(FORTUNE Magazine) – In the 1999 Ryder Cup, Hal Sutton scored a team-high 3 1/2 points for the United States. And Lee Westwood, a workhorse for the Europeans, played all five matches for the second consecutive Ryder Cup. How things have changed.

Sutton played in 34 events between April 2001 and July 2002 without garnering a top-ten finish, missing nearly half the cuts. "I've been hurt most of the year," he says, "but no one seems to want to believe me." Diagnosed with sleep apnea in the summer of 2001, he feels as if he's "going to give out all the time." He gained 20 pounds and rarely mustered the stamina to exercise. Then he pulled a rib muscle while practicing for the Masters, forcing his withdrawal. The rib began to feel better in the summer, and there was progress on the sleep front. In June he visited a specialist who lowered the pressure on the oxygen mask he sleeps in, making a world of difference. Still, Sutton, 44, is struggling to find his old swing mechanics.

By the end of 2000, Lee Westwood had won tournaments on five continents, gathered more titles in a four-year period than any golfer except one, and dethroned Colin Montgomerie as Europe's leading player. He had $20 million in the bank, his bride of a little over a year was about to give birth to their first child, and he was 27. As he took an extended break from golf for the first time, he asked the question whose answer he's still searching for: What do I do for an encore?

In the decline that followed--his world ranking plummeted from fourth to 122nd--Westwood changed coaches more times than some amateurs change golf balls. He returned to longtime coach Pete Cowan this summer and began to show signs of life. He put in long hours of practice, and in July he made the top 20 in consecutive events in Ireland. All the same, it's going to be a worrisome few weeks for captain Sam Torrance, who offers public support, saying, "You don't go from being a world-class player to zero in 18 months." And yet that's precisely what has happened. --Dave Lagarde and Derek Lawrenson