There are 12 golfers for each team contending in the 2016 Ryder Cup. Eight of them have never played in a Ryder Cup, and six of those are on the European side. The U.S. has a demonstrably better team as its golfers, on average, check in at No. 16 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Europe's are ranked No. 27 on average.

Of course, the U.S. also had a better team based on OWGR in 2014, and it got drilled when the matches began. So let's rank the 24 golfers competing this year based on recent form, Ryder Cup success and general ability when it comes to playing golf (i.e. no matter how hot Ryan Moore is and how cold Jordan Spieth, I can't rank Ryan Moore over Jordan Spieth).

Here we go.

1. Rory McIlroy (Europe): The U.S. wants zero part of McIlroy's potential 5-0-0 door slamming at Hazeltine. He has only won 57 percent of possible points in past Ryder Cups, but the guy who shot 30 on the back nine at East Lake last week wants blood. And he'll get it if the U.S. isn't careful with him.

2. Dustin Johnson (United States): I would pay exorbitant sums of money to watch D.J. vs. Rory in singles for the trophy on Sunday afternoon. All of my money. Just take it all.

3. Patrick Reed (U.S.): Someday, I hope to love my children as much as Reed loves representing the U.S. at the Ryder Cup.

4. Sergio Garcia (Europe): It's fun to laugh at him 103 weeks out of every two years. Then he turns into early 1950s Ben Hogan at the Ryder Cup, and you begin to wonder what kind of demons exist during regular stroke play events.

5. Jordan Spieth (U.S.): You know all that money I paid for Rory vs. D.J.? I might pay more for Rory vs. Spieth. Spieth only has two top 10s since his win at the Dean & Deluca in May, but I trust him in match play -- especially if he's paired with Johnson or Reed.

6. Justin Rose (Europe): He's sickeningly good at this event (only golfer this year with more than one Cup under his belt to win 70 percent of his matches or more). You can make a pretty good argument that he was the fulcrum upon which the last two Ryder Cups swung (the Phil Mickelson match in 2012, lighting the world on fire with Henrik Stenson in 2014).

7. Henrik Stenson (Europe): He would be higher after the second half of the season he had if not for the lingering knee issue. Nobody really knows how bad it is yet, and he'll surely give it a go. But Europe cannot be fired up that one of its four stalwarts is hobbled.

8. Brooks Koepka (U.S.): Never played in a Ryder Cup. Don't care. Only has one tournament win. Don't care. Might have a lingering ankle injury. Really don't care. And Koepka doesn't care about much either, which is sort of what you want at a Ryder Cup.

9. Phil Mickelson (U.S.): The U.S. should be awarded a half point after his press conferences.

10. Martin Kaymer (Europe): Gets a bump because he's one of the few humans on this planet who knows what it feels like to sink a putt to win the Ryder Cup.

11. Jimmy Walker (U.S.): He's a solid player who won a major this season and finished third at the Deutsche Bank Championship to McIlroy a few weeks ago. But he also went 1-1-3 at Gleneagles in 2014.

12. Ryan Moore (U.S.): It's strange to think that Moore could be the hottest American golfer not named "D.J.," but it's probably true. Three top 10s and a win in his last six tournaments, and he almost took down McIlroy on Sunday for the Tour Championship.

13. J.B. Holmes (U.S.): I'm still not totally sure I understand why Holmes was chosen over Watson. He's only had one top 10 since July and has been cut three times. He's one of the few golfers on this team that has actually won a Ryder Cup, but isn't Bubba just ... better?

14. Danny Willett (Europe): Found some form at the Italian Open two weeks ago. I know he won the Masters and is a terrific player, but I'm not totally sure I fully trust him yet.

15. Matt Kuchar (U.S.): This is somehow Kuchar's fourth (!) straight Ryder Cup appearance. Has a decent record (4-5-2) and had one of the best moments of 2014 when he club flipped his putter so hard that Jose Bautista raised an eyebrow.

16. Brandt Snedeker (U.S.): Just his second appearance. He went 1-2-0 in 2012.

17. Lee Westwood (Europe): Decent form (had a top five at the European Masters earlier this month), but I respect his experience and his game a lot. He's going to be a bear for guys like Koepka and Ryan Moore to take down.

18. Andy Sullivan (Europe): Has not had a great year, but he's sort of lurking as Europe's next villain.

19. Rickie Fowler (U.S.): More missed cuts (3) than top 10s (2) since finishing fourth at the Wells Fargo Championship in May. I know everybody is all-in on him at team events, but the reality is that he still does not have a single outright win at a Ryder Cup.

20. Zach Johnson (U.S.): No top 10s since June (yikes!), but I still wouldn't want to play him. He's a bulldog, and he will probably get linked with somebody who will talk (like Mickelson).

21. Thomas Pieters (Europe): The pedigree is there, and his form has been recently, too. A big baller who can hang with D.J. and Koepka off the tee. I would not be surprised to see him go something like 2-0-1.

22. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Europe): I like Cabrera-Bello. I think he's a nice player. I think he's sort of underrated. But do I think he's rolling with Johnson and Reed on the biggest stage imaginable with millions of people watching? No, no I do not.

23. Matthew Fitzpatrick (Europe): I like his game a lot. He's sort of Europe's Zach Johnson. Doesn't look like much but could be a tough out. He barely made more cuts (six) than he missed (five) on the PGA Tour this year.

24. Chris Wood (Europe): One top 10 since he won the BMW PGA Championship in May. One.

Europe is just as good (if not better) at the top as the United States. It actually probably has more golfers streaking into this event. But its bottom half is not very good when it comes to recent history. That's where the U.S. has to take advantage if it wants to win just its second Ryder Cup this century.