing, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger knew that changes had to be made if the United States was going to be a force again in the biennial competition. Azinger wanted and got changes in the points system, the format and, perhaps most important, his ability to make four wild card picks instead of the traditional two.

Azinger got all that he publicly asked for and earlier this week announced his four wild card selections to go along with the eight men who qualified for the team and will represent the United States against Europe, Sept. 19-2,1 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

The American qualifiers include, in order; Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Ben Curtis and Boo Weekly.

Azinger then added Wisconsin native Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan, JB Holmes and Chad Campbell.

At first glance, especially with the glaring omission of the world's No. 1 player, injured Tiger Woods, the U,S, is not fielding the most intimidating line-up on the planet. But, the sum of these individual parts is what makes this team more intriguing than most of the recent incarnations.

For starters, Tiger won't be around to help. Golf is an individual game by its very nature and pairing up the best player in the game is no easy task. There is a reason why Tiger's singles record at 3-1-1 is far better than either his four balls (4-6-0) or foursome (3-6-1) mark at the Ryder Cup. It's simple math: in singles, you only have to take care of your own business and there is no one better at that in the game than Tiger Woods.

With Tiger recovering from knee surgery, the American team can posture itself as the "underdog," although this team may be one of the deepest in recent history and is talented across the board.

Phil Mickelson -- Has played on five U,S, teams and has played in 20 total matches with a 9-8-3 mark overall. With Tiger out, he is the alpha male in this group and without winning a major championship in '08, being on and leading a winning Ryder Cup team is paramount for the lefty.

Stewart Cink -- Has played on three U.S. teams and 12 total matches with an overall mark of 3-5-4. Is undefeated in Four Ball competition for his career (1-0-3) and don't think for a moment that Captain Azinger hasn't noticed that stat.

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