Jim Furyk ‘a symbol of US Ryder Cup incompetence’ – expect more of the same at Adare Manor in 2027

Tiger Woods? Keegan Bradley? Phil Mickelson?

OK, let’s not get carried away, but in truth the options for the next US Ryder Cup captain were limited to start with – and almost non-existent when Tiger Woods ruled himself out of the running for Adare Manor in 2027.

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From the moment he was unexpectedly announced to the US public as the youngest ever American captain, Bradley led the team on a wild Bethpage rollercoaster in New York in 2025.

After a record-breaking deficit early on, the US almost pulled off their own New York City miracle at Bethpage.

Trailing by seven going into the singles – the biggest ever after two days, Bradley rallied his troops to win Sunday’s session 8.5 to 3.5 for a 15-13 defeat.

He was a few blows away from being a hero, and who knows, maybe even returning himself.

But Jim Furyk? Was he really the best the leading golf nation on the planet could muster as they attempt to stop an unprecedented three-peat for Europe’s captain fantastic Luke Donald.

Perhaps Steve Stricker, to ignite the fires of 19-9 victory in his home state of Wisconsin, an emotional triumph over adversity in Gary Woodland, or Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker? Maybe Brookline instigator Justin Leonard?

In some ways the PGA of America have lurched from the most random act of desperation in Bradley to the safety and security of Furyk, perhaps the grand old uncle of the PGA Tour.

Furyk was alongside Bradley as a vice-captain in 2025, he is a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2003 US Open.

He has been a vice-captain for the four matches either side of his 2018 captaincy.

Seven years ago his captain’s picks of Bryson DeChambeau, Mickelson, Woods and Tony Finau went 2-10-0.

talkSPORT verdict - Sean O'Brien (golf correspondent)

Furyk is someone who – for me – symbolises the American incompetence at Ryder Cups in recent years.

He was a pretty disastrous captain in 2018. He’s been a vice-captain throughout this small period of European dominance.

It feels like the most convenient option for the PGA of America. Don’t get me wrong, Furyk’s a very popular figure on the US Ryder Cup scene, he’s well-liked – but I think that’s part of the problem.

USA need a complete overhaul of the way they approach the Ryder Cup because Europe are constantly outmaneuvering them – and this just feels like more of the same.

Say what you want about Tiger Woods as a person, but as an athlete and a leader, he doesn’t leave any stone unturned. He’s meticulous and obsessed with detail – and I think that’s exactly what the Americans needed.

They think they can roll out random pairings and hope that their superior talent wins the day, whereas Europe realise there’s a real science to these things.

And they look set to hammer home that strategic advantage once again at Adare Manor.

An admittedly major-less DeChambeau went 0-3, amid a week that was chaotic, and disappointing given the strength of the team selected.

It ended with Patrick Reed publicly criticising Furyk’s pairings and saying: “For somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me twice.”

The US led 3-1 after the opening Fourballs, but were humbled 4-0 in the Day 1 Foursomes. By the end of Saturday, Europe led 10-6 and won the singles by three points for a 17.5-10.5 victory.

Attempting to copy the European blueprint is one thing, but the key factor here is that for Europe it’s a full blown system that has been working effectively for a decade.

A data-driven model designed to engineer the very best environment for the players, and become a Ryder Cup captaincy machine. 

In Furyk – a man steeped in US Ryder Cup tradition – that is what the Americans seem to have aimed for but without one key factor – the system that has built the European winning machine.

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To play devil’s advocate, Furyk has been one of the few to recognise that in learning from defeat, he might have the tools to go again – he will need to.

“The comment that surprises me,” he told No Laying Up in 2020.

“It shocks me the most, is 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.”

The last time the US went back to the future, it was Davis Love III in 2012 and 2016.

Tom Watson was chosen for the 2014 edition at Gleneagles, fitting given his love affair with Scotland, but the six-time major champion was beaten by Paul McGinley and it is there the blueprint for Europe was laid.

Four years on from watching his team crumble on the final day at the Miracle of Medinah, Love III was back.

At a raucous Hazeltine in 2016 his team romped to a 17-11 win over Darren Clarke’s troops and the calls for him to go again were loud and long.

He was replaced by Furyk, and now almost a decade on, Furyk is back – and once again it will be on foreign soil where Adare Manor in Limerick may present the 46th with it’s most febrile atmosphere.

The reality facing the US is stark.

Europe have Donald and his clearly superior strategy, they have Ireland, they have Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on home soil, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg and Justin Rose, maybe Jon Rahm.

And they have recent history.

Europe have won nine of the last 12 Ryder Cups and 11 of the last 15 going back to the US’s last win on European soil at The Belfry in 1993.

On that occasion Watson led a team including Fred Couples, Paul Azinger, Tom Kite, Payne Stewart and Raymond Floyd to victory over Bernard Gallacher’s Europe.

In his third successive match as captain, Gallacher had the world no. 1 Nick Faldo, the world no. 3 Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, a rapidly emerging Colin Montgomerie and the Spanish genius of Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros.

Time will tell if Donald’s third will deliver a defeat or a three-peat that has been beyond the US since for first three editions of the match as a USA v Europe affair.

However the question US fans are already asking themselves is whether they are already playing catch-up following another strange choice to lead them out.

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