Jim Furyk becomes the ninth person to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team on multiple occasions.
JARED C. TILTON, GETTY IMAGES
It falls to Jim Furyk to attempt to do what no American captain has done since 1993 – win the Ryder Cup overseas – with the announcement last Friday that he will captain the American team at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.
Furyk was considered a front-runner for the position once Tiger Woods took himself out of the process last month following an auto accident and subsequent arrest on a DUI charge. It will be the 14th consecutive Ryder Cup Furyk has been a part of, whether as a player, a vice captain or a captain.
He will become the ninth person to captain multiple U.S. Ryder Cup teams and the fourth since 1979, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Davis Love III.
“The opportunity to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team for a second time is a tremendous honor. I am deeply grateful to the PGA of America Ryder Cup Committee for entrusting me to lead our team into the 46th Ryder Cup. My passion for the Ryder Cup and dedication to the U.S. team have never been stronger,” Furyk said in a statement.
“Having previously captained the team, I understand the responsibilities and immense pride that come with this role. I look forward to drawing on that experience while incorporating some new ideas as we prepare for 2027. I am committed to putting our players in the best position to succeed as we work to reclaim the cup on European soil.”
Furyk has been a Ryder Cup vice captain four times and he has played in 34 matches, tied for third most all time.
Furyk was captain of the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team that lost, 17½-10½, to the Europeans in Paris, an event in which Patrick Reed criticized Furyk afterward for not playing him in more matches.
In 2024, Furyk captained the victorious U.S. Presidents Cup team in Montreal and he was a vice captain for Keegan Bradley in the Ryder Cup last September at Bethpage Black.
“Jim Furyk has been an influential figure in the United States team room for nearly three decades,” Nathan Charnes, the PGA of America’s vice president, said in a statement. “He is a trusted, widely respected leader and possesses a wealth of Ryder Cup experience that can only serve to strengthen our team.
“Competing in Ryder Cups hosted in Europe presents unique challenges and we are confident in Jim’s leadership to guide the U.S. over the next two years as we prepare for Ireland.”
It is not as if the Americans had a long list of successful captains from which to pick.
As a Ryder Cup vice captain in 2025, Furyk stirs the crowd at Bethpage Black’s first hole.
MICHAEL REAVES, PGA OF AMERICA VIA GETTY IMAGES
Woods was expected to make his decision about captaining the ’27 Ryder Cup team prior to the Masters but he withdrew from consideration after his accident and arrest. He has since stepped away from the game to seek treatment.
With Woods no longer a candidate, Furyk was part of a list that was thought to include Justin Leonard, Steve Stricker and Bradley, among others. A 17-time PGA Tour winner, Furyk is one of the game’s most respected figures and his selection does not come as a surprise.
He has been a Ryder Cup vice captain four times and he has played in 34 matches, tied for third most all time.
It will be the third consecutive Ryder Cup that Luke Donald has captained the European side, which has won six of the last eight matches.
Furyk’s 2018 captaincy at Le Golf National outside Paris was not the Americans’ finest hour. The course setup did not favor the Americans and Furyk’s captain’s picks failed to deliver.
Three of Furyk’s picks – Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau – went a combined 0-9. After the Ryder Cup loss, Reed, the reigning Masters champion, criticized Furyk for not pairing him with Jordan Spieth, given their previous Ryder Cup success.
“For somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me twice,” Reed told The New York Times after the matches. Reed went 1-2 in that Ryder Cup, losing two four-ball matches when paired with Woods.
The Americans’ last overseas Ryder Cup victory came at The Belfry in England in 1993. In the last seven matches played in Europe, the Americans have lost by an average of almost 4½ points, the closest losses being by one point in 2010 in Wales and one point in Spain in 1997.
Ron Green Jr.
