HOUSTON – Jim Furyk is returning as US Ryder Cup captain at the 2027 Games in Ireland as the Americans try to get back into shape against the European team that has dominated for the past three decades, according to the Associated Press.
Three people with knowledge of the selection process said the Ryder Cup committee chose Furyk when Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament after his March 27 DUI arrest. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the PGA of America has not announced its selection.
Furyk declined to comment in a text message. He will be the fourth American captain to get a second chance since 1979, which is considered the modern era of the Ryder Cup when the European continent became part of it.
Asked for confirmation, the PGA of America said in a statement on Friday, “We look forward to sharing details about our announcement of the 2027 US Ryder Cup captain soon.”
Furyk was the captain of the 2018 Paris, 17½-10½ European victory. That week was marked by four American captains going 2-10-0 at Le Golf National, with Patrick Reed blaming Jordan Spieth for not playing together and Furyk for benching him twice.
Furyk led the Americans to victory as captain of the President’s Cup in 2024, and was said to be a trusted voice as assistant to American captain Keegan Bradley in the last Ryder Cup.
Europe built a record seven points after two days last year at Bethpage Black and continued with their second successive victory under captain Luke Donald, who is returning for his third Ireland.
Bradley was the surprise choice for the 2025 games after the PGA of America waited until the summer of 2024 to see if Woods wanted the job.
At this time, the PGA of America set a deadline of the end of March for Woods to decide, and its backup plan was to have a list of candidates for the Ryder Cup committee to consider if Woods chose not to be the captain.
It is not known which way Woods was leaning when his SUV clipped the back of a trailer being pulled by a truck on a residential road in Florida, flipping his SUV onto its side. Woods was arrested and briefly jailed after Florida authorities determined he was disabled.
Four days later, Woods said he was leaving permanently “to seek treatment and focus on my life,” and told the PGA of America he would not be captain.
Davis Love III (2012, 2016), Tom Watson (1993, 2014) and Jack Nicklaus (1983, 1987) are the other American captains who have received this feat twice since 1979.
Love and Nicklaus had Ryder Cup games at home both times. Furyk faces the daunting task of trying to win the Ryder Cup on the road, something the Americans haven’t done since 1993.
The Americans were coming off an impressive win at Hazeltine in 2016 when they went to Le Golf National, which featured narrow fairways and rough. After taking a 3-1 lead, the Americans did not win the session again.
Woods, who came out victorious last week in the Tour Championship, went 0-4. Phil Mickelson went 0-2, while Bryson DeChambeau was 0-3. They were all captains. DeChambeau had won two FedEx Cup playoff events leading into the games.
Europe has won 11 of its last 15 games against Oak Hill since 1995. Donald will attempt to become the first captain to win three consecutive titles in September 2027 at Adare Manor.
