Australia's Geoff Ogilvy said the International team are desperate to end the United States' stranglehold on the Presidents Cup which begins Thursday.

The US team have lost just one of the seven events, and Ogilvy believes interest will only grow if the International team start winning more.

"Animosity creates interest," said the former US Open winner, who could face Tiger Woods in the matchplay event.

"If we make the matches closer, you can get that sense of animosity."

Nevertheless, Jim Furyk, the 2003 US Open champion, said it is unlikely there will be the sort of tensions between players experienced during the Ryder Cup competitions.

"This event seems to be a touch friendlier," said the 39-year-old, ahead of the four-day event in San Francisco.

"You don't hear about the animosity and you don't hear about the friction that you've heard about the Ryder Cup.

"The guys that play on the International team, a good percentage of them live in the United States.

"I see Vijay Singh on a weekly basis at home. I realize he's on the other team, but he lives in my backyard."

The biennial event, which began in 1994, features a 12-strong US team against a dozen of the best from the rest of the world apart from Europe.

There are six foursomes matches on Thursday, six fourballs on Friday, then five foursomes and five fourballs on Saturday ending with 12 singles on Sunday.

Fred Couples captains a high-quality Team USA featuring the likes of Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and, of course, world number one Woods, who has finished in the top two in six of the last seven PGA events he has played.

The 33-year-old has played in five of the Presidents Cups, losing one, tying one and winning three but believes people have not been fully satisfied with his efforts.

"Either way, I play well and it's not enough and I've played poorly and you're not very good," Woods said.

"I don't know how the other players feel but certainly I have a lot of responsibilities at these Cups."

A very strong International team will be captained by Greg Norman, with Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Angel Cabrera all in the line-up.

Norman, who has played at five Presidents Cups, said his team need to make a positive start on Thursday to have stand a good chance of winning.

"When I look back over the history of the Presidents Cup, where we as a team have got beaten is in the foursomes," said the 54-year-old.

"I think from a player's perspective, you really want to get out there and you want to win."

US team: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Sean O'Hair, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Justin Leonard, Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan.

International team: Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera, Mike Weir, Robert Allenby, Yang Yong-eun, Tim Clark, Ryo Ishikawa and Adam Scott.