If the task of preventing a ninth consecutive American win wasn't tough enough, first-time captain Trevor Immelman should make history by reversing the American home advantage with a team composed primarily of tournament rookies.
Three years earlier, 2008 Masters champion Ernie was among Els's assistant captains as the international team saw their only win in Melbourne, Australia in 1998, slip a lead painfully on the last day.
Shortly after taking the reins from his South African compatriot, Immelman has spent countless hours at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte this week working out strategies to rewrite the usual script.
"We're not blind, we know exactly what the record is about, but in a way, it inspires us," Immelmann explained.
“In 2019, we felt that we had made a huge step forward from a team aspect, a franchise aspect, so to speak.
"We slowly but surely started trying to build this house and build it on a solid and strong foundation
Delayed by a year due to the pandemic, the biennial cup sees two 12-man teams face off in 18 pair team matches, before 12 singles match-ups kick off the tournament on Sunday.