Strengths, weaknesses of U.S. Ryder Cup team

Beginning Friday at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, the United States will play Europe in the 44th Ryder Cup. Four-ball and foursome matches will be Friday and Saturday, with the competition concluding Sunday with 12 singles matches.

The Europeans have won nine of the past 13 Cups. The Americans seek their first win on foreign soil since 1993. 

Here's a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S.'s 12-man team, listed from most to least experienced in Ryder Cup play:

Jordan Spieth

Ryder Cup record: 8-7-3 | Greatest achievement: Tying Tiger Woods' scoring record (-18) at the 2015 Masters.
Strength: Imagination and creativity. If you could pick one player to get up and down from an awkward spot, Spieth would be at or near the top of the list. He's also a supreme birdie-maker, a big reason he holds a 5-2-0 career record in the four-ball format at the Ryder Cup.
Weakness: Accuracy off the tee. Spieth hit just 56.83 percent of his fairways last season, 119th on the PGA Tour. Errant drives can put his team in tough positions in foursomes.

Rickie Fowler

Ryder Cup record: 3-7-5 | Greatest achievement: Winning 2015 Players Championship.
Strength: Consistency. In 25 PGA Tour starts last season, Fowler recorded 18 top-25 finishes and eight top-10s. He also ranked 11th on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained.
Weakness: Match-play record. Fowler's 3-7-5 Ryder Cup record is the worst mark on the team, and he has never advanced past the group stage of the PGA Tour's match-play event. 

Brooks Koepka

Ryder Cup record: 6-5-1 | Greatest achievement: Winning consecutive U.S. Open titles in 2017 and 2018.
Strength: Killer instinct. Koepka thrives when the pressure is high. There's a reason why he's undefeated in singles matches in his three Ryder Cup appearances.  
Weakness: Team chemistry. Everyone on the U.S. team seems to like Koepka, but captain Zach Johnson clearly didn't want any LIV Golf members on the squad. How will that dynamic affect the pairings this week?

Justin Thomas

Ryder Cup record: 6-2-1 | Greatest achievement: Winning the 2022 PGA Championship with the third-biggest comeback in major championship history.
Strength: Iron play. Thomas has been one of the best iron players in the world for nearly a decade. He can shape the ball both ways with ease and thrives in the wind.  
Weakness: Recent form. Many fans weren't thrilled with this captain's pick because Thomas missed five cuts in his last eight starts leading up to the selection, but his stellar match-play history secured him a spot on the team. 

Patrick Cantlay

Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1 | Greatest achievement: Winning 2021 FedEx Cup.
Strength: Driving. Cantlay's driver is an absolute weapon on the golf course. He ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour in total driving last season.
Weakness: Short wedges. Cantlay is an elite ball-striker, but he struggles when the shot doesn't call for a full swing. He ranked 150th on Tour in proximity inside 100 yards last season.

Xander Schauffele

Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1 | Greatest achievement: Winning the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Strength: Well-balanced. It's hard to find a weakness in Schauffele's game because he's either elite or above average in every aspect. He ranked fourth on the Tour last season in total strokes gained behind only Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Cantlay.
Weakness: Playing from the rough. The only statistical blip for Schauffele is his proximity to the hole on approach shots from the rough. The good news is his partner, Cantlay, is one of the best in the business at peppering fairways. 

Collin Morikawa

Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1 | Greatest achievement: Becoming the fifth player to win two major championships before the age of 25.  
Strength: Iron play. Morikawa played in 25 PGA Tour events last season. He gained strokes on approach in 23 of them. If Scheffler didn't exist, Morikawa would be the best iron player in the world.
Weakness: Putting. Morikawa's ball-striking numbers have been off the charts since he joined the PGA Tour, but he's never ranked better than 114th in putting strokes gained for a season. If the flagstick catches fire in Rome, Morikawa could end up being Team USA's leading scorer.

Scottie Scheffler

Ryder Cup record: 2-0-1 | Greatest achievement: Winning 2022 Masters.
Strength: Ball-striking. Scheffler is the best ball-striker on earth right now, and there isn't a close second. The Texan led the PGA Tour in total strokes gained, strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained approach and greens in regulation last season.  
Weakness: Putting. Scheffler should've won at least four or five tournaments last season, but he finished with only two victories because he ranked 151st in putting strokes gained. 

Max Homa

Ryder Cup record: Rookie | Greatest achievement: Winning 2021 Genesis Invitational.
Strength: Putting. Homa ranked sixth on Tour in strokes gained: putting last season. He's solid inside 10 feet and has a knack for making bombs, which is crucial in the match play format.
Weakness: Playing under pressure. Homa is an exceptional talent, but his history in major championships is puzzling. In 16 career major starts, Homa has eight missed cuts and only two top-35 finishes. 

Brian Harman

Ryder Cup record: Rookie | Greatest achievement: Winning the 2023 Open Championship.
Strength: Short game. Harman ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour in both scrambling percentage and putting from six feet. The lefty finished the 2022-23 season with 10 straight events in which he gained strokes on the green.  
Weakness: Driving distance and iron play. Harman is only 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, so he's one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour. He's also been a below-average iron player his entire career, so his elite short game better show up in Rome. 

Wyndham Clark

Ryder Cup record: Rookie | Greatest achievement: Winning 2023 U.S. Open.
Strength: Driving distance. Clark will be an important factor in foursomes because of his elite length off the tee. He ranked 11th on Tour in driving distance and fifth in club head speed last season.
Weakness: Driving accuracy and mid-iron play. Clark can smash his driver, but his power fade can turn into a slice too often. He also struggles with approach shots from 125-175 yards. 

Sam Burns

Ryder Cup record: Rookie

Greatest achievement: Winning the 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Strength: Putting. Burns ranked fourth on the PGA Tour in total putting and seventh in one-putt percentage last season. He's a threat to make every putt inside 30 feet.  
Weakness: Iron play. Burns has been an up-and-down iron player in his career, but it was mostly down in 2022-23. It's a good thing he'll likely be paired with Scheffler, his best friend and the best iron player in the world.