Jim Furyk and the Overcorrection to the Overcorrection

Imagine you have a standing order at your favorite restaurant. You know what to expect, and you take comfort in that. But one day, you're feeling a little frisky. You go out on a limb and order something different—but it inevitably disappoints. So you do what anyone would do: run back to your tried-and-true.

That's what the PGA of America just did with the United States Ryder Cup captaincy.

Less than two years after shockingly naming Keegan Bradley as Team USA's leader for Bethpage Black, it overcorrected by returning to a place of comfort with Jim Furyk.

Mr. 58 served as the American captain in 2018, a Ryder Cup that saw his team get drummed by the Europeans in Paris, 17½-10½. Furyk has been a fixture as vice captain ever since—present for the win in 2021, and on the losing side in both '23 and '25.

Furyk, thanks to his experience over the last decade, knows what this group of Europeans is capable of. He's seen it firsthand. He can lean on his veteran status and make educated changes to his game plan from seven years ago.

During a 2020 interview with No Laying Up, Furyk was asked whether he'd do anything differently after Paris. His answer was characteristically blunt:

"What arrogant asshole would have the event go the wrong way and then say, 'Nope. I'd do everything the same way?'"

He knows things need to change—and that's half the battle.

Plus, bringing back an ex-captain has worked for Team USA before. In 2012, Davis Love III was on the losing end of the Miracle at Medinah. Four years later, he was given the keys once again and won at Hazeltine. The key difference in Furyk's scenario, however, is that he won't have the home crowd to lean on.

On the other hand, there's a real chance that enlisting the same group of men simply produces the same results. For an organization that's caught plenty of flak over the years about the roster being a boy's club, the leadership staff has gone down a similar path.

In 2016, Love had Furyk and Steve Stricker as two of his vice captains. In 2018, Furyk enlisted Love, Stricker, and Zach Johnson, among others. Three years later, Stricker selected Furyk, Johnson, and Love. In 2023, Johnson called on Furyk, Stricker, and Love. Last year, Bradley chose Furyk for his staff, but brought in some new blood with Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Kisner, and Gary Woodland.

Now, after a failed attempt at change, Team USA is going back to known commodities.

There's genuine reason to believe Furyk will be better for having done this before—he said as much himself. But at Adare Manor, on foreign soil, with a European side that has won three of the last four, captaincy will only go so far. Scheffler, Schauffele, and the rest of the American stars will need to bring their best golf to Ireland—because if they don't, no amount of experience in the captain's room will matter.

The dish is back on the menu. Whether it tastes any better this time around is another question entirely.

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