Alan Shipnuck
Writer, Sports Illustrated
Pick: Internationals
The U.S. has more or less owned the Presidents Cup since its inception in 1994, but I think that will change this year. To understand the relative strength of each team, just look at the captain's picks. The Internationals got a Masters champ who has played in three previous Cups (Mike Weir, left) and a Tiger-tamer who won two big matches in '05 (Nick O'Hern). The U.S. was forced to go with two callow if talented rookies (Hunter Mahan, Lucas Glover).

The top-to-bottom strength of the Internationals is just one edge they enjoy. They have fewer players who just endured the FedEx Cup grind, and there is a strong motivation to finally win a Cup for their embattled captain, Gary Player. There is also the nominal home-field advantage, though it remains to be seen how loud the Canucks will be. But the bottom line is talent — the Internationals simply have more of it, whether it's quantified in major championship winners or world ranking points. This is the year all that game translates into a victory.