Jim Furyk: US must look beyond next Ryder Cup

Jiim Furyk of the United States hits his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Port Royal Golf Course. Picture: Getty

Furyk and Rory McIlroy both said on Monday at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf that the public fallout from another American loss in the Ryder Cup last month at Gleneagles could be helpful. Europe now have won eight of the past ten times.

The next Ryder Cup is at Hazeltine in 2016, though Furyk said the Americans need to look beyond that.

“We need to look at the next ten to 20 years of Ryder Cup golf,” said Furyk. “For the next 20 years we got ten events. Let’s think about maybe 5-5 is good, let’s think about 6-4, let’s think about 7-3. Let’s go on the winning side of it.

“When we look back the last 20 years, it’s probably a 2-8 type of deal. Let’s reverse that tide and get it moving forward.”

In the weeks since the most recent loss, various reports have painted an ugly picture of US captain Tom Watson’s heavy-handed style and old-school motivation. In an awkward and at times uncomfortable press conference at Gleneagles, Phil Mickelson raved about what worked in their last win in 2008 and how Watson ignored that winning formula.

“In a way, it’s not a bad thing that the PGA of America might start looking at the Ryder Cup a little differently or trying to sort of come at it from a different angle,” McIlroy said. “So in the end, it might not have been a bad thing to shake things up a little.”

Furyk said the debate about the captain has been unfortunate. “Rory is spot on,” Furyk said. “The silver lining may be that it gives us a chance to have an open discussion.

“I want to look at the past, I want to see where we made mistakes, and how we can get better.”

The PGA of America is responsible for selecting the captain. It now wants to create a task force of past players and captains to find ways to improve.

Furyk is curious to hear different ideas, especially because it would be the first time everyone was heard as a group.

“Amongst ourselves, we talked a lot about where we have gone wrong in the past, what can we do better in the future,” he said.

“I’m anxious to kind of see the views from all different angles from the officers, from the captains, from the players.”

Furyk and McIlroy were paired together when the Grand Slam got under way yesterday. The 36-hole exhibition is for the major champions this year, and Furyk is playing as an alternate because McIlroy won the British Open and the PGA Championship.

US Open champion Martin Kaymer and Masters champion Bubba Watson also feature.