THE MODERATOR: 2027 United States Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk joins us now at the 108th PGA Championship.
Jim, you grew up not too far from here. What's it like to be home?
JIM FURYK: Actually really cool. I looked it up, I was born 11 miles from here, Chester County Hospital, and then raised about 90 minutes up Route 30 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It's nice to be back. See some friends, familiar faces.
When I think about it, Philadelphia, this area has got some amazing golf courses. It was kind of a cool place to grow up, so many great old tracks, and obviously Aronimink is one of those. It's going to be a great venue for this championship.
THE MODERATOR: You've had some time to let this soak in now. When you think about your approach to bringing your team together, where do you start?
JIM FURYK: I think I said it, about the players, I love this generation. I've had the honor to be their captain, their vice captain now for the last few years. I see the heart, the grit. I just love these guys.
So when I look at my job, it's really to create a culture, a chemistry amongst them and put them in positions where they can be really successful.
Then I really look at our organization top to bottom and having really 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 I think we have the talent to be able to do that.
Then I really look at it from a long-term perspective, and something we really 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.
So that's something that I really take seriously, and I think it's at the top of the list starting -- well, starting months ago.
Q. You mentioned the local ties. Does it bring back fond memories for you? How often do you get back to the area, whether it's Lancaster, Chester County, et cetera?
JIM FURYK: Not as much as I would like to. My dad was a golf pro in this area at Westchester Country Club. Finally I have two kids that have graduated from college, so I would like to get back to the area a lot more.
I think raising the children the last ten years or so has been difficult to get back to the area. I have so many good friends at Lancaster. Would love to get back and play Lancaster Country Club. Old William Flynn. I used to love -- when I traveled the course, that was the love for me. So I held that standard of Lancaster Country Club to everything.
Now being involved in golf course design and such, I think back to how fortunate I was to grow up in this area. There's just so many great golf courses. One of my favorites is right down the road, Rolling Green.
Q. You mentioned a second ago about putting in place a blueprint for the future. First of all, how does that differ from the blueprint that was sort of put in place after Gleneagles? Didn't that sort of work for a while? When did the U.S. maybe get away from it?
JIM FURYK: I don't think the idea is much different than 2014, but I think we could grow, we could evolve at a much better rate.
I look back to some -- obviously 2016, huge success at Hazeltine. 2021, huge success at Whistling Straits. I think we pull and we grab the foundation from those events.
But there's a lot of different things we can talk about that with I think we can grow and get better at -- our logistic, our travel, our schedule. We can get into our pairings. It's no secret that foursomes has been a glaring problem. Our team play the last two Ryder Cups on Friday and Saturday, we've dug massive holes. But foursomes is the glaring problem.
I think there's a lot of stones to be unturned, our analytics, and just how we grow and how we evolve in all those areas. This is something that I quite honestly have been thinking about for years because I've been involved with so many teams.
As soon as Bethpage kind of ended, I really started taking a lot of notes and writing things down and moving forward. I think it's been -- Terry sitting right here in the front. I think Terry's been a breath of fresh air for us as an organization, as the new CEO. His golf knowledge is quite impressive.
But I think bringing that business background and having -- when we talked, we talked a lot about the long-term goals of this organization, and I think a lot of our ideas aligned.
I'm definitely happy he's joined on. I think he's going to be a great addition to what we have at Team USA.
Q. Just to follow real quick, when were you approached, and were you surprised that you were approached, or did you go to them and say I'm interested?
JIM FURYK: I'm not a person that ever -- I don't know, I didn't want to throw my name in the hat. I didn't want to push that narrative. I felt my experience and knowledge could be of huge help. I was approached -- I'll be honest, I was hoping I'd be approached, but I was approached the week before the Masters.
I met with Terry and PGA of America during the Masters week and accepted the job.
Q. You mentioned analytics. From the outside and from what little I know, it seems like this is a huge area of focus for Europe and has been for a long time. We have Edoardo Molinari, and also it seems like it's something that's secondary to the U.S. Team. You may correct me on that, maybe I'm wrong.
JIM FURYK: It's not secondary, but that's okay.
