Furyk says US are underdogs, 34 years without a win on European soil

Jim Furyk is done pretending otherwise. The U.S. captain made no attempt to spin the numbers Tuesday during a news conference in Ireland, where his team will face Europe in the 2027 Ryder Cup next September.

“We're the underdogs. We understand that. We've got a lot of work ahead of us,” Furyk said.

That much is hard to argue. The Americans haven’t won a Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993, a 34-year drought that Furyk knows will follow him all the way to Adare Manor.

“There's no secret. I'm going to hear it over and over again, so I'm going to embrace it,” he said.

Furyk framed the challenge as a siege. The crowd, the course, the opponent — all of it stacks against his side.

“It's us against the world at this point, or us against Europe,” Furyk added.

He didn’t stop at acknowledging the history. Furyk leaned into the weight of it, describing the atmosphere awaiting his squad in Ireland. He knows the noise will come, and he’s not running from it.

No specific roster or player selections have been confirmed. For now, the captain’s message is simple: the underdog label fits, and he’s wearing it.

THE LONG DROUGHT

The last time the Americans hoisted the Ryder Cup on European soil, Tom Watson was the captain and the venue was The Belfry in Warwickshire, England. That was 1993, a 15-13 victory that now stands as a distant relic.

Since then, the Europeans have won the Ryder Cup seven times at home. The most recent came in 2023, a 16.5-11.5 rout at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.

Furyk knows the numbers by heart, and he’s not pretending otherwise. “There’s no secret,” he said Tuesday. “I’m going to hear it over and over again, so I’m going to embrace it.”

The course itself figures to be part of the challenge. Furyk noted that European captain Luke Donald will be allowed to set up Adare Manor to suit his team’s strengths, giving the Europeans a built-in advantage. The exact course setup at Adare Manor has not been confirmed.