Jim Furyk may well feel that he has addressed some unfinished business after leading the USA team to victory at the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal last week.
USA continued their dominance in the Presidents Cup, with Jim Furyk‘s side winning 18.5-11.5 in Canada to secure their 13th victory in the competition. While there was some drama – with the Internationals winning 5-0 on the second day after losing by the same scoreline on Thursday – those supporting Mike Weir’s team will feel that the competition became a bit of a damp squib by the closing stages.
Weir produced a masterclass on Friday with his pairings. However, there is no question that the US took back the momentum with an emphatic performance on Saturday, winning the day 6-2. Weir received plenty of criticism for his pairings on the third day, but Furyk also deserves credit.
None of his opening day pairings had played together in the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup before. Meanwhile, he never panicked when they were soundly beaten the next day.
What some players said about Jim Furyk after USA’s Presidents Cup triumph
Furyk’s previous captaincy experience had ended in defeat at the 2018 Ryder Cup, so he had a bit of a point to prove. Furyk noted that he had learned a lot from that experience at Le Golf National, and it seems that his players loved the experience.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner shared what many of the American squad had told him about Furyk after the win.
“Talking to some players afterwards, they thought that this was the best captaincy that they have been a part of,” he said.
“They were a big fan of the accountability that Jim Furyk was fostering. They were a big fan of the transparency, they knew exactly who they were going to be playing with, in most cases, weeks ahead of time.
“There were no surprises. I understand that Covid and some of the flu-like symptoms that were permeating the US team room in Rome threw things a little bit for a loop at the last minute last year at the Ryder Cup. This situation, they were all prepared, they were all ready, they all understood the assignments, that made it easier.”
The remarkable success the US’s top players enjoyed
There are often these moments of high praise, particularly immediately after victories. There were calls for Luke Donald to stay on as European Ryder Cup captain for 2025 before he had even put the trophy down for the first time in Rome.
But clearly, Furyk got the best out of many of his top performers over the week – and that is a skill which should not be taken for granted. Remarkably, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa all enjoyed their best returns in a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.
The Americans have already confirmed that Keegan Bradley will be in charge in New York, and there are the likes of Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar who will probably be in line for a captain’s role at some stage further down the line.
But perhaps many of the American players will now be pushing for Furyk to lead them at Medinah in 2026.
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