Pebble Beach, CA …
USA Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk insists changes he announced to qualifying for the 2018 USA Ryder Cup team is all about ‘growing and getting better’ following last year’s Hazeltine success.
Furky has played in nine USA Ryder Cup sides and under eight different USA captains.
In his 34 matches Furyk has won 10 and halved four so he knows a thing or two about the Ryder Cup.
However the now 46-year old will lead a team to France not having won himself on European soil and while looking to also to lead a USA Team to victory in Europe for a first occasion since 1993.
Furyk indicated that heading to the Le National course in September 2018 is all about growing the USA Team and the team getting better with each Ryder Cup.
Jim Furyk insists changes to the USA Ryder Cup qualifying process is all about growing and getting better. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“No matter how well you play or how good things seem, there’s always ways to improve,” said Furky on the eve of this week’s AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“So I’m really pleased and really feel like the work of the task force, the work of Davis Love, the work of the Committee, the work of the 12 players and the captains that poured into this last Ryder Cup, we have kind of got things back on the rails and headed the right direction. I’m pleased with what we were able to accomplish in 2016, because we hadn’t done it very often in the last 20 years.
“But the idea is to grow, to get better.
“Davis will be the first one to say that, and I can’t give him enough praise for getting us back. He was just the right guy at the right time to lead us. But we’re always trying to get better and grow and tweak and change. And, again, I don’t think to go back and re-invent the wheel, to break everything down and start over is not the way to go.
Jim Furyk speaking at today’s 2018 Ryder Cup announcement re changes to qualifying for the USA Team. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“But to keep building on the momentum we have right now, I think, is the goal. I was also asked at the opening press conference, what was going to be my mark and I just don’t think that that’s where this thing is headed. I’m not trying to leave a mark on the Ryder Cup as — you think about all your local clubs when the head of the greens super or the head of the greens committee comes in, he always wants to leave a mark, right?
“And nine times out of 10 it usually goes the wrong way. Am I right? I’m not trying to leave my mark on the Ryder Cup, I’m trying to continue the ball rolling in the same direction and gain momentum. And instead I’ve been put in a situation different from the last couple of captains, where we have had some success and the momentum is going forward and my job is to help move that forward and sustain it and get the 12 guys on the same page.”
PGA of America CEO, Pete Bevacqua who joined Furyk for the announcement today added:
PGA of America CEO Pete Becacqua.
“I would say that we certainly with the task force and now the Ryder Cup Committee and the changes that were made, that was applied to a home Ryder Cup,” said Bevacqua.
“And now, for the first time it will be applied to a way Ryder Cup. I think that’s different. Like any sport. Whether you’re a football team, baseball team, basketball team, it’s one thing to play on your home field, your home court and now, you have to take this model and test it out overseas. And I think we have the perfect person steering the ship in Jim to really kind of hopefully reverse the trend from ’93.
“But to take this Ryder Cup concept, this program, and now say, okay, what changes need to be made now that we’re going to Paris? And I think you’re seeing some of that already. The timing is different. I think that there will be many things that will need to be tweaked because you are travelling to a foreign country and you’re not going to be the hometown favourite, you’re going to be the out-of-town team and then there will be differences and we’ll have to navigate those.”