Q. I wanted to ask along with that if you're still working with scouts or if there's a new thing. Talk to me about that because, when we saw the pairings at Bethpage, it certainly looked secondary. Some of them statistically were heavily criticized online and everything while the Europeans looked like they were paying attention to that. So if you could just talk a little bit about that subject.
JIM FURYK: Yeah, we've worked with scouts, I think everyone knows, since 2016. Their role has become more prominent. They've been involved in at least two Presidents Cups. I think Davis brought them in '22, and I brought them in in '24.
I think, when we look at it -- like I said, we're going to leave no stone unturned, and that surely from top to bottom includes analytics. No decision has really been made at that point on the future, but one that will be made here in the next month for sure. That's my job.
As far as secondary, I guess there's a number of different ways to look at analytics, a number of different ways you apply them. I look out at the range, and everyone's got a TrackMan or a quad out there. I know a lot of the equipment reps, they call that the drama box. So when used properly, it's a great tool, and it really helps. But used improperly, I've seen a lot of guys mess their games up using the drama box.
So I think the same thing applies with our analytics, numbers crunching. It's the application that becomes very important. That's something that we need to look at and improve on. Surely that doesn't fall totally on scouts. That falls on captains as well and me included.
Q. How do you decide when something -- let's say a scout says this could be a great pairing. When you talk about the application, how do you decide this is a good idea or this is we're using stats in the incorrect way and we don't want to fall too far down that rabbit hole?
JIM FURYK: I think the easiest way to say is: Did they win or did they lose? But that's probably the improper way to look at it. Did they play well together? You can go out and shoot 6-under and lose and you can go out and shoot 1-over and win. It depends on the day.
That's something we're taking a look at from top to bottom. How do I view it? I think where we failed or where we've struggled with analytics is probably relaying to our players how they're used. I hate to hear someone say that, wow, I feel like so much of it revolves around analytics. I think it's a useful tool. I think the European side would say the same thing.
But there's a lot of human element into that, and there's a lot of decisions the captains have to make to put these players in a good position.
So how we've applied them and, more importantly, how we've discussed that and how that communication has been with the players needs to get a lot better.
Q. Jim, you mentioned that the last few years, you've had some thoughts and things are starting to pop up. I'm curious kind of -- and you've had every role for the last two years. Like when you started to realize, hey, something's not quite right here or some things need to change?
JIM FURYK: Yeah, I think I would say -- instead of saying something's not quite right, I think I would say we could definitely be doing a lot better job. I think from -- I mean, all right, let's look at it right now. I'm pulled in in April to captain the team. We don't have a point system in place right now. I heard Luke earlier say he'll put something in place like late summer or mid to late summer or early fall.
But I think the idea that -- I mean, Team USA is a professional sports organization. We go from the Presidents Cup to the Ryder Cup each and every year, and what I started noticing is we were maybe losing a little continuity from year to year.
So I just think we could be better at this is a 12-month process each and every year. It's not something the Ryder Cup is over. We decompress. We let it go for six months. And now we hire and we bring in -- we brought Keegan in even later than this last year. He had less than 18 months to prepare. And that's a guy who never even served as vice captain. So he played a lot of catch-up, if that makes sense.
The idea of more continuity, more continuity for future captains, more continuity for the players year in and year out, and that includes Presidents Cup in my mind as well. We've been carrying that knowledge along under some great captains, under the Davis Loves and the Freddie Couples and the Steve Strickers, and then myself kind of working with those guys. We've been kind of passing that information along, but I just really feel like it could be in a more organized manner.
I think we could have put Keegan in a much better position last year, and part of my role as a vice captain was to kind of help him along with the experience that I had. But I think that "continuity" is probably the best word I could use.
Q. Is there an element with all the success that Europe has had that you are most envious of when it comes to the Ryder Cup?
JIM FURYK: You mean, other than that tick in the win column?
Q. Yeah, besides the result.
JIM FURYK: I don't know if there's a way to measure -- I mean, I guess, can you -- please ask that question again.
Is there something that I'm envious of of the Europeans?
