Jim Furyk has made his first significant behind-the-scenes change since taking the helm as U.S. Ryder Cup Captain, hiring a new data analytics team.
In the first clear indication that Furyk is willing to shake things up — even something that has been successful for him before — Scouts Consulting Group, which has supported the U.S. side in most of international men’s golf team competitions since 2016, is out and will be replaced by a new group headed by Justin Ray and Hunter Stewart.
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Furyk hired Scouts, which is headed by Jason Aquino, in 2024 when he was the winning captain of the U.S. side of the Presidents Cup, and served as a vice captain to Davis Love III, who used Scouts in victory at both the 2016 Ryder Cup and 2022 Presidents Cup.
“I really want to make it clear that I’m a big fan of Jason Aquino, he’s very talented and I learned a lot from Jason and consider us friends even now,” Furyk tells Golfweek. “That conversation was difficult in some respects but ultimately I felt like we had an opportunity and I had to make the best decision for the United States team.”
Jim Furyk of the United States talks with media during a press conference prior to the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 13, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
Ray is one of the most popular follows on social media and has become golf’s go-to stats guys. He worked behind the scenes first at ESPN, then Golf Channel, and for Twenty First Group, a data-analytics company that helped Team Europe regain the Ryder Cup in 2018. Ray has written for Golfweek in the past and currently is a contributor to The Athletic. He’s worked with the DP World Tour and LPGA extensively on their stats programs, and he handled data analytics for U.S. Solheim Cup Captain Stacy Lewis in 2023 when the match ended in a tie and in victory in 2024. He’s recently started his own company, Justin Ray Sports.
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Ray was recommended to Furyk by U.S. vice captain Justin Leonard, who raved about Ray’s expertise in his field from his TV days at Golf Channel.
“Justin is our big picture guy,” said Furyk, who noted his experience with the Solheim Cup was attractive. Furyk phoned Lewis for a recommendation, and they also participated in a corporate outing together for a data analytics company and Furyk sensed they had a similar approach to utilizing the bevy of information in their decision-making process.
Furyk is well aware that Team Europe has benefited greatly from a former player turned trailblazer in the use of data analytics in golf. Edoardo Molinari, a former U.S. Amateur champion, three-time DP World Tour champion and European Ryder Cupper in 2010, has created a business that is helping some of the game’s top players learn their strengths and weaknesses, strategy and course management and how to practice more effectively. Molinari has been the mastermind behind Europe’s success at the last two Ryder Cups and is slated to return as captain Luke Donald’s right-hand man in 2027.
Jan 19, 2022; La Quinta, CA, USA; Portrait of Hunter Stewart for Golfweek magazine at PGA West. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Furyk will attempt to neutralize that advantage with Stewart, who was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 2015 at Vanderbilt University, a member of the 2015 U.S. Walker Cup team, and played briefly on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour before becoming the first former player to parse statistics to create better training plans and arm golfers with game plans for each week. His stable of more than 10 Tour pros includes the likes of Maverick McNealy, Ludvig Aberg and recent Memorial champion J.T. Poston.
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U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Brandt Snedeker also has hired Stewart to assist his team later this year so he will have a chance to familiarize himself with the role and the members of the team and backroom brain trust ahead of Adare Manor next year.
It was Furyk’s idea to bring two of the beautiful minds in the sport together. When he asked Stewart if he was willing to partner with Ray, Stewart replied, “If you think that will help us win, sure.”
Are two great minds better than one? “We’re developing what we’re going to do, and I’m excited to get going,” Ray said.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jim Furyk shakes things up, picks new data experts for Ryder Cup team
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