3 stars that don't shine

MEDINAH, Ill. - No other trio of American golfers has qualified for more consecutive Ryder Cup teams than Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk. Collectively, they have won 146 official tournaments around the world, including 19 majors.

That only makes their Ryder Cup record look all the more inferior.

They have been the core of the U.S. team since 1997 at Valderrama, where they combined for a 3-6-1 record as the United States lost the cup. Perhaps it was a sign of what was to come. For all their individual achievement, none has a winning record in the Ryder Cup. They have been on six teams together - Woods missed in 2008 at Valhalla while recovering from knee surgery - and the only celebration they shared was that remarkable comeback at Brookline.

"I would have expected and definitely wished for a much better record than that," Furyk said.

It leads to a question that brings to mind the chicken and the egg.

Do they all have losing records because they are playing on losing teams? Or does the U.S keep losing because this triumvirate has losing records?

"I think it's both," Woods said. "In order to win cups, you have to earn points. And we certainly have not earned points. And on top of that, Phil, Jim and myself have been put out there a lot during those years. So if we're not earning points, it's hard to win Ryder Cups that way."

So much has been expected. So little has been delivered. And they are running out of time to leave a lasting impression.

Furyk is 42 and has gone four of the last five PGA Tour seasons without winning, though the exception was in 2010 when he won three times and was voted player of the year. Even so, he had to rely on being a captain's pick for the first time. Mickelson, also 42, has qualified for nine straight teams dating to 1995. He will set an American record for most Ryder Cups when the matches began Friday. Even so, he narrowly qualified for the team this year.

They will be leaned on heavily again at Medinah as the U.S. tries to win back the cup, beginning with Day 1 on Friday.

U.S. captain Davis Love III confirmed some obvious pairings in mind Wednesday - by sending out Woods and Steve Stricker, Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. Other pairings were Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson, and Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.

There were few surprises on the European side.

European captain Jose Maria Olazabal had Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood in one group; Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia and Paul Lawrie in another; and Mark Kaymer, Nicolas Colsaerts, Francesco Molinari and Peter Hanson in a third.

Furyk referred to McIlroy as a “marked man” last week, and not many could argue. The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland already is a two-time major champion, with both wins by eight shots. He has established himself as No. 1 in the world without debate, and has won three of his last six tournaments against the strongest field.

For so many years, Woods was that guy on the U.S. team, and that’s why his record gets so much attention.

“I kind of liken it to playing premiership football, the biggest teams, the Manchester Uniteds, the Liverpools, the Chelseas, the Arsenals,” McDowell said. “Any lesser team that comes to play these guys, they have a tendency to raise their game because it’s a huge game for an underdog to play a Tiger Woods. And they get up for it. They are not expected to win. When expectation levels drop, game tends to improve. I think a guy who plays Tiger Woods, or a player of that caliber, he doesn’t expect to win, so he lets it all go and he plays out of his skin and gets the upset.”