Q. Maybe "envious" is not the right word. But when you look at Europe, the structure of the organization, maybe you just answered it with Brody's question. But when you look at them, the results are good for them right now, what element of it really makes you want that element?
JIM FURYK: I guess I'll tip my cap to, obviously, the results. I mean, that's there. Let's go back to the '60s, '70s, '80s, where the big bad Americans dominated the Ryder Cup.
We're looking at an event in the late '70s that was close to actually being defunct, which is almost hard to imagine right now considering maybe the greatest event in all of golf.
I think the Europeans, under some great leadership, the Bernard Gallaghers, the Tony Jacklins, folks that served two, three, and four Ryder Cup captaincies in succession, I think did a really good job of putting a game plan in place. Maybe they didn't have the depth or the talent at that time when Seve and José María and Sandy and Bernhard -- let's go down the list of No. 1 players in the world. When they came along and they were able to have some of the best players in the world and some folks that could fill in, that game plan became very important, and they started to have success.
I don't think we were looking at it that way as an organization back then.
Q. Happy belated birthday.
JIM FURYK: Thank you, yesterday. And I get to share it with you. It's amazing.
(Laughter).
Q. Just wanted to ask you, did you have any interactions with Jay Sigel? He was a proud member here forever. He unfortunately passed away last year, but how much would he have loved to have seen a major championship come to his beloved Aronimink?
JIM FURYK: I didn't have a lot of communication with Jay. Probably not until he turned pro and was on the Champions Tour, was a winner there, where I maybe did some events alongside of him.
I know that growing up in eastern Pennsylvania, Jay was the ultimate amateur, lifetime amateur, won U.S. Amateur. I always wanted a shot to play him in match play just because he was the elite standard of amateur golf here in eastern Pennsylvania. Never really got that opportunity.
But we did -- I mentioned Rolling Green earlier. We did, I want to say, somewhere around my junior year of college, senior year of college, we finished 1, 2 in the State Open. He won the tournament at Rolling Green, I finished a shot back. We didn't play in the same group, but nice duel.
I always admired his career and what he stood for in the game of golf, and I know Aronimink was special to him.
Q. Curious when you talk about making the Ryder Cup captaincy and the leadership more of an annual project, if you will, what does that agenda look like? Is it partnering more closely with the Presidents Cup captain? Are there other elements you have in mind?
JIM FURYK: I think I have a number of different ideas. I think there's some great captains from the past. Most recently, we mentioned Zinger, Davis Love, Steve Stricker, guys that had success but also had amazing plans in place.
I think we look at some of the leaders on our team to improve what we do and our communication skills.
The idea of the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, I think what we've always done very well as captains -- you know, when I was the Presidents Cup captain, I was bringing on the next Ryder Cup captain as an assistant. I wanted him in that room.
I think we've always done a really good job of including the next so that they were in the room and they could grow upon the previous year.
I realize the events are different, but they do have a lot of similarities and a lot of the same, similar players. Having Sneds in my room last year, I believe was really key. It's going to help him out a lot this year at Medinah.
I will do my best to include the next Presidents Cup captain to make sure he's well-prepared, as well. I want the guys each year to have that continuity, to have that symmetry, so they're not playing with a different offensive coordinator every year, if that makes sense. We do the best we can.
As far as long term, we've got a lot of work to do. Again, I think I have a lot of great ideas. I think there's a lot we can learn from outside of our sport as well, whether that's other professional sports organizations, businessmen, CEOs. There's a lot of team-building and a lot of structural organization that we can work on.
Q. With the exception of maybe Sunday at Bethpage --
JIM FURYK: Oh, we're not going to include that one now? (Laughter)
Q. There's not been much scratching and clawing by American teams. Can you explain how you're going to create that environment?
JIM FURYK: Let's not put the result on the effort, I guess. I think they were scratching. I think they were clawing. I think they gave us 110 percent. Did we get the result we wanted? No. Did we play our best? No.
I think you could say our captains, did we put them in the best position to be successful? Probably not.
But go ahead, Alex.
Q. No, I just -- if that's the case, if our captains haven't been put in the best position, what will you do to make sure that you are in the best position?
