Ryder Cup: Why Jim Furyk Named Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker Vice-Captains
With the Ryder Cup just eight months away, Jim Furyk made his vice-captains official, naming Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker to the important assistants’ roles.
Jim Furyk has named Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker as Ryder Cup vice-captains for the 2018 matches. The announcement was made in a press conference set up by the PGA of America. Three more vice-captains will be named later.
The selections of Woods and Stricker should really come as no surprise when you think about the past pairings of Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup play and assistants at both Cups. In addition, both vice-captains already have a lot of experience to offer the team.
Furyk and Woods became friends after Furyk became one of the first golfers to successfully pair with Woods in Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. It wasn’t a match you would have expected, but it worked. One reason was because the one-ball rule was still in effect, and Furyk was one of the few who could play with Woods’ golf ball. But, regardless, they got to know each other at a time when very few really knew Woods.
“I saw the fire, I saw how excited he was to play alongside him as a teammate, and I saw that also as a partner in fourball and foursome matches,” Furyk said about Woods. “I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie, and I’ve enjoyed working alongside him as a vice captain.”
During a period of recovery from one of his injuries, Woods became a vice captain for the first time in the 2016 Ryder Cup under Davis Love III.
"“As a player that’s been on these teams, to be on a different side of it, to be on the vice captaincy side of it has meant so much to me, to get to know these guys on a different level and to know how hard a job it is to do this,” Woods said in the press conference after the victory of the 2016 Ryder Cup team. “As a non-player, it’s very complicated. There’s a lot of things that I didn’t realize that went on, and very eye-opening and it was a great experience. It really was. I learned a lot and I became really close to a lot of these guys.”"
Woods had been part of the 12-person Ryder Cup committee that got together after the 2014 Ryder Cup loss in Europe. At that time, he committed to doing whatever he could to help turn the tide of U.S. teams for the better, and he has kept his word there.
"“The Ryder Cup is incredibly special to me. I am thankful to once again serve as a Ryder Cup vice-captain, and I thank Jim for his confidence, friendship and support,” Woods said at the announcement. “My goal is to make the team, but whatever happens over the course of this season, I will continue to do whatever I can to help us keep the Cup. I’m excited about the challenge.”"
In addition to his confidence in Woods, Furyk also had high praise for Stricker, who has aged up to the PGA Tour Champions circuit, although he still plays PGA Tour events because he is exempt.
“Steve is a great friend, just a wonderful family man, and one of the best people I know actually on the PGA Tour,” Furyk said in his announcement. “He’s our past Presidents Cup captain. We had a lot of success last year. I think the players depend on him, rely on him, and he has a great rapport with everyone.”
“I’m ready to get to work to ensure that this Cup stays in America, and we look forward to keeping that momentum strong and going from what we did in Hazeltine,” Stricker said during the press conference. “I look forward to the challenge and helping out in any way that I can.”
Steve Stricker gives a respected veteran presence in the team room
Furyk said that Stricker is not a locker room cheerleader, but his opinion carries weight.
“I think he’s that guy that when he speaks, everyone listens because they know it’s going to be important,” Furyk added.
In terms of what Woods brings to the table, Furyk noted Woods is a great X’s and O’s kind of guy.
“I think he’s done a really good job of pairing players together in foursomes and fourballs,” Furyk said.
In addition, the Woods aura goes a long way with the younger players.
“With the younger players, a lot of them became golf professionals, fell in love with the game of golf because they wanted to be — they wanted to emulate Tiger Woods. They wanted to play against him on the golf course,” Furyk explained. “So, to have him in the team room really being that humble guy that’s ready to serve and to help them do whatever he can to play better, it means a lot to them.”
With Furyk, Woods and Stricker all having great depth of experience at playing and assisting in countless cup matches, it should be no surprise that they value each other’s advice, just as Fred Couples and Davis Love did for many years in Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. This three-some has a similar sense of trust with each other. In addition, all are old enough to have a wealth of knowledge to share with the younger team members.
Could Tiger Woods be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup?
The question hanging over the announcement was of course, what if Woods, makes the team?
In Woods’ press conference at the Genesis Open, his answer was that he could be both.
“I think Tiger and I have crossed that bridge, especially when I asked him to be a vice captain and wanted him to be a part of this team,” Furyk added. “The idea was, is it possible to do both? Is it possible to play? I think what we decided at the time was really to do what was best — I want to do what’s best for Tiger, and I want to do what’s best for the team and that would be a bridge we cross when we got there.”
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Arnold Palmer was the last playing captain for Ryder Cup, and that was in 1963.
According to Furyk, both teams have the ability to have five vice-captains, so that leaves three to name.
His vice-captain future picks, he explained, will be based on how the team points list works out after the PGA Championship. To understand that comment fully, you have to read through the lines a little.
Here’s how the picking works for the team:
The top eight U.S. players on points are automatically selected. The final four selections will be made in two stages with the first three at the conclusion of the Dell Technologies Championship, and the final one, after the BMW Championship.
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The ability to select players late in the season leaves a spot available for Tiger Woods, and at this point, it important to add that it also leaves room for Phil Mickelson, no matter what. If Woods is unable to gain form by the end of the season, he will be there as a vice-captain, worst case. Although Furyk didn’t say it, the same probably goes for Phil Mickelson.
Whatever happens as the roster shakes out, the American Ryder Cup team headed to Le Golf National looks to be a powerhouse in the making.