Azinger the alchemist will work his magic on United States.

While Nick Faldo's controversial but understandable selection of Ian Poulter ridiculously dominates the headlines, it is the captain's fierce rivalry with his old American adversary that will go a long way deciding this Ryder Cup.

Go back to the Olympics in 2000.
Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Tim Foster's victory remains among my fondest sporting memories.
Indeed, I even have a signed photograph - probably a fraud - of the quartet hanging in my Hall of Fame, a wall in my home dedicated to sporting images.
It's a work in progress - but to give you an idea there is a signed picture of Brian Lara running to his 400th run against England at Antigua (definitely not a fraud); the now symbolic pose of Jonny Wilkinson striking the World Cup winning drop goal in 2003; a signed picture of swing bowler Alec Bedser playing his final county game at The Oval and the most stunning image of Tiger Woods driving down the Road Hole at St Andrews en route to his first Open victory.
There are others, notably Sonny Liston crashing to the canvas against Muhammad Ali; George Gregan, the world's most capped scrum-half; and Gianfranco Zola in action for Italy, but it's the picture of the coxless four collecing their medals in Sydney which has oddly struck me since Nick Faldo named his wild card picks for the Ryder Cup.
While the other pictures concentrate on the individual or personal achievement - the exception perhaps being Wilkinson's drop goal, although given his obsessive dedication to practise one could argue that moment was as much a triumph for the individual as anything else - the oarsmen represent the contrasting qualities and styles needed to make up an effective team.
While Pinsent dictated the tempo at which the crew rowed he was also responsible for providing power, as were Redgrave and Cracknell.
Foster's main input was more technical; to provide rhythm and timing, those most natural of sporting qualities, so the boat could move smoothly.
His waif-like frame against the giant statures of his fellow crew on the podium provides a starkly contrasting image in itself and, just like Lara, Ali, Gregan, Bedser and Zola in the Hall fo Fame, his inclusion among them is representative of the need for technique and skill in a sporting world continually yielding to power.
Being able to match styles is essentially what the Ryder Cup captain's job is all about.
Forget world rankings or favourites: that has never mattered in this competition, as Hal Sutton's decision to play Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson together at Oakland Hills in 2004 abundantly demonstrated.
In Paul Azinger, the United States have their most more attuned captain since Ben Crenshaw.
He and Faldo do not get on, a strained relationship which dates back to their feudal playing days.
Faldo's description of Azinger's game - "a baseball grip with a hatchet swing" - may not sound like much of a slur, but golfers are notoriously precious when it comes to their swing.
Azinger is no defenseless victim, however; if anything, he comes out on top in the verbal exchanges.
In rather prosaic terms, he has described Faldo as a "p****" in the build up to this event and someone universally hated by his generation.
That might explain why Faldo has opted for youngsters such as Poulter and Paul Casey as his wild cards rather than Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke; either way, his selections show the single mindedness and lack of sentiment that were his hallmarks as a player have not mellowed with age.
They made him the finest English golfer in history - but his playing days are gone and the problem for Faldo is that the Ryder Cup is all about emotion, sentiment and vision.
In contrast Azinger, a devout Republican, is an emotional, impulsive man: all stars, stripes, spangled banners and Long Live America.
In selecting the experienced Steve Stricker, bomber JB Holmes and the precociously talented Hunter Mahan, he has selected three players in form.
His fourth choice - Azinger demanded four - is Chad Campbell, one of the sweetest ball strikers and technically adept players on tour.
On the captain's orders the Valhalla course, a former US Open venue (meaning it will be long and tough), will have its fairways widened at the 300-yard mark to play to his team's strengths.
His side is a combination of bombers, ball-strikers, and the best in-form players in the world.
It's a potent blend and one that, buoyed by the jingoistic support expected from the bellicose residents of Kentucky, will make the United States a much more difficult proposition than many expect.