No fewer than 28 Americans start the USPGA Championship at Kiawah Island with a chance to move into a Ryder Cup qualifying spot.
Phil Mickelson is the man in the hot seat of eighth on the United States points table entering their final counting event.
The number of those looking to climb into Davis Love's side could have been 29, but Ben Crane pulled out with a back injury on Wednesday - a withdrawal which means the event is not the first in golf history to have all the world's top 100 in it.
Matt Every, who has never won a PGA Tour title, is the one who might make the biggest leap. He currently stands 37th with 1,275 points, but there are 2,890 - two points for every US dollars 1,000 earned - on offer to Sunday's winner.
Only points-leader Tiger Woods is mathematically certain to be part of Love's team with four rounds to go, but Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson should have done enough already.
Then come Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Mickelson separated by fewer than 300 points, while Hunter Mahan, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk are best-placed to move into the top eight.
Love also has four wild cards to hand out on September 4. If things do not change this weekend Mahan, Stricker and Furyk look strong favourites to be chosen and after that it seems a battle between Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker.
Europe's points race goes on until August 26, but for many of the candidates this is their last chance to gather points.
