United States start out as firm favourites

The United States will be strong favourites to retain the 34th Ryder Cup against Europe at The Belfry course this weekend in what's expected to be a fiercely contested golf tournament.

The tournament starts on Friday morning with the fourball matches and European captain Sam Torrance's main concern is the poor form of Englishman Lee Westwood, Irishmen Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, Sweden's Pierre Fulke and Phillip Price of Wales.

Clarke finished second last in the World Golf Championship, held at the Mount Juliet course in Ireland on Sunday, while Price's poor recent form has led to speculation he may not play before Sunday's singles.

Torrance will be hoping for a strong display from Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik this week. The players won three and half points out of four at Brookline in 1999 and renewed their hugely successful partnership Tuesday in Europe's first Ryder Cup practice session at The Belfry.

Garcia, the youngest ever Ryder Cup player in 1999 at 19 years, eight months and 15 days, gave his European team-mates a boost with a course record 10-under-par 62 in the final round of the World Golf Championship on Sunday.

The pairing of Thomas Bjorn and Colin Montgomerie could be split up and see two of Europe's best players asked to partner Niclas Fasth or another of the 3 European rookies.

Bernhard Langer, the 45-year-old German will also be getting another new partner for a record 12 different partners in nine previous appearances.

The U.S. have their own worries and team captain Curtis Strange will hope that Ryder Cup veteran Hal Sutton, now ranked 125th in the world, and rookie Stewart Cink can rediscover their form at The Belfry.

Although team-mate Tiger Woods won the World Golf Championship on Sunday, dropping only one shot in the whole tournament to finish on 25 under-par, both Sutton and Cink failed to qualify.

Strange will be heartened by Phil Mickelson's closing round of eight-under-par 64 at Mount Juliet but Captain's picks Scott Verplank and Paul Azinger are struggling since the beginning of the year and David Duval is in the middle of his worst year on tour.

On the positive side, Davis Love, who didn't lose a point at Brookline in 1999, is over his neck problem and Mark Calcavecchia will be looking to avenge his defeat in the 1991 Ryder Cup.

Scott Hoch, Jim Furyk and 2001 PGA Championship winner David Toms make up the rest of the U.S. team, which includes seven winners of at least one major tournament as opposed to one (Bernhard Langer) on the European team.

Organisers will be hoping to avoid the controversy of the 1999 event at Brookline when a section of American spectators tried to distract Colin Montgomerie.

Hecklers will be ejected from The Belfry this week, with Ryder Cup director Richard Hills telling reporters that any tit-for-tat will be dealt with severely.

"People that heckle are not welcome at The Belfry, we would throw them out if that was identified and isolated," warned Hills.