Jim Furyk picks Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink to be assistant captains at Ryder Cup

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk said Saturday that Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink will be two of his assistants for the 2027 matches at Adare Manor in Ireland.

Furyk announced the selections at the Kentucky Derby. Both were under consideration as captain, and their appointments could indicate a future captaincy.

Leonard played in three Ryder Cups — two of them U.S. victories — and is best known for his 45-foot birdie putt at The Country Club in 1999 that clinched the Americans' comeback against Europe.

This is Leonard's first time as a Ryder Cup assistant. He was an assistant under Furyk at the 2024 Presidents Cup and Furyk referred to him as “my right-hand man."

“The most organized, meticulous person I know,” Furyk said. “So when I got this job, the first guy I called was Justin Leonard.”

Cink played on five consecutive U.S. teams, including part of the 2008 U.S. victory at Valhalla. He was an assistant captain to Zach Johnson in Italy in 2023, a resounding European victory.

Europe has won the last two times. Luke Donald returns as captain and will try to be the first to win three straight in the Ryder Cup.

Furyk played in his first Ryder Cup in 1997 and has been part of every team as a player, assistant or captain since then. This will be his second time as U.S. captain, having been on the losing side in Paris in 2018.

The Americans have not won the Ryder Cup away from home since 1993.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf