The showdown at Adare Manor in 2027 is arguably the most important Ryder Cup the American team have faced since the competition’s inception in 1927.
Team Europe have won nine out of the last 12 Ryder Cup meetings with the United States.
And Jim Furyk is the man who has been tasked with addressing that alarming run.
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Furyk captained the US Ryder Cup team back in 2018 to their third largest defeat in the history of the competition.
Jim Furyk is expected to make big changes to the US Ryder Cup setup moving forward.
However, many American golf fans are concerned that Furyk’s poor showing as captain in Paris in 2018 proves that he doesn’t have what it takes.
Who knows? Perhaps he has learned from the role that he played in the USA’s defeat to Europe eight years ago.
However, judging by Justin Leonard’s comments, the US leadership group is still very much living in the past.
Team USA claimed to have a ‘big advantage’ before the next Ryder Cup
Justin Leonard has already been named as one of Furyk’s captain’s assistants for the clash with Team Europe at Adare Manor in 2027.
Leonard made an appearance on the 5 Clubs Podcast to discuss how he, Furyk and the rest of the leadership team plan to get the American team performing to their full potential at the Ryder Cup.
“This is not just about 2027. This is about 29, 31, 33,“ Leonard said.
“He wants to set a bit of a programme going forward, and a plan in place, where the hand down from captain to captain is going to be easier.
“There’s more continuity from team to team, from a background standpoint, from an assistant captain standpoint, or vice captains, depending on which event you’re talking about.
“And so, I think Jim wanted the opportunity. He bleeds red, white, and blue.
“He’s been involved in team golf for 30 something years, and I think he wanted the opportunity to kind of set that blueprint going forward.
“I think at times, we’ve had it within Team USA, but there have been times when we’ve maybe gotten a little bit off track.
“And so, I think it’s very clear to the guys behind the scenes who are making a lot of these decisions that Jim was the guy going forward to get this thing on track for success over not just the next two or four years, but we’re talking 10 years down the road.
“And because of that, I mean, it’s amazing, the work that he’s put in already.
“Everything is being analysed. Not just the data, but from the way we do things, from the schedule, from what it looks like on an away Ryder Cup, when we want to arrive, those kind of things.
“I tell you what, there’s a big advantage for Team USA this year, or next year in 27, in that there’s only two weeks between the Ryder Cup and the Tour Championship.
“I know there was a big lag, like five weeks between the Tour Championship, and when the Ryder Cup was in Rome, and it created some issues.
“So, we’re not going to have that issue going forward, but those are the kind of things, like, what day do we need to get there to Adare Manor?
“Those are the things that we’re working through right now.“
Justin Leonard’s ‘big advantage’ claim makes zero sense
So, Leonard thinks the United States team will have a big advantage when playing at Adare Manor because the Ryder Cup starts just two weeks after the Tour Championship.
We all remember how poorly prepared the American team were in Rome, when they had a five-week break between the Tour Championship at the start of the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.
However, Leonard is clearly living in the past if he thinks the USA will have an advantage this time around.
The vast majority of the European Ryder Cup team will be playing in the Tour Championship as well.
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It’s as if the Americans think the European team still all play on the DP World Tour, just like the huge names of the past did 30-40 years ago.
It is that ignorance and, indeed arrogance, that continues to prevent the United States team from getting the better of the Europeans.
The fact that the Tour Championship is just two weeks before the start of the Ryder Cup is definitely a good thing for the Americans.
It means the players will be competitively sharp when the Ryder Cup begins, and it allows them to arrive in Ireland one week early in order to get accustomed to their surroundings.
However, to suggest that the American team have an advantage over the Europeans because of that is utter madness, or blissful ignorance.
Either way, that thinking will not end well for the United States.
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