The United States Ryder Cup team arrived at Cardiff airport on a miserable Monday morning ready to defend the trophy at nearby Celtic Manor starting on Friday.

Captain Corey Pavin posed on the aircraft steps with the golden Ryder Cup and his team lined up behind him in matching beige jackets.

World No. 1 but Ryder Cup wildcard Tiger Woods sported sunglasses, despite skies the color of Welsh slate, while Jim Furyk probably slept the most soundly of the 12-man team having pocketed an astonishing US$11.35 million on Sunday for winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.

"We are very prepared and ready to go and I think it will run very smoothly," Pavin told reporters.

"I am just looking forward to a really nice week and actually I think it's going to be quite a relaxing week. I'm going to enjoy it and soak it all in.

"Some decisions have been made and some will be made and I'm just looking forward to the process and watching a little bit of golf this weekend."

European captain Colin Montgomerie said: "I think these matches will be very closely contested as they all are and I think on this occasion it will come down to a Sunday putt.

"That's the beauty of this Ryder Cup. I think the closeness of the event over the last years has been the beauty and I think these matches will be extremely tight, extremely close."

Long-hitting Bubba Watson and former Walker Cup amateur Jeff Overton are among five first-timers on Pavin's 12-man team.

"I couldn't be more excited and I can't stop thinking about it," a beaming Watson said after tying for 17th at the Tour Championship on Sunday. "This is the Ryder Cup.

"You're playing for your country.

"I've wanted to play the Ryder Cup my whole life. The passion has always been there. It's just that you have so much love for your country, for your fans and a desire to win the trophy. Who doesn't want to win a trophy?"

Blast

Overton, who secured the winning point for the triumphant US team at the 2005 Walker Cup, agreed.

"It's going to be a blast," the 31-year-old said after carding a three-over-par 73 in the final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.

"The only team event I've played on overseas was in Japan as a college player so I'm really looking forward to the Ryder Cup.

"I know there's going to be a lot of hooting and hollering for the Europeans."

Overton became the first American to qualify for a Ryder Cup team without having won a single PGA Tour title, securing an automatic spot after a consistent 2010 season featuring six top-six finishes.

The 38th Ryder Cup starts on Friday with the opening fourball matches at Celtic Manor.