Behind Jim Furyk's Ryder Cup message to US team as Adare Manor vow comes to fore

Jim Furyk has vowed to ask his 2027 Ryder Cup team to do “more than any other United States team has in the past” in the biennial contest in a bid to come up with a winning formula in next September’s centenary edition at Adare Manor.

As part of a series of Year to Go events in and around Limerick over the past few days, Furyk and his opposite number, Luke Donald, sat alongside each other for an hour on Tuesday afternoon during a press conference as JP McManus, the exclusive venue’s owner and a keen golfer, was among those looking on and listening to every word.

Donald, of course, has already steered Europe to back-to-back victories, having seen off an American side captained by Zach Johnson at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome in 2023 before holding off a last-day fightback from Keegan Bradley’s team at Bethpage Black in New York last September.

Team US captain Jim Furyk, left, and Team Europe captain Luke Donald speak during a Ryder Cup Year to Go Press Conference at Adare Manor in Limerick | Andrew Redington/Getty Images

The former world No 1 is now bidding to create history by becoming the first captain from either side to win three contests and, as has been the case throughout his term in the post, Donald spoke well about the task facing him and his side next year.

So, too, in fairness, did Furyk, who is back for a second bite at the cherry, having already led the US into battle at Le Golf National in France in 2018 only to end up on the losing side on that occasion against a European team captained by Thomas Bjorn.

Eight years on, having been been a winning Presidents Cup captain in the interim and also serving as a vice captain in the Ryder Cup, Furyk certainly gave the impression that he is now much better equipped for the job and he is calling on the US players to do their bit in a bid to land a first win on European soil since 1993.

“I know those numbers very, very well,” replied the former US Open champion after it was pointed out that foursomes play has been a problem for the US in team matches over the last four contests in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, with Europe winning 13-3 in the former and the score being 26-8 overall.

“What's interesting is it's a recent thing for us in the United States. When I started playing the Ryder Cup, we felt and mathematically at teams, had an advantage in the foursomes. At that time, we were really struggling in the fourball. So there's an ebb and a flow.

“But it's not an anomaly. There's some issues. We understand that. Not something I'm very happy with. I plan on making some changes. I would say, one, as captains, we need to do a better job, not only put the folks into good pairings in good positions, but I don't think we are preparing for those matches in a proper way.

“And I will promise you, we will be prepared. I'm going to ask this team to do more than any other United States team has in the past. We'll be prepared. We'll be ready to go in that format and, hopefully, we can showcase our talent. We have too much depth to have that poor record in alternate-shot.”

In a chat with a group of reporters afterwards, Furyk elaborated on what he meant by asking his players to do “more than any other United States team has in the past”. Insisting it was more a case of "acclimatisation" than an “audition”, he is looking for a group of around “15 players” to attend a get-together at Adare Manor next July straight before the Genesis Scottish Open and The 155th Open at St Andrews.

“I want the guys to come over, see the golf course, actually see Adare, walk around the village,” he said. “I want them to have a little fun while they're over here but also want them to see the golf course and and and work and understand what it's going to take. So, for those that end up making the team, know how to prepare and how to be ready to play the Ryder Cup when they get here.”

After leading the US to victory in the recent Presidents Cup over the Internationals at Medinah, captain Brandt Snedeker predicted the American side is “going to be a problem in Ireland” and was clearly firing a warning to the Europeans.

Asked about, a smiling Donald said: “I have zero complacency about how strong the US is going to be. They always are. On paper, they tend to be stronger than us through the world rankings. Obviously we have a great record at home but again, zero complacency.

“You know, I've seen what Jim has been doing behind the scenes, changing the stats, changing the qualification system. He is very, very motivated to come here and put up a good fight. Certainly I'm just as motivated to sort of keep finding those edges for my team as well. But I know that the US will be very strong.”

According to Furyk, Europe will be heading into this contest as the favourites - but Donald didn’t bite on that one. “For us, being an underdog is a mentality,” he declared. “We always want to prove something to ourselves, to the rest of the world. Yeah, we understand that being at home is an advantage, but we also know that the US are very strong.”

General admission tickets for the event sold out in a ballot that was oversubscribed by more than 12 times. “There's going to be 50,000 people making a lot of noise,” observed Furyk, who played on a losing side at The K Club -Ireland’s first Ryder Cup - in 2006. “We know what we're up against. We also know that it's been 34 years since we won in Europe. There's no secret. I'm going to hear it over and over again, so I'm going to embrace it.”