BBC Sportgolf

Steve Stricker
Age: 41
Caps: 0
Ryder Cup record: N/A

Stricker, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, is probably the best-known of the three Ryder Cup wildcard rookie picks selected by captain Paul Azinger.

A solid citizen-type figure, Stricker turned professional in 1990 and shone most consistently in 1996 when Stricker he won the Kemper Open and Western Open along with seven top-ten finishes on his way to finishing fourth on the 1996 PGA Tour money list.

But the stand-out highlight of his career came at the 2001 Match Play Championship, where he beat Pierre Fulke 2 and 1 to earn the one million dollar prize.

Azinger pays tribute to his impressive "stats" and Stricker has come as close as you can get to winning a major without doing so. In 1998, he was in contention in the final round of the PGA courtesy of a defiant back-nine surge but Vijay Singh managed to edge him out down the stretch to claim a two-stroke victory.

That runner-up spot remains his best result in a major, but he been close in other championships, most notably fifth-placed finishes at the US Open in 1998 and 1999 and seventh at this year's Open.