JIM FURYK: I think that I say that -- I think we all need to kind of hop in. I mean, no one's going to go out there and say we had a helluva game plan and they didn't execute.
I think when you ask me about Paris, would you change anything? Of course I would. Hindsight is 20/20. We were doing our best to put them in the best possible positions. They were trying their best to play their best golf. The result will tell you that we weren't happy.
I think there's a lot of things logistically that we can do that we can improve on our organization. I mean, the easiest one right off the bat, I mean, just look at the record -- I had it in my mind when I came here. We're like 6-20 in foursomes the last three matches. I'll go back to the Presidents Cup where we had pretty much a blowout win by seven points, and we lost the foursome matches by three points. I mean, it's pretty glaring that we're not prepared for that format.
Right now, that's first and foremost on my mind. We cannot continue to dig the holes we are on Friday and Saturday. I think a lot of that happens behind the scenes. That happens in a number of different ways, but I'll go, first and foremost, I don't think we're preparing for that session very well. The Euros made a key move.
We've liked the foursomes first in the past. The Euros made a key move in Rome and actually put that session first, for the first time in a long time. They realized that they thought they had an advantage, and it showed glaringly. They won that session, I think, 1-7 in Rome.
It's hard to -- we've tried, and we almost overcame that at Bethpage, but it's hard to overcome those holes.
Q. What is your favorite Luke Donald story?
JIM FURYK: I would say that Luke and I, we've been friendly over the years. I've definitely competed a lot against him.
I would say probably his -- I would say tip of the cap. He spent quite a while at No. 1 in the world, I believe, which I think is something that's very difficult to do and not many people get to that realm.
Again, I think he obviously has gained the respect of his players and put in that role now for the third time. So I tip my cap. They've had a lot of success, and I think he's been able to grow and evolve what Team Europe has been -- they've been successful for a long time, but he's been able to grow and evolve with that as well.
So I would just tip my cap to him.
Q. As the Europeans have been lauded for -- it seems they have the camaraderie, and I know it looks different when you win and you lose --
JIM FURYK: Sure does.
Q. But is that part of -- they just seem to -- they've bonded, I guess. It seems that this -- is that part of the agenda? How do you -- once you guys start coming together, how do you do that? How do you create that camaraderie and bonding?
JIM FURYK: I go back to '08. I looked at the Ryder Cup, '97, '99 -- even when we won in '99, we came from 4-down. So the long faces, folks just looking stressed, the Europeans were having a lot more fun. Well, we were getting our tails kicked.
The first time I really had that look was in '08 at Valhalla. And I remember hunching around the 18th green on Saturday night, and our team is loose, they're laughing, they're hugging. And I looked across the green at the Europeans, and they were tight. I looked -- I whispered to my wife, I go, "Oh, my God, they look like us every other year."
So truly, yes, the more you're winning, the more you have the momentum, the more free and the more loose you are, you're having more fun, I mean, when you're four points up.
I'm going to tell you, to say that our team doesn't bond or that we don't get along or it's just not the same, I'm just not buying in. I think it's a low-hanging fruit. It's an easy way to describe why a talented team didn't get the W. I've said it, and I'm going to continue to say it, I don't buy it.
I've been in that team room. I've seen the joy. I saw '21, the cigars, the hugs, the beers, you name it. I've also seen the tears, and I've seen guys and what it really means to them to be a Ryder Cup player.
I know how special it was for me to play in the Ryder Cup. It's my favorite event. So I don't buy that, but I think it's an easy way to figure out why we haven't been successful, but it's not the right way.
Q. So a couple of connected things. Since 2018 the Europeans have been able to have build, rebuild, or redesign golf courses for the Ryder Cup. How much of an advantage is that? It looks like it's going to happen in Ireland too, no? How much of an advantage is that, and how do you reduce that advantage?
JIM FURYK: Home course advantage should be -- yeah, it's one of the most interesting and amazing things about the Ryder Cup. We don't see that in golf hardly at all.
