Why does Jim Furyk want to captain U.S. Ryder Cup team again? It's not what you think
Jim Furyk’s first go around as captain of the United States Ryder Cup team ended in a historic blowout loss in France, with Europe routing the Americans 17.5 to 10.5 at Le Golf National. The aftermath of that debacle saw Furyk shoulder most of the blame , even though his players failed to do their part.
In a 2020 interview with No Laying Up , Furyk noted that, of course, he’d do things differently in hindsight. Who wouldn’t given the result that unfolded?
“I’ve had a handful of people come up and say, ‘You know, if you got to do it all over again, would you do something different?’ And I almost laugh. I’m like, ‘Well, what arrogant a–hole would have the event go the wrong way and then say, ‘Nope. I’d do everything the same way?'” Furyk told No Laying Up in 2020. “Of course I’d do things differently. Hindsight is 20-20 and of course I’d go back and change [things]. At the time, I’m looking at my vice captains, I’m looking at my stats team, I’m looking at a lot of different things, and I’m the CEO, I’m the one that’s got to pull the trigger and make those decisions, and I thought we were doing the right thing. Would I change [things]? Absolutely. I think we all would.”
Nine years after that loss in Paris, Furyk will get 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 that he was stepping away from golf to focus on his health following an arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence in late March. With Woods withdrawing his name from consideration, the PGA of America tabbed Furyk to be the fourth American to serve as captain twice since 1979.
But why would Jim Furyk want another go as captain on foreign soil, especially after the United States was drubbed in Rome in 2023 and suffered a home defeat at Bethpage Black in 2025? Furyk’s answer isn’t because he wants redemption for mistakes made in France. It’s because of his belief in the current group of Americans, whom he has gotten to know very well as Presidents Cup captain in 2024 and as a Ryder Cup vice captain 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 Presidents Cups, 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. And so I love team sports. I love banding together, pulling together, being with these guys in the locker room. And that’s the reason.”
Furyk also announced on Saturday that Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard will be vice captains on his staff for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
On Wednesday, ahead of the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pointed to 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 across so many team events, whether it’s playing or being a captain. The guy’s been on those teams for seems like for forever. He had such a long career out here and was so good for a long time that he played on a bunch, and then he’s such a great guy that he’s been a captain and assistant captain on ’em as well. I think he brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the table. He has a way that he likes to do things, and he’s very experienced and in that role and I think he’s going to do a great job.”
The United States hasn’t won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993. Luke Donald has captained the Europeans to consecutive cup wins and will return for a third time in 2027. Furyk and the Americans face a steep uphill climb to victory in Ireland next September. That’s a climb Furyk has been trying to help Team USA make for a long time.
The Ryder Cup has been a part of Jim Furyk’s life for 30 years. That has included wins as a player at Brookline and Valhalla, and that brutal loss in Paris as a captain. That was expected to be the end of Jim Furyk’s Ryder Cup story, with Woods and Phil Mickelson expected to take up the captain’s banner in the 2020s. Things haven’t unfolded that way.
Now, Furyk gets a chance to rewrite the final chapter.
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