Chris Carra, Golf Blogger

This is the big question: who will win the Ryder Cup 2016?

It’s a tough one and very tight to call, as I’m about to illustrate. There are so many things to consider and ultimately it’ll be down to the captains’ strategy and the players holding their nerve over the three days. But how close is it?

To start, let’s look at the World Rankings. Even though there were a few raised eyebrows over Captain Davis Love III’s claim that his side is “the best golf team, maybe, ever assembled” he does have a point.

Team USA have both the world number 2 and 4 with Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth respectively, and are well represented in the rest of the top ten with Patrick Reed (8) and Rickie Fowler (9).

However Europe aren’t to be sniffed at with world number 3 Rory McIlroy along with Henrik Stenson (5), while Masters champ Danny Willett also features in the top ten (at number 10).

And while the Ryder Cup isn’t a Major, winning a major is another good indication of how well the player can handle pressure.

Team USA have a total of 11 majors - Phil Mickelson leads the way with five to his name, Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson have two each, while Jimmy Walker and Dustin Johnson also add their individual titles to the collection.

In comparison, Team Europe have only 9 majors, bolstered by McIlroy’s four. Martin Kaymer has two, while Justin Rose, this year’s Masters champ Willett and Open winner Stenson also contribute.

When we look at Ryder Cup Experience, on the face of it Team Europe - with their six Ryder Cup rookies - look a little weak. However the players that do have Ryder Cup experience have more of it than the Americans.

For example, Lee Westwood has 10 appearances while Sergio Garcia has eight, and the rest - Stenson, Rose, McIlroy and Kaymer - all have four. So there’s certainly enough experience to call upon when needed.

Team USA only have two rookies in the squad (Brooks Koepka and Ryan Moore), but their players have generally made less appearances that their European counterparts - with the exception of Phil Mickelson’s ten. It’s a hard one to call!

As for Form, Europe look like they are on fire with players like Henrik Stenson having a blazing summer, while Justin Rose claimed gold at the Olympics last month.

Even Rory McIlroy - after a summer of missed putts - has found his form in time, winning the FedEx Cup after sealing victory in the Tour Championship on Sunday, as well as winning the Deutsche Bank Championship three weeks ago.

USA’s final Captain’s Pick Ryan Moore was part of the play-off at the Tour Championship earlier in the week and Dustin Johnson has been ticking along nicely, although Phil Mickelson probably peaked too early this year.

Pressure will also play a big part this weekend and make no mistake about it - Team USA are under incredible pressure.

The home crowd will certainly be a plus if things are going right. But they are an expectant bunch and if Team USA don’t look like their going to win it from the off, things could turn sour fast.

Europe on the other hand, are relatively pressure free. Motivated, yes - but they won’t be feeling the squeeze as much as the Americans.

Finally the Captains are both very evenly matched, even though this is Darren Clarke’s first Ryder Cup in charge. Both played a similar amount of matches as a player, both walked away with the same amount of points. They know what it takes to win a Ryder Cup.

So, even after all that analysis, the winner still isn’t as clear cut as we may think. However Team USA are looking mighty strong at the moment, and are very much favourites. If they get the crowd behind them early on with some good displays in the foursomes then they’ll be incredibly tough to beat.