The world of professional golf is set for the 2027 Ryder Cup in Ireland, with multiple sources close to the selection process confirming to The Associated Press that Jim Furyk will return as captain of the United States team. His appointment comes after Tiger Woods removed himself from consideration for the role, following a late March arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence that led the 15-time major champion to step away from competitive golf indefinitely to prioritize his health and recovery.
Furyk’s selection makes him only the fourth American skipper to earn a second captaincy since 1979, the start of the modern Ryder Cup era when continental European players joined the competition. He follows Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Davis Love III, all of whom held the role twice over the past four decades. All three previous two-time captains led the U.S. team on home soil both times, leaving Furyk with a historic and daunting challenge: the Americans have not won a Ryder Cup held on European soil since 1993, a drought that has stretched more than three decades.
The path to Furyk’s appointment began with the PGA of America’s original priority on Woods. For the 2025 Ryder Cup, the governing body delayed its selection to wait for Woods to confirm if he wanted the role, ultimately nominating surprise pick Keegan Bradley when Woods declined. For 2027, organizers set a soft late-March deadline for Woods to make a final decision, with a shortlist of vetted candidates ready to be considered if he turned down the post.
That contingency plan was activated after Woods’ March 27 incident in Florida: his SUV struck a pickup truck’s trailer on a residential street, flipping the vehicle onto its side. Authorities determined Woods was impaired, leading to his arrest and brief jailing. Four days after the crash, Woods announced he would step away from competitive golf indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health,” and formally notified the PGA of America he could not take on the 2027 captaincy. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the official announcement has not yet been made, confirmed the Ryder Cup committee moved directly to select Furyk after Woods’ withdrawal. When contacted by AP, Furyk declined to comment via text message, and the PGA of America issued a vague statement Friday saying, “We look forward to sharing details regarding our 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup captain announcement soon.”
Furyk first led the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2018 at Paris’ Le Golf National, where Europe secured a lopsided 17 1/2-10 1/2 victory. That tournament was marred by internal friction for the U.S. side: all four of Furyk’s captain’s picks combined for a dismal 2-10-0 record across match play sessions, and star Patrick Reed publicly blamed teammate Jordan Spieth for poor paired play and Furyk for benching him twice during the event.
Despite that 2018 defeat, Furyk has rebuilt his reputation as a strong leader in subsequent team events. He captained the U.S. Presidents Cup team to a victory in 2024, and served as a trusted assistant captain under Keegan Bradley for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. That event saw Europe take a commanding seven-point lead after the first two days of play, holding on to claim a second consecutive victory under captain Luke Donald, who will return for his third straight Ryder Cup at Ireland’s Adare Manor in 2027. If Donald leads Europe to victory in 2027, he will become the first captain ever to win three consecutive Ryder Cups.
The challenge facing Furyk is steep by any measure. Dating back to the 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill, Europe has claimed 11 victories from the 15 contested matches, cementing a decades-long era of dominance over the American side. While the U.S. scored a resounding home victory at Hazeltine in 2016, they collapsed two years later at Le Golf National, a course designed with narrow fairways and thick rough that neutralized the American team’s power. After opening with a 3-1 lead on the first day, the U.S. failed to win a single session for the rest of the tournament, with all four captain’s picks including Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau combining for just one half-point from nine matches.