It’s going to be fun being the away team and playing villain, says U.S. Team captain Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk will spearhead the U.S. Team as captain for the first time against the International Team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club from Sept 24-29, 2024.

United States captain Jim Furyk during the Presidents Cup Captains Day at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sept. 12, 2023 near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [GETTY IMAGES]

Jim Furyk will spearhead the U.S. Team as captain for the first time against the International Team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club from Sept 24-29, 2024. With seven appearances as a player and a two-time captain’s assistant, the 17-time PGA Tour winner intends to extend his nation’s domination over the International Team. This is his blog ahead of the biennial showdown.

Every captain has their own personality. A lot of the guys know me very well, and I’m not a rah, rah type of guy, and if I acted like that, the guys would look at me funny. I kind of lead more by example. I have played on a lot of Ryder Cup teams and Presidents Cup teams, and I believe the guys understand who I am.

They know how much these events mean to me, and I know it also means a lot to them. I don't think you need to go into the team room and explain how important the event is. The guys are nervous, they want to play well for our country and play alongside their buddies. I think it's more about providing a great atmosphere for them, whether that's in the team room or at the hotel, so they can play their best golf.

It is an amazing honor to be the U.S. Team captain for the 2024 Presidents Cup. I was excited when I was named U.S. captain for the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris and I’m just as excited now at the opportunity to lead our team at Royal Montreal.

Captain's assistant Jim Furyk of the U.S. Team walks during Friday four-ball matches of the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on Sept. 29, 2017 in Jersey City, New Jersey. [GETTY IMAGES]

After I was named captain, everyone talked about the pressure for our team to maintain our winning streak where we’ve won the last nine editions. I mean, a team changes every year and it’s often a different set of 12 players competing on a different golf course. What we can do is learn from things we've done well as a team in the past and apply those lessons to a new group.

We intend to go to Canada and come back with a victory. I don't feel any more pressure or any less pressure as a captain simply because we have had success in the past. I expect a tough fight as the International Team has become very competitive. They could have won in Australia in 2019 and I think the score wasn't quite reflective in Quail Hollow two years ago as to how close those matches really were. While we have a good track record and will be playing away from home, we will have to go out there with the mentality that we're not being chased. We need to have a chip on our shoulder and be the one chasing. We have to get after them.

United States team captain Jim Furyk and International team captain Mike Weir walk around Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Sept. 13, 2023. [GETTY IMAGES]

I know Mike Weir (International Team captain) and I are both excited for this Presidents Cup, and I've enjoyed some good memories of Montreal. It's a wonderful city, Royal Montreal is a great golf course and I have fond memories of the Presidents Cup when it was played there in 2007. I’ve also enjoyed a long relationship with the country as I won the Canadian Open in 2006 and 2007 and winning their national championship two years in a row, the Canadian fans have always treated me very well, very friendly. I might have said previously I feel like an adopted son over there, but maybe not during the week of the Presidents Cup. Mike is certainly a national hero over there, having won the Masters and carrying the torch for a long time for Canadian golf. He’s obviously a fan favorite and he is just a great guy.

Royal Montreal is going to be a great venue. I think it's withstood the test of time and is a wonderful course. It's a good venue for match play as it gives a lot of options off the tee, and I think there's a lot of risk reward to the green complexes. It'll basically test all aspects of the player's game.

When we played the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal in 2007, the Canadian fans were good sporting fans. Of course, they rooted really hard for their home team and for Mike, being the lone golfer from Canada on that team then. They were boisterous but by the time we got to the Singles on Sunday, we were pretty far ahead. However, the noise and the exuberance that day, and having Mike play Tiger Woods in the Singles, it was big.

Ultimately, this is an away game for us, and I expect Canadian fans and international fans to be cheering their team. That’s part of being on the road. I think it’s fun both ways. I enjoy being at home but sometimes, it’s fun being on the road too, and playing the villain. I expect the fans to be boisterous. But I'm excited. I want our 12 guys to really enjoy being the away team and we'll take great pride in that and go in there to play hard.

We're going up to Montreal early to prepare, and to see a bit of the amazing city. Our players all have it in their mind that they're going to be sharp, and we'll get extra work done on the golf course. I looked at my leaders in the team and they all said, let’s get there a bit earlier. I think getting some extra work done around the golf course will be good as we always talk at these events about how the guys feel rushed because there's extra stuff like media and dinners going on.

These guys know what to expect from me. I've been an assistant or a vice captain on a lot of these teams. They have an expectation of who I am and how I'm going to do things, and that won't change. I am blessed to have some strong leadership on this team. I've already had some leaders step up — it is my job to help steer us all in the right direction. It's our goal and our job as the captain to put them in situations where they're comfortable and let them shine, let them play the best golf that they can.

BY JIM FURYK [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]