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Jim Furyk Answers Questions About His Presidents Cup Team Choices
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posted by Boxto Golf
Jim Furyk Answers Questions About His Presidents Cup Team Choices
Furyk's Ryder Cup Regret: Captain's Picks Didn't Pay Off
Jim Furyk Answers Questions About His Presidents Cup Team Choices, the current U.S. Presidents Cup captain and Boxto Ambassador, is well aware of the importance of captain's picks in determining the outcome of international team competitions. His experience at the 2018 Ryder Cup serves as a cautionary tale, as his four selections struggled to perform at the expected level. Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods, in particular, faced disappointment with a combined 0-10-0 record.
Furyk Discusses Captain's Picks and Tiger Woods' Potential Role in Presidents Cup
U.S. Presidents Cup captain Jim Furyk is set to announce his final six team members on Sunday, Sept. 4. With one last week of action to observe potential candidates, Furyk shared his thoughts on Keegan Bradley's BMW Championship victory and the factors he's considering for his captain's picks. Additionally, he addressed the possibility of Tiger Woods playing a role in the team.
Furyk's Criteria for Presidents Cup Captain's Picks
As Furyk prepares to finalize his Presidents Cup roster, he revealed the key factors he's looking for in his captain's picks. He emphasized the importance of players who are playing well, fit the team dynamic, and have a strong passion for representing the United States. Furyk also hinted that he's considering players who have experience in international team competitions
Read our article about the first 6 picks for the 2024 Presidents CUp
Furyk Maintains Secrecy on Presidents Cup Captain's Picks
Jim Furyk, the captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team, is keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to his final six selections. Even when asked about the quarterback situation for his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, Furyk remained tight-lipped. His focus is solely on assembling a winning team for the Presidents Cup, which will take place at Royal Montreal from September 26-29.
With several talented golfers vying for the remaining spots, Furyk faces the challenging task of making decisions that could significantly impact Team USA's chances of victory. His choices will be closely scrutinized by fans and experts alike, as he aims to create a cohesive and formidable squad capable of defeating the International team.
Jim Furyk Answers Questions About His Presidents Cup
Q: Did Keegan Bradley make your job easier or harder by winning the BMW Championship last week?
Jim Furyk: In the back of my mind, I feel like for symmetry, for us, for the U.S. side with the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup every year it’s great to kind of bring the next captain on. So, you know, I didn’t know exactly who that person was going to be. I felt like, you know, you had great selections and choices out there, but when Keegan was named, I definitely wanted to reach out and obviously it’s usually not just someone that’s like vying to make your team that’s kind of a new one for me.
I think it was a very natural move. You know, he’s played on some of these teams before. He’s got some experience, but he’s never been in that team room as a captain and so I wanted to give him that experience. We’ve been friends for a long time. You know, I think he brings a lot of excitement, right. You can see the passion in Keegan’s eyes. You can hear it in his voice, whether it’s about a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup or just on a daily basis. He brings a lot of energy and so, you know, I think when you kind of round out your team, all your captains kind of have a role and a position and I think for him I expect it’ll be a learning experience for him but he brings a lot to the table he knows these guys he’s playing not only week in and week out as he playing out on PGA Tour he’s playing an extremely high level and he’s playing with these guys quite often so he knows their games very well and he brings a lot to the table for our team.
He definitely made a statement last week. Jumped to No. 10 (in the point standings), raised some eyebrows. When he was named Ryder Cup, he was in the top 20 in our points. I said to him then, ‘First and foremost I know you’re a player and you want to make these teams and I know how much they mean to you.’
He said, ‘No matter what happens I’m super-excited to be an assistant captain, this is going to help me out so much for next year. I love being part of these teams. I’m 150 percent in and I’m ready to go.’ I told him, ‘When we’re in discussion and talking about picks we’re not going to talk about you in front of you, that’s not fair.’ He’s been great. He’s made my job easy.
Q: When you were captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2018, he won the BMW Championship but didn't get a pick. Anything we should read into that?
Jim Furyk: We’d have to look it up but he was much farther down the list in 2018, not as solid a year, he’s 11 in the world right now with three wins. When I look at picks, I’m looking at a body of work, who is playing well now, who has a style of game that fits Royal Montreal and looking at pairings. There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle.
Keegan checks a lot of boxes. He makes it clear how much he loves these matches.
Q: Is your mind made up on your six guys or are people still auditioning this week at the Tour Championship?
Jim Furyk: I think a lot of the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. The picture is becoming a lot more clear. It doesn’t mean that someone won’t come from out of the picture and make it more fuzzy again. But it’s starting to get more clear.
Twenty years ago, I think we were always trying to pick like we gotta have the 12 best guys on the team. I think we’re trying to create the best possible 12 as a whole as a group and who fits that mold.
Q: What's the one thing that you learned from 2018 in terms of picking players that you think you'll do differently this time?
Jim Furyk: I think the big choice I had in ’18 was really guys in present form that were playing very well and also horses for courses, right, but look back at ‘18, Thomas Bjorn did a good job of picking some guys that had some veteran status and probably fit that golf course very, very well. You know, I think having an indication of what Mike wants to do to Royal Montreal and how he wants to set the golf course up, I think that becomes very, very instrumental in my picks as well.
As far as I know, a tight golf course. Heavy rough sounds like getting the ball in the fairway is gonna be key for that golf course. I didn’t quite see that when I was up there, you know, two or three weeks ago.
The rough wasn’t tremendously penal yet, but I’m told that that’s what I probably should expect. That final decision will be made here soon, before we make our picks.
So, you know, I think, guys that fit the golf course. If I didn’t mention that earlier, becomes very instrumental and that was my tough decision. I think in 2018, you know what we play on a weekly basis is on the PGA Tour is a little bit more let it fly and go find it and hitting the ball in the rough isn’t that big of a penalty and with how far these guys hit it. Yet with how they obviously set up Le Golf National in 2018, extremely penal, extremely high rough.
You had to place the ball in the fairways. You had to limit your clubs off the tee and it basically just pushed everyone to the same point in the fairway and then it became kind of an iron-playing type competition.
So what did I learn from the picks back then? I guess you have decisions to be made and so I’m trying to put that puzzle together as best as I can.
Q: Is there going to be a role for Tiger Woods with the team?
Jim Furyk: I’ll reach out to Tiger. I think we all kind of expected that he was going to be named Ryder Cup captain and when that didn’t happen, I know he’s got his plate full with the PGA Tour and working on our board, which seems to be a lot of work at the moment.
So I’ll reach out, say hello. You know, I know he’s got some great strategy. He’s got some great stuff with pairings, but as of yet I haven’t reached out.
Q: If Bradley plays, will you name a replacement as an assistant captain?
Jim Furyk: I have only named four assistant captains and I’m allowed five. So, I still have one more to name and I have a pretty good idea who’ll that be. (As for replacing Keegan), that’s a road we’ll cross when I get there. We’ll wait and see who the picks are. Let’s not put the cart before the horse. I’ve got a plan of what I want to do, I just don’t want to talk about it that in-depth, how’s that?
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