One of the most veteran members of the United States Presidents Cup team will be unable to compete due to injury.
Jim Furyk, who has competed in seven Presidents Cup, has officially withdrawn from the event due to an ongoing wrist injury. That same wrist injury forced him to withdraw from the BMW Championship. He was unable to compete at the Tour Championship an event that he won back in 2010.
Furyk loves representing the United States in international competitions. He has been a member of nine Ryder Cup teams, eight Presidents Cup teams, and competed in the World Cup event back in 2003, and he was hoping rest and therapy would get his wrist healed before the event. Furyk will still travel with the team to Korea, as Captain Jay Haas added Furyk as a vice-captain, joining Fred Couples, Davis Love III, and Steve Stricker in assistant roles.
“There is nothing I take more pride in than representing the United States in The Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, and I am deeply disappointed that I will have to withdraw from playing because my wrist, although improving, is still not where it needs to be at this point,” said Furyk. “There are few people I respect more than Jay Haas, who I partnered with in The Presidents Cup in 2003 in South Africa, and I’m very grateful to accept the invitation to be part of the team as assistant captain.”
Furyk is coming off of two solid seasons. This past year, he notched seven top 10 finishes, and broke a five year winless streak by winning the RBC Heritage back in April.
Furyk will be replaced by J.B. Holmes, who finished 12th on the final Presidents Cup standings. Holmes won in Houston and finished inside the top 10 another five times. Holmes only previous team competition experience as a professional is the 2008 Ryder Cup, which was the last time the United States won the event. Holmes went 2-0-1 in that event.
“My heart goes out to Jim because I know how much The Presidents Cup means to him,” said Holmes. “Obviously, he has been a leader for our team for many years and he will be greatly missed. I am, however, very honored and excited to get the call from Captain Haas to make the trip to South Korea to help the U.S. Team retain the Cup. Having personally experienced a victory in the Ryder Cup in 2008, I know firsthand what a phenomenal feeling it is to win for the United States and your teammates. I have always loved playing in team competitions, and, clearly, playing on the U.S. Presidents Cup Team represents the pinnacle of such team competitions. I am so excited for this honor and look forward to joining my great teammates in Korea.”
The pick was not without controversy. Haas selected Holmes over Brooks Koepka, who has put together two incredibly solid seasons. This year, Koepka picked up his first PGA Tour victory in Phoenix. He would finish with eight top 10 finishes, including two top 10s at the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Not only did Koepka have the better season overall than Koepka did, but many say that the Presidents Cup team should be a way to train younger players to prepare them for the Ryder Cup, which the US has lost in the past three matches. Koepka is 25 and has plenty of experience playing in Europe, but has never competed on a Ryder or Presidents Cup team.