So, yeah, you got the home fans. We know the Irish fans will be amazing. And it's an international event as well. The European fans are amazing, very organized. I think it comes from kind of soccer and the chants and the songs. Even when they come to the United States, their 3,000 can make a lot of noise because of the organization.
So we know what we're getting into, and yes, Edoardo, Luke, they'll be looking at Adare Manor and try to do anything they can to tip the scales and give their team a slight advantage. So we know what we're up against. It won't be easy.
When I look at the players -- we've got a lot of talented players. But I also get six picks, and I'm going to pick the toughest, the grittiest, the ones that I know will thrive in an away match; that love a partisan crowd and not being -- I love that. It's fun being at home. It's fun having the USA chants.
But man, there's something about it. I got a chill down my spine every time I got to fly to Europe and play for a crowd that was rooting against me. I think it's great.
Q. How much do you know about Ireland, and how much do you feel comfortable going to Ireland? Do you have a personal connection to Ireland?
JIM FURYK: Well, the people are wonderful, I think some of the friendliest in the world.
When I traveled to Open Championships, I always made it a point to go play links golf beforehand. I tried to arrive early, tried to get accustomed to the time change. I went to Ireland and Scotland a lot, both countries, amazing.
You walk into a pub, and they hear an American accent, and you've got 20 friends immediately. Sometimes 20 pints, but 20 friends immediately. I think the world of JP McManus, the gentleman that owns Adare Manor. He knows I'm going to be there shortly. I'm headed over there in about ten days.
I've already been invited to see Limerick. I'm imagining it's a hurling match or a hurling game, someone's got to help me out. Hurling match. So I'm invited to a hurling match. JP is a wonderful man and has hosted my family before.
I realize he probably won't be rooting for us, but I know he's a gentleman and welcoming.
I think it's a wonderful country. I think anyone around the world would say that, and a very proud group of folks. I'm actually really interested in learning a bit more about the Celtic sports. I've talked to Paddy about it little bit, and kind of a country that has their own identity and their own sporting world, it's pretty cool.
Q. Non-Ryder Cup question for you. But a lot of the spectators out here this week are diehard Philly sports fans. From afar, what do you think of the passion of the Philadelphia sports fan and how they show up to major events like this?
JIM FURYK: Well, I've got to be careful because I'm from this area.
(Laughter).
Everyone knows that I do root for the Sixers. Tough series. Probably expended a lot of energy winning the first series. But everyone knows I'm a Steeler fan; I'm a Pirate fan; I'm a Penguin fan. I know that hurts.
I would say obviously very passionate. I grew up in the area where all my friends are Philly fans. When they're playing well, when the Phillies are winning the World Series, they're showing up in droves. When they're playing bad, they're still showing up in droves, but they're just going to let you know that you're not playing so well. You're going to hear some boos. You're going to hear -- some rough times.
But you've got to give them credit because they're passionate either way, and they do love their city, and they do love their sports teams.
Q. Did you have a chance to talk to Tiger about the role either before or after the crash? And do you anticipate him having a role with your team?
JIM FURYK: We haven't spoken yet. I think, out of kind of courtesy and for him, his family, and I know maybe a road to health, I haven't reached out, but I will. Definitely. We'll see where that role may fall.
In the past, I think he's kind of taken a backseat and kind of maybe served as an advice for Keegan and such.
I will say I enjoyed serving -- I use that word serving -- as a vice captain with him a number of times. I think he brought a lot to the team room, and a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience.
Q. You said there's a lot of work to do and that past captains maybe haven't been put in the best place. Whose fault is that?
JIM FURYK: I don't think you're picking out a specific, or I'm not going to point a finger at anyone. We're all in this together from the PGA of America to Team USA to our captains to our players.
But I believe we had a vision in '14 that got us to a certain point. I just don't think we evolved along the way. So whether it's PGA of America and its captains along the way probably could have done a better job together creating that -- creating a better team atmosphere.
Q. Has the PGA empowered you enough to do what you think needs to be done?
JIM FURYK: Yes. I said it before, one, I think everyone's got their heart in the right place. The officers that I've met along the way at the PGA of America, a lot of them become dear friends. Some of them I still see at home.
