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Jim Furyk has admitted the United States need to make the Ryder Cup more of a priority as the 56-year-old plots a reversal of fortunes at Adare Manor in September 2027.
Speaking expansively for the first time since being handed the US captaincy for a second time, Furyk pointed towards an overhaul of approach to the biennial event. He also suggested he will be keen to involve Tiger Woods on his backroom team.
Victory for Europe at Bethpage last year means the US have won two of the past eight Ryder Cup stagings. The PGA of America wanted Woods to assume the captaincy for Adare, a scenario that was subject to delay before it was rendered impossible by the 15-time major winner’s Florida car crash in March. Enter Furyk, who was the captain when the US were trounced in Paris in 2018.
It seems, however, that Furyk has an abundance of ideas on how to improve matters for his country. That will start with insistence of an attitude shift. The lingering sense is always that Europeans care more about the Ryder Cup than their opponents.
“When I look at my job, it’s to create a culture, a chemistry among them and put them in positions where they can be really successful,” Furyk said. “Then I look at our organisation top to bottom and having two sets of goals. First, short-term, no secret, we want to be successful at Adare. We want to go over there and win on foreign soil, something we haven’t done in a long time. It’s not going to be easy. We have to scratch and claw, but we have the talent to be able to do that.
“Then I look at it from a long-term perspective and something we need to improve on and get better at. I like to say we need to create a blueprint. We need to create more continuity for our players and for our future captains. And we really need to start making the Ryder Cup more of a priority each and every year, year in and year out, and focus on growing and evolving into the future. That’s something I really take seriously.”
It feels unwise to dismiss Furyk’s chances, given Europe will be in the unusual position of heavy favourites in Ireland regardless of what happens between now and then. The Americans may relish being underdogs.
On the eve of the US PGA Championship at Aronimink in Furyk’s native Pennsylvania, Woods remained a theme. He is taking time away from golf for treatment after his accident, with his professional future wholly unclear. Furyk has not spoken to the 50-year-old, but wants him in the Ryder Cup equation.
“Out of courtesy and for him, his family, and maybe a road to health, I haven’t reached out, but I will definitely,” Furyk said. “We’ll see where that role may fall. In the past, he’s taken a back seat. I will say I enjoyed serving as a vice-captain with him a number of times. He brought a lot to the team room, a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience.”
Furyk’s European counterpart, Luke Donald, is delighted to be able to call upon the services of Jon Rahm. A lengthy standoff between Rahm and the DP World Tour over sanctions for the Spaniard’s participation on LIV Golf threatened to remove him from the Ryder Cup equation. The matter has now been resolved, with Donald dismissing any sense it could cause lingering issues within Europe’s squad.
“An agreement had come to fruition sooner rather than later,” he said. “The longer you leave that, the more onus is on me to potentially help with some of those bridges.
“It’s my job to make sure everyone is aligned. I like to use the phrase, even brothers fight sometimes. But deep down, they love each other and the mission is pretty clear when we play a Ryder Cup, to win.
“They understand that putting those feelings, those egos of different personalities, personal things to one side is important if you’re going to be successful. I don’t have any real qualms or issues that the team room won’t be unified.”
Rory McIlroy, Rahm and Jordan Spieth is the marquee grouping on days one at two at the US PGA. Focus will be on McIlroy’s movement after his preparation was disrupted by a troublesome blister on a little toe.
