Take That, Europe: Furyk Is The 2018 Ryder Cup Captain, Already Names His First Assistant Captain!
/The task force "Task Force" Task Force probably had this one and the next four decided, but the rumor mill and Jim Furyk's continued relevance as an elite player injected a little doubt into whether he'd be selected 2018 Ryder Cup captain.
Furyk was named captain Wednesday on quite possibly the worst news day in the 21st century to reveal something, but it happens and the next Ryder Cup remains just under two years away.
Jason Sobel summed up the Furyk announcement this way:
Armed with a self-made swing and no-nonsense personality, Furyk has never been as awe-inspiring as Tiger Woods, or as beloved as Phil Mickelson, or even as admired as his predecessor Love, whom he has already named as his first vice captain.
What he lacks in affability, he more than makes up for with intelligence and sincerity and respect from his peers, qualities that should make him a strong captain for next year's festivities at Le Golf National in Paris.
Rex Hoggard talked to players about Furyk as captain.
After Mickelson, who assumed something of a playing vice captain role last year and is likely slated to captain the ’24 team at Bethpage in New York, Furyk is the most obvious choice to continue the work that began with last year’s victory (and make no mistake, those involved view the ’16 matches as only the beginning).
“Phil and Amy [Mickelson] are big time leaders and Jim and [wife Tabitha] are big time leaders as well,” Spieth said. “That really is important in a Ryder Cup team room, having both sides, having leadership together as a couple.”
In the old boys world of task forces, Furyk already named Davis Love an assistant, putting Mr. 58 on target--as of now--to be the first captain to have an assistant cart driver for every player on the team.
Love had Furyk as an assistant and apparently wants to spend some time in Paris (can't blame him) in 2018. Or, Love missed driving his own cart at Hazeltine and is hoping to get back to his roots steering a Club Car.
From Doug Ferguson's story on the announcement:
Love will be one of his assistants in France.
"He's going to be a very tough act to follow," Furyk said from PGA of America headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. "He put a system in place. He put the players behind it. It won't make my task easier, but it makes it easier knowing there is a system in place. To have him by my side his advice, his experience, two captaincies and one vice captaincy is going to be priceless for me."
System's in place! Now it's just the captain's job to make sure those rain suits don't leak! Or does the system cover that?
Anyway, Furyk will give great press conference and not violate the most important tenets of the job, which John Feinstein and I debated on Golf Central:
