The European Ryder Cup squad is full of veterans, with only Nicolas Colsaerts making his maiden appearance at the biennial event. Jose Maria Olazabal is the captain for the European squad. Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley and Miguel Angel Jimenez will assist Olazabal. The competition is Friday through Sunday at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.

Here is a player-by-player look at the European squad.

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— Golfweek

Age: 29

Ryder Cup record: 0-0-0

The skinny: The long-bombing rookie from Belgium has improved from 72nd to 35th in the Official World Golf Ranking this year. He’s in good form, having finished in the top 10 in three of his past four starts, and no worse than 19th in that span.

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Age: 34

Ryder Cup record: 8-2-1

The skinny: The Englishman is actually a local. He attended Northwestern and lives in Chicago. In his three Ryder Cup appearances, he is undefeated in foursomes, going 6-0-0. He paired with Sergio Garcia on Wednesday as the team practiced foursomes.

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Age: 32

Ryder Cup record: 14-6-4

The skinny: Medinah was site of Garcia’s introduction to the United States as he was runner-up in the 1999 PGA Championship. He also finished third here in 2006, showing that he loves this place. A five-time veteran of the Ryder Cup, he is coming off his recent win at the Wyndham Championship and third-place finish at The Barclays. Garcia is 8-0-1 in foursomes but 1-4-0 in singles.

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Age: 34

Ryder Cup record: 1-2-0

The skinny: Remember this year’s Masters, when Hanson was the 54-hole leader? You might have forgotten that Hanson also played in the 2010 Ryder Cup. The Swede gets overlooked by Europe’s flashier personalities, but he’s a solid player, ranking 25th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Hanson won in his last start, at the KLM Open.

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Age: 27

Ryder Cup record: 2-1-1

The skinny: It has been a struggle this year for Kaymer, the former world No. 1 who has fallen to 32nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. He barely hung on to the final qualifying spot for this European team. He is coming off a fifth-place finish in his last start, at the Italian Open, though. He made his Ryder Cup debut in 2010.

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Age: 43

Ryder Cup record: 3-1-1

The skinny: Lawrie is making his first appearance since 1999, the year he won the British Open. He has experienced a career resurgence, winning three times in the past two years, including at the recent Johnnie Walker Championship. He has experience at Medinah — a tie for 34th in the 1999 PGA Championship.

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Age: 33

Ryder Cup record: 4-2-2

The skinny: McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion and a two-time Ryder Cup veteran, secured Europe’s winning point last time around. Look for him to be Rory McIlroy’s frequent partner this week. They played three sessions together in 2010, going 1-1-1. McDowell tied for 37th in the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah.

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Age: 23

Ryder Cup record: 1-1-2

The skinny: McIlroy, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2010 at age 21, is the first European player since 1993 to arrive at the Ryder Cup as the world’s top-ranked player. He’s coming off his impressive FedEx Cup playoffs, where he shot 40-under par over two weeks to claim the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship. He was 10th at last week’s Tour Championship after a 4-over 74 in the final round.

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Age: 30

Ryder Cup record: 0-2-1

The skinny: He’s back at the Ryder Cup after going winless in his 2010 debut. His brother, Edoardo, is not. They went 0-1-1 together. Francesco, who’s known for his consistent ball-striking but struggles with the putter, had back-to-back runner-up finishes earlier this summer on the European Tour but has only one top-10 in his past five starts there.

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Age: 36

Ryder Cup record: 8-3-0

The skinny: Like Colin Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia, Poulter is a player who rises to the occasion at the Ryder Cup. Just look at his 3-0-0 singles record. Poulter, making his fourth Ryder Cup appearance, was a captain’s pick but nearly played his way onto the team by finishing third at the PGA Championship. He failed to advance to the Tour Championship, finishing 12th in his last start, at the BMW Championship. Poulter, a former club pro, always plays with a chip on his shoulder. That’s a big asset this week. And he has had success at Medinah, with a tie for ninth in the 2006 PGA Championship.

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Age: 32

Ryder Cup record: 3-1-0

The skinny: Hard to believe this is just Rose’s second Ryder Cup appearance. He played in 2008 but did not in 2010. The world’s fifth-ranked player, who is a Sean Foley student, is coming off a runner-up finish at the Tour Championship. He also was third at the PGA Championship and collected the biggest win of his career at the WGC-Cadillac Championship earlier this year. Look for Rose and Poulter to form an all-English duo this week. Rose tied for 41st in the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah.

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Age: 39

Ryder Cup record: 16-11-6

The skinny: The dean of European Ryder Cup players, with seven previous appearances, Westwood thrives in team play. He is a combined 14-6-6 in the two-team formats. Perhaps that’s why he was paired with two inexperienced players, Nicolas Colsaerts and Francesco Molinari, in Wednesday’s practice rounds. Westwood hasn’t been his usual consistent self, though. He followed a runner-up finish at the BMW Championship with a last-place finish at the Tour Championship. Which Westwood will we see this weekend?

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