Ever since his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 the 37-year-old from Worksop has been a stalwart of the European team. In that first year he teamed up with Sir Nick Faldo and subsequently he has also thrived playing alongside his close friend Darren Clarke and also Sergio Garcia. In his six appearances he has sat out just one series of matches, but with 15 wins, five halves and just nine losses he is clearly worth playing as often as possible (although he did fail to register a win in 2008, recording instead two halves and two defeats). He also proved his matchplay credentials when winning the 2000 Cisco World Matchplay at Wentworth. Captain Colin Montgomerie is sure to place as much faith in him as previous captains have done because, although he is famously yet to win a major, he has continued to prove himself one of the world's finest competitors racking up four top-three finishes in his last five grand slam events. The only concern will be his fitness after he had to withdraw from the USPGA Championship to rest an injured calf.