Tiger, best-ever US and Europe teams spice up Ryder Cup battle

Resurgent star Tiger Woods and the highest-ranked lineups in Ryder Cup history have built anticipation for thrills and excitement ahead of Friday's dramatic opening matches between Europe and trophy-holders United States at Le Golf National.

The Americans seek their first triumph on European soil in 25 years in the biennial team showdown while Europe's 12-man squad hopes to win for a ninth time in 12 attempts and reclaim the hardware they lost at Hazeltine in 2016.

"It's all lined up to be something special," European captain Thomas Bjorn said Wednesday.

"These teams are the two best teams world ranking-wise that have been across from each other in this event. So it's for those 24 players to go out and show that."
"The golf course, the stands, the fans, all the buildup, being in this great city -- that just adds on for it to be a really, really special occasion."
"They are trying to do the best they can to brace themselves and get ready for the battle."
"Are we underdogs? Probably on paper we are," Bjorn said. "But we still believe that we can win."
- Tiger grinding -
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"A guy with his status and that number of wins, he can flip the page and turn his attention to this week. He's working hard and grinding and trying to help this team as much as he can."
"Those were the matches that swing," Woods said. "Those little half-points to point swings are enormous over the course of the entire Cup. Usually who plays the last hole well determines the Cup."
- First-tee tensions -
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"They have guys that just hit it so long. For the bulk of the European team, they would welcome a setup more of this style."
"You can be aggressive from 20 to 40 feet. I think you're going to see a lot of putts made and that will be most likely the difference."