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There is a lot going on this week at the Ryder Cup. Between trying to figure out how Patrick Reed is going to enter the stadium on Friday morning (even money says on the back of a bald eagle) to trying to figure out who some of these European golfers are, there's a lot to digest.

We broke it down into 10 of the premiere stories you should be paying attention to as the 41st Ryder Cup rolls into focus.

1. Americans look to overcome the mental hurdle: The United States should not lose this Ryder Cup. If it does, it will be one of the bigger upsets in recent memory (and that's saying something). If that happens, it will be because the U.S. did not hang in mentally throughout the week to defeat an inferior opponent. That's certainly a possibility, but if Davis Love III can keep his squad focused on the task at hand, it should be all champagne and celebrating on Sunday evening.

2. The Tiger Woods Effect: If you don't think Woods as a vice captain is important, then you haven't heard what Colin Montgomerie said. It will be fascinating to see how this affects some of the rookie European golfers.

3. The Arnold Palmer Effect: Love has already noted that the spirit of Palmer will rest over the U.S. team. Will it rally them like Seve Ballesteros' death did in 2012 for the Europeans? Stay tuned. "It will always be in the front of our minds, the back of our minds, but the guys are still out there working hard, preparing, getting ready to play," said Love.

4. The health of Henrik Stenson: It's been pretty quiet, but Stenson has had a dubious knee over the last month. He's such a major factor to Europe's success, and it will be interesting to see if he can hold up. "Nothing is for certain at any point, but as of now, I feel like I'm up for a lot of golf and unless the knee tells me otherwise, that's the way I approach it," said Stenson on Wednesday.

5. How the crowd will affect Europe's six rookies: It's only Wednesday, but it sounds like the Hazeltine crowd is already on fire. With six rookies for Europe, how nervy will they be come the weekend?

6. No excuses from the U.S. side: Phil Mickelson alluded to this in his press conference on Wednesday, but the U.S. team has no excuses this time. No Ian Poulter eyes bulging out of his head. No captain to toss under the bus. No distractions. Just golf. "This is a year where we feel as though Captain Love has been putting us in a position to succeed," said Mickelson. "He's taken input from all parties. He's making decisions that have allowed us to prepare our best and play our best, and I believe that we will play our best."

They better.

7. Riding hot hands: The strategy from Love will be interesting, especially compared to Tom Watson in 2014. Will he ride, say, Ryan Moore if he's lights out in his first match? Or will he stick with his big guns (Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson etc.) no matter what. It may be tougher to manage a team when you're the favorite. Europe on the other hand can experiment, and if it doesn't work then you can just say, "Well, we were outmanned," and it would be true.

8. A Rory McIlroy takeover is always possible: Europe dominated in 2014 because McIlroy, Stenson, Justin Rose and Co. torched the U.S. on the par 5s. But Dustin Johnson was not at that event, and the Americans have six golfers who finished inside the top 20 on the PGA Tour this year in par-5 scoring. McIlroy finished first in that category, though, and was the only golfer who averaged better than 4.5 on the par 5s this season. Can he dominate, and can Europe rally around the most galvanizing game on the planet?

9. How the U.S. will perform in foursomes: The U.S. got housed in Scotland in 2014 by a score of 7-1 in the foursomes matches and did not win a single one of those matches (it split two). If they get a 50/50 split this time around, they should win the Ryder Cup going away.

"We don't necessarily go play foursomes much," said Rickie Fowler on Tuesday. "If I go play golf, I want to play the whole golf course. I don't want to skip half the shots. But we do play a lot of practice rounds with buddies throughout the year, and a lot of these guys on the team, I've played a lot of golf with. So you understand their games."

10. How the bottom six perform: This tournament is going to come down to what the bottom six for each team do. The top of each squad is a wash. The Europeans are as good as the Americans.

But they are not at the bottom, and everybody knows it. Can Ryan Moore, Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker and others take down the likes of Matthew Fitzpatrick, Rafael Cabrera Bello and Chris Wood? They should, but they might not.