The liquid-phase furfural (FAL) hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFOL) was investigated using sulfonate group (SO3H) grafted activated carbon (AC) supported Ni catalyst, which was prepared and activated simultaneously by liquid phase reduction method. This functionalized nickel catalyst demonstrated an enhanced catalytic performance for selective hydrogenation of FAL, in which almost 100% FOL (<80 °C) and THFOL (>100 °C) selectivity with complete conversion was obtained, respectively. More importantly, the conversion of transfer hydrogenation of FAL to FOL also can reach almost 100% under optimal conditions (140 °C, 4.0 h). The effect of SO3H was evaluated and systematically analyzed by the combination of reaction performance and physico-chemical characterizations. Cycling test proved the prepared catalyst could be recycled and reused for several times without noticeably reducing catalytic activity of hydrogenation.