Jim Furyk Named 2018 Ryder Cup Captain

After having success this past fall in the Ryder Cup, The U.S. Team decided to stick with what worked by naming Jim Furyk the new team captain for the 2018 Ryder Cup.  Furyk, who served on the 2016 team as vice-captain was chosen to lead the 2018 team over Fred Couples by panelists Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and last year’s captain, Davis Love III.

Call him Jim. Call him Mr. 58. Call him captain!

The next man to lead the U.S. in the #RyderCup will be 9-time team member Jim Furyk. pic.twitter.com/lCTi5Sx4Gy

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) January 11, 2017

Furyk brings a wealth of experience to the Ryder Cup team heading into 2018, having competed for the team for nine straight seasons until his last performance in 2014.  Furyk has also won 17 PGA TOUR events in his career, including the 2003 U.S. Open.  Most notably of late, the Tour veteran became the record holder for the lowest round shot on the PGA TOUR after carding a 58 last August at the Travelers Championship.

While he has performed well on the PGA TOUR through the years, Furyk has never found much success in the Ryder Cup as a player.  He carries a 10-20-4 individual record in the competition and the team as a whole has gone 2-7 against their European counterparts in his nine appearances.

Despite his poor record as a player, Furyk comes highly recommended for the role of captain, as a “natural leader and great communicator” by PGA of America President Paul Levy when he introduced Furyk as the next captain at a news conference today.

The honor of becoming the U.S. captain was not lost on Furyk as he was honored to be named to the position.  At his introductory news conference, Furyk said, “This is such an honor, I’m actually feeling a little overwhelmed.”  He was also excited to take over the post stating, “It’s been my favorite event in my entire career.  In my opinion, the Ryder Cup embodies everything special about golf.”

Furyk will hope to lead the U.S. team to their first victory on European soil since 1993.  To do that he will have to defeat the European team that will be led by Thomas Bjorn, who was named the captain of team European last month.

Cover Photo via YouTube