Furyk says USA will be 'underdogs' at 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland
United States captain Jim Furyk said his team will be "underdogs" at the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in County Limerick and made the comments during a news conference at the venue. Furyk spoke ahead of the centenary edition of the match, which he will lead in 2027.
The Americans have not won a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993, losing all seven contests on the continent since that victory at The Belfry, and Furyk oversaw a 17½-10½ defeat to Europe in France in 2018. He was handed a second stint as captain earlier this year following Keegan Bradley's side's loss to Luke Donald's Europe at Bethpage Black in 2025. Furyk also played in nine consecutive Ryder Cups between 1997 and 2014.
Furyk said he expected to hear the away-win drought mentioned repeatedly and that he would accept that status, adding: "We know what we are up against, we also know it's been 34 years since we won in Europe. There is no secret, I'm going to hear it over and over again so I am going to embrace it." He warned that European vice-captains could influence the contest, saying: "Luke and Dodo [Edoardo Molinari, vice-captain] have the opportunity to set the golf course up, tip the scales for Europe. We're the underdogs."
Luke Donald responded to Furyk's assessment by telling BBC Sport NI: "I think reading between the lines, he is very focused on this Ryder Cup and wants to make amends for what happened in 2018 and the last two Ryder Cups. He's going to bring a very strong team, that's why I'm not quite so certain that they'll definitely be the underdogs. They'll be strong and will be coming for us but we'll be ready." Donald won four Ryder Cups as a player and led Europe to a 16½-11½ victory in Rome in 2023 and a 15-13 triumph at Bethpage in 2025, Europe's first away win since 2012.
Donald said continuity in recent European teams may change for the centenary match and invited potential rookies Eugenio Chacarra, Angel Ayora, Alex Fitzpatrick and Kristoffer Reitan to a scouting trip at Adare Manor last month. "Certainly something unique was that we had a lot of continuity with the last two teams but I expect that to shift a little bit for this one," added Donald, who is hoping to become the first captain to win three Ryder Cups in a row after victories in Rome and New York.
Furyk pointed to past American pairings and young talent as part of his planning, noting that in 2018 Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas won three out of four points as a foursomes and fourballs pairing. With 21-year-old Jackson Koivun having impressed during an unbeaten Presidents Cup debut in last month's comeback victory over the Internationals in Chicago, Furyk said he was keen to bring more youth into the side: "I really love the guys who have played for us in the past few years," the 56-year-old told the BBC. "We have tough, gritty veterans who have been around the block, and I'm excited, we have a lot of great, young talent who have yet to play in this cup and I'd bet two or three of them will be at Adare."
Furyk highlighted a specific area of concern in alternate-shot play, saying the United States must improve their approach to foursomes after poor returns in recent Cups. "The US won just three points from a possible 16 in the alternate-shot format over the past two Ryder Cups," the article noted, and Furyk added: "I know those numbers very well. I've lived them the last four. 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." He also said: "As captains we need to do a better job – not only putting the folks into good pairings in good positions, but I don't think we are preparing for those matches in a proper way."
The 2027 Ryder Cup will be staged at Adare Manor on 17-19 September and will be the second time the competition has been held in Ireland, following the K Club in 2006.