On Sunday evening at Hazeltine last October, as the United States celebrated its 17-11 victory over the Europeans, vice captain Jim Furyk sat in the back of the press conference and did not say much. In fact, the only time Furyk spoke at all was when interjecting to try and help captain Davis Love III clarify a comment he made before the Ryder Cup about the U.S. side potentially being the best team of all time.

This is Furyk's M.O. Speak little but make it count when you do. He is respected for his wisdom and knowledge in golf circles, and this week, he was rewarded for a glimmering career with the Ryder Cup captaincy in 2018 when the event moves to Paris.

Furyk's first move as captain was to name 2012 and 2016 captain Davis Love III his vice captain."We each have our own style, our own flair, our own personality," said Furyk . "I'm more of a quiet leader. I lead by example. For me to get into the room and get rah-rah and start yelling and chanting isn't going to work. Each and every one of these captains that I played for used their personality to an advantage and ... poured their heart into making the team room, the team itself, a place where we could try to succeed."

This is a move reminiscent of the European side the U.S. beat last October. Its long-time players become vice captains. Its vice captains become captains in future years. There is a system in place, and the U.S. seems more intent on following it after the task force it implemented post-2014 Ryder Cup.

"Going forward, the idea, Europe's been doing it for a long time," said Furyk. "Going forward, our future captains will have served as a vice captain, and probably more than likely, more than once. In the future, you're going to see our next captains probably even more prepared, being vice captains multiple times.

"Those experiences, always make mental notes. Here is maybe where we could have been better, and here's little things I saw. And that's the process. I'll sit down with Davis, and with the guys, Tiger, [Steve] Strick(er), some of the players in the room, and really try and get an idea, an overall picture."

The logic adds up. Many have thought the U.S. captains for the next four Ryder Cups could look like this.

  • 2018 (Paris): Jim Furyk
  • 2020 (Whistling Straits): Steve Stricker
  • 2022 (Rome): Tiger Woods
  • 2024 (Bethpage): Phil Mickelson

There are questions about where Fred Couples might fit in all of this. Couples has been a vice captain before, but the question is where you fit him in. Stricker will almost certainly get the gig in 2020 in his home state of Wisconsin. Mickelson will almost certainly get it in 2024 in New York. Do you slide Couples into 2022 in Rome and bump Big Cat to 2026?

Regardless, it is clear the U.S. has a long-term plan that will benefit its ability to win and retain this trophy. That's bad news for the Europeans, which have not been as deep as the United States in recent events.

The 2018 European captain will be long-time European participant Thomas Bjorn. A Furyk-Bjorn showdown, while possible boring for the general golf public, will be lauded as a matchup between two of the tougher guys in the sport over the last two decades.