With the Ryder Cup now only a week away, the biennial verbal sparring between the two sides has been initiated by England's Lee Westwood.
Westwood was added as a captain's pick last month by European skipper Darren Clarke, and he will be making his 10th straight appearance in the matches at Hazeltine. The veteran has seen both the highs and lows offered by the event, and he believes that the American squad will begin as favorites despite a recent European run that includes six wins in seven attempts since 2002.
"They have got this task force in place, they are obviously being very serious and doing as much as they can to win the cup back," Westwood told ESPN.