Jim Furyk inherits the captaincy of Team USA’s Ryder Cup team after back-to-back losses.
The Americans were demolished by Luke Donald’s European side over the first two days at Bethpage Black, as they handed Team USA their first loss on home soil since the Miracle of Medinah in 2012.
Advertisement
Team Europe is a Ryder Cup machine, obsessed over every minute detail and getting every key decision right in their last two events. That has exposed the American processes, as they selected the statistically worst possible pairing of Collin Morikawa and Harris English on both days.
There is clearly much work to be done for Furyk to turn the ship around and compete with Europe in Ireland, but he’s already identified the team’s biggest problem just months into his tenure.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Jim Furyk says foursomes is Team USA’s ‘glaring’ problem at the Ryder Cup
Team Europe has the measure of the Americans at the Ryder Cup team events. They led 11.5-4.5 going into Sunday and needed just 2.5 points to win.
Advertisement
The foursomes event, in particular, has posed significant issues for Team USA. It requires the most strategy and teamwork of all the events, as two players play the same ball in an alternate shot format.
Furyk says that the Americans’ foursomes issues need to be addressed before they arrive at Adare Manor.
When asked about Team USA’s recent Ryder Cup history, Furyk said, “I don’t think the idea is much different than 2014, but I think we could grow, we could evolve at a much better rate.
“Obviously 2016, huge success at Hazeltine. 2021, huge success at Whistling Straits. I think we pull and we grab the foundation from those events.
Advertisement
“But there’s a lot of different things we can talk about that with, I think we can grow and get better at our logistics, our travel, our schedule. We can get into our pairings. It’s no secret that foursomes has been a glaring problem. Our team play the last two Ryder Cups on Friday and Saturday, we’ve dug massive holes. But foursomes is the glaring problem.
“I think there’s a lot of stones to be unturned, our analytics, and just how we grow and how we evolve in all those areas. This is something that I quite honestly have been thinking about for years because I’ve been involved with so many teams.
“As soon as Bethpage kind of ended, I really started taking a lot of notes and writing things down and moving forward. I think it’s been — Terry sitting right here in the front. I think Terry’s been a breath of fresh air for us as an organization, as the new CEO. His golf knowledge is quite impressive.
“But I think bringing that business background and having — when we talked, we talked a lot about the long-term goals of this organization, and I think a lot of our ideas aligned. I’m definitely happy he’s joined on. I think he’s going to be a great addition to what we have at Team USA.”
Advertisement
Why Team USA are so bad at Ryder Cup foursomes
The American struggles in Ryder Cup foursomes often boil down to a clash between individualistic superstar culture and a format that demands teamwork.
In foursomes, you must be able to adapt to different equipment and play styles, and work with your partner throughout the round. But over the years, egos and poor statistical analysis have prevented the Americans from succeeding in this format.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were famously once partnered in foursomes, but neither had any success playing with the other’s golf ball. Captain Hal Sutton thought it was as simple as pairing his two best players, without considering compatibility.
Advertisement
It was a massive issue for Team USA at Bethpage. Over the two foursomes events, Team Europe won 6-2. That ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams.
Fixing this historical weakness is one of Furyk’s biggest tasks for Adare Manor.
Read the full article here