The heart's in the right place. I really do -- I'm going to say it again, I think Terry is a great addition. I think he comes from a little different place than the world of golf and from a sense of business. I think the skill set that's needed that he's had throughout his career is exactly what this organization needs, and I think it's going to be a huge asset for our team as well.
Q. Question about Paris for you. One of the criticisms you faced was about your captain's picks. Obviously three of them didn't have good records, but when you look back, you go, in what world could you have not picked Bryson or Tiger after winning two events? Or Phil? But the question I wanted to ask, you is there anything about that that would make you more willing this time around to make a tough, maybe unpopular decision where you spotted a scenario there's a guy who's seventh that just won but I don't think he'd be good at Adare Manor, something like that?
JIM FURYK: I've actually read a lot of stuff you've written, and it's very well thought out. So I know where you're coming from on this.
If you went back in time to 2018 and the captain's picks were made, Thomas Björn was heavily criticized for his picks. He went with some folks that maybe weren't in good form at the time but either he felt were good fits for the golf course or had great -- some good Ryder Cup history, like a Sergio.
I was kind of put in the position where the guys in present form were pretty long hitters, maybe not necessarily the most accurate players. The one guy that actually for us statistically that really profiled well for that golf course was Tony Finau. The reason why is he used that 3-iron. He had a driving 3-iron that he was very accurate with, and we knew he was going to use it a ton on that golf course. And he profiled well from yardages and for the rest of the golf course. That was probably my one controversial pick, and he's the one -- what did they go, 2-10? Is that right maybe?
Q. I think Tony won 2 1/2 or 3 points.
JIM FURYK: He was 2&1, but I think the whole group went 2-10 that week. Tony won the 2 points.
You know I knew the guys that profiled well for that golf course were the Zach Johnsons, the Matt Kuchars, Kevin Kisner, guys that I took over there, Brian Harmon. I took them over there for practice rounds. They saw the golf course. I knew they profiled well for it.
Kis was hurt. Zach and Kuch really weren't having great years and not a good second half of the year.
That was a big decision in there. Am I taking the guys in current form, or am I taking the guys that I think profile well for the golf course? We know the rest of the story, what I took and the record.
Now, there's a lot more that goes into those records than just profiling for the golf course. Tiger was exhausted after the TOUR Championship. And ultimately, after the first session, we struggled all around as a team.
Q. I guess the second part of the question is this time around, are you going to be a little more ruthless maybe? Or would you make the more difficult choice more readily because of what you witnessed there?
JIM FURYK: I've had to do it twice because I did it in Paris. I feel like I applied some of those lessons to my selections in 2024. Absolutely.
Part of my job -- I'm going to say this. When we talk about a captaincy, you're going to hear me say this a lot during the -- you're going to hear me use the word "we" quite often. I don't want you to mistake that from the fact that I'm a captain and I'm the guy who gets to make the decisions.
When I think about "we," I think about the large organization. I think about my vice captains. I think about 12 players. I think about 12 wives. I think about 12 caddies. At the PGA of America, our staff, our physios, our coaches, you just keep going down the list. It's a group of 75 to 100.
My job and my goal is to get that large group all thinking about one common goal and getting everyone on the same exact page and moving down the tracks.
So I'm going to use "we" a lot throughout the year; but don't mistake that. At the end of the day, my management style is more about surrounding myself with the best and the brightest people, getting their opinions, but ultimately at the end of the day, I have to make those tough decisions.
So those captain's picks we were talking about, and I'm going to circle back, yes, I'm prepared and willing and will make those tough decisions. We're going to put the best group. We're going to put the best team of 12 together, and that's really important because there needs to be cohesiveness. The pairings need to match. We need to fit the golf course, and I need some guys in good form as well.
I'll be over there shortly. I'll start identifying -- I'm going to travel to Ireland quite a bit, probably three times this year, and I'm going to start identifying what it's going to take on that golf course.
I realize there's going to be some nips and tucks made, and I know there's already been some changes made to grassing and rough lines so that they have some options on setup.
We'll start to form -- we'll start funneling and forming those opinions next year, as well, and getting ready to pick that best team of 12.
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