Jim Furyk says United States' Ryder Cup team must 'create a blueprint'

Jim Furyk will be the United States Ryder Cup captain for the second time in 2027. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images Share articleNEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — The work for the United States to win the next Ryder Cup has begun, and it’s about more than just golf shots. “We need to create a blueprint. We need to create more continuity for our players and for our future captains,” Jim Furyk said Wednesday ahead of the PGA Championship. Furyk was named the U.S. captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland last month. It’ll be his second time as the Ryder Cup captain and third time overall — the U.S. lost the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, but he led the Americans to a Presidents Cup win in 2024. In his first public comments since taking the position, Furyk painted himself as someone who has seen it all as a player, vice-captain, and captain, and has been studiously taking notes on the good, the bad, and, often, the ugly. Seeing the United States’ problem in Ryder Cups as not a talent issue, but one that fails to take advantage of its opportunities and fails to address its challenges. From the former, Furyk pointed to the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup — rather than treating the two as separate entities, the relationship should be much more symbiotic. “I will do my best to include the next Presidents Cup captain (as a Ryder Cup vice captain) to make sure he’s well-prepared, as well,” Furyk said. “I want the guys each year to have that continuity, to have that symmetry, so they’re not playing with a different offensive coordinator every year. “As far as long-term, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Again, I think I have a lot of great ideas. I think there’s a lot we can learn from outside of our sport as well, whether that’s other professional sports organizations, businessmen, CEOs. There’s a lot of team-building and a lot of structural organization that we can work on.” It’s no secret that foursomes have been the weakest part of the competition for the Americans, going back to Furyk’s days as a player. Europe was up 3-1 after foursomes Friday morning last fall and had the same result on Saturday, lengthening their lead to an insurmountable advantage. “Right now, that’s first and foremost on my mind,” Furyk said. “We cannot continue to dig the holes we are in on Friday and Saturday. I think a lot of that happens behind the scenes. That happens in a number of different ways, but I’ll go, first and foremost, I don’t think we’re preparing for that session very well.” Luke Donald will be the captain for the Europeans for the third time in a row, seeking to continue that side’s dominance in the event. The Euros have won two in a row and six of the last eight, and have not lost a home Ryder Cup since 1993. The European team culture has been covered about extensively, for good reason, but Donald’s long-serving tenure as captain has allowed him and his vice captains to build and evolve their approach over years, not months. Meanwhile, the Americans thrust Keegan Bradley, who had never even served as a vice captain, into the role with less than 18 months before Bethpage, and wondered what went wrong. Furyk, who said he waited for the PGA of America to come to him rather than raising his hand for the job, was named captain after the PGA’s first choice, Tiger Woods, withdrew his name from consideration after an arrest on DUI charges in March. But could Furyk, regardless of the result in Ireland, be the one to set up the Americans for the next decade-plus and chart a better path forward? “I believe we had a vision in ’14 that got us to a certain point. I just don’t think we evolved along the way,” Furyk said. “So, whether it’s PGA of America and its captains along the way probably could have done a better job together creating that — creating a better team atmosphere.” Furyk said he has not spoken to Woods but kept the door open for him to have a role with the team. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms