Jim Furyk’s reason for captaining the US Ryder Cup team again is not redemption

Jim Furyk’s first move as captain of the United States Ryder Cup team ended in a historic defeat in France, with Europe beating the Americans 17.5 to 10.5 at Le Golf National. The aftermath of that debacle saw Furyk shoulder most of the blamealthough his players failed to do their part.

In a 2020 interview with There is no stretchFuryk noted that, of course, he would do things differently in retrospect. Who wouldn’t give the result that unfolded?

“I’ve had a handful of people come up and say, ‘You know, if you had it to do over again, would you do anything different?’ And I almost laugh. I say, ‘Well, how arrogant would it be to have the event go the wrong way and then say, ‘No. Would I do everything the same way?'” Furyk said There is no stretch in 2020. “Of course I would do things differently. Hindsight is 20-20 and of course I would go back and change (things). At that time, I’m looking at my vice captains, I’m looking at my stat team, I’m looking at a lot of different things and I’m the CEO, I made the decision and I made the decision that we were.” Would I change the right (things)?

Nine years after that loss in Paris, Furyk will have his chance to do things differently. Last week, the PGA of America announced that Furyk, 55, will captain the United States in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland. Furyk’s appointment comes after Tiger Woods, who was the frontrunner, announced he was leaving golf to focus on his health after an arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence at the end of March. With Woods withdrawing his name from consideration, PGA of America with Furyk tabs to be the fourth American to serve as captain twice since 1979.

But why would Jim Furyk want another stint as captain on foreign soil, especially after the United States fell in Rome in 2023 and suffered a home loss at Bethpage Black in 2025? Furyk’s answer is not because he wants redemption for the mistakes made in France. That’s because of his faith in the current group of Americans, whom he’s gotten to know well as captain of the Presidents Cup in 2024 and vice-captain of the Ryder Cup in 2021, ’23 and ’25.

“I think it’s really the players,” Furyk told NBC’s Mike Tirico at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. “I mean, I’ve gotten to know this generation really well through the Presidents Cups, the Ryder Cups.

“I love these guys. They show heart, grit, passion. I see how much they love to compete and I know how badly they want to win the Ryder Cup. So I love team sports. I love to join, join, be with these guys in the locker room. And that’s why.”

Furyk also announced on Saturday that Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard will be his staff vice-captains for the 2027 Ryder Cup.

On Wednesday, ahead of the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler noted two qualities that make Furyk a good captain for Team USA.

“Jim is a really, really good leader,” Scheffler said. “He’s extremely organized in the way he does things. I think with Jim, you just have so much experience in a lot of team events, whether it’s playing or being a captain. The guy’s been on those teams forever. He’s had such a long career here and he’s been so good for so long that he’s played in a group, and then he’s such a good captain that I think he’s been a captain and an assistant. He brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the table. He has a way that he likes.” get things done, and he’s very experienced and in that role and I think he’s going to do a great job.

The United States has not won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993. Luke Donald has led the Europeans in back-to-back Cup wins and will return for a third in 2027. Furyk and the Americans face a steep climb to victory in Ireland next September. This is a climb that Furyk has been trying to help Team USA with for a long time.

The Ryder Cup has been part of Jim Furyk’s life for 30 years. This has included wins as a player in Brookline and Valhalla, and that brutal loss in Paris as a captain. This was expected to be the end of Jim Furyk’s Ryder Cup history, with Woods and Phil Mickelson. expected to take the captain’s flag in the 2020s. Things have not developed that way.

Now, Furyk has a chance to rewrite the final chapter.