A group of fans cheer on Phil Mickelson after he tees off from No. 7 during Friday’s first round of the Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort. The ASU product is well-regarded in Tucson, in part because of his history of success here.

 Photos by Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star

On a backyard fence along Tucson National’s No. 7 fairway, someone painted and large sign Friday that said:

TUCSON LOVES PHIL

Yes, Phil Mickelson, Sun Devil.

On the No. 9 fairway, another homeowner hung an even larger sign that said:

FURYK MR. 58

Yes, Jim Furyk, Wildcat.

If it is accurate to refer to a gallery as a gallery when a mere 50 to 75 people followed the longtime rivals from ASU and Arizona, then Friday’s gallery at the PGA Tour Champions’ Cologuard Classic was divided.

Phil or Furyk?

When the golfers arrived at the No. 10 tee in midafternoon, the gallery had slimmed to 12. You couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.

“I’ve always loved this place,” said Mickelson.

“You should,” said Furyk, dryly. “You’ve won here enough.”

Phil Mickelson won his first two PGA Tour Champions tournaments. No golfer has ever won his first three in a row.

These men spent the last 30 years playing to ear-splitting noise at Augusta National, Pebble Beach and legendary courses with names like Winged Foot, Torrey Pines and St. Andrews. But on Friday at Tucson National, it was almost as if two men who have combined to earn more than $165 million on the PGA Tour, winning 61 tournaments, had gotten together to play a friendly, get-the-weekend-started-early round.

The UA-ASU thing, once burning strong in each man, has passed.

“Jim is just a gem,” said Mickelson after shooting a 3-under 70. “This is a special place for both of us.”

It was friendly, but it wasn’t just another round. Their playing partner was Fred Couples. The few leaderboards scattered around the property made it clear that the field for the seventh PGA Tour Champions event in Tucson was a who’s who of senior golf. The only top-25 golfer missing was Darren Clarke.

But it’s the 50-year old young guns, Phil and Furyk, who make it all work.

Furyk made his Tucson Open debut as an Arizona freshman in 1988 at Starr Pass. Phil opened in 1990, his sophomore year at ASU. And although they rank Nos. 2-3 in money earned in the history of the PGA Tour, their careers and their lives couldn’t be more different.

Furyk, from Manheim, Pennsylvania, was the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 1988. He signed with Arizona when coach Rick LaRose promised he wouldn’t mess with Furyk’s swing.

Mickelson, from San Diego, was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 1989. He chose the Sun Devils for, among other reasons, the fact that LaRose had already stacked his lineup with elite players who would win 1992 NCAA championship: Furyk, Manny Zerman, David Berganio, Rob McIver and Harry Rudolph.

Jim Furyk lines up a putt on the eighth hole during Friday’s first round of the Cologuard Classic at Omni Tucson National Resort. Furyk, a former Arizona Wildcats star, is one of the biggest names playing in the PGA Tour Champions event. The other? Former ASU rival Phil Mickelson.

Furyk grew up the son of a golf pro, Mike Furyk. Mickelson grew up the son of a commercial airline pilot, Phil Mickelson Sr.

Furyk played in his first PGA Tour event, the 1988 Northern Telecom Open at Starr Pass, literally as a walk-on. He showed up at the course early Thursday morning and was told Gary McCord had withdrawn. Furyk got his spot. He missed the cut.

Mickelson played in his first Tucson Open in 1990, given a sponsor’s exemption by the Conquistadores. He won it all a year later, the last amateur to win a PGA Tour event.

Furyk never won a tournament as a Wildcat, but he is the only person in PGA Tour history to shoot a 58. Mickelson won 16 tournaments at ASU, including three NCAA individual titles.

Furyk didn’t earn his PGA Tour card until 1995, after a year on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour. Mickelson was a Tour regular in midseason, 1992, although he played his first two PGA Tour events as a high school senior, 1989.

Furyk met his wife, Tabitha, a real estate agent from Columbus, Ohio, at a college tournament in Ohio. Mickelson met his wife, Amy, a cheerleader for the Phoenix Suns, at ASU.

Furyk has employed one of the game’s legendary caddies, 73-year-old Mike “Fluff” Cowan, for 22 years. Mickelson employed one of the game’s most distinguished caddies, Jim “Bones” Mackay, for 25 years, at which time Bones became an analyst for CBS’ golf coverage. Yes, Fluff and Bones.

Furyk’s best-ever finish in a Tucson Open was fifth in 1995, although he was a No. 1 seed in the 2007 and 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain. He didn’t reach the “Final Four” in eight years.

Mickelson won the 1991, 1995 and 1996 Tucson Opens but didn’t fully buy into the match-play activities, skipping four of the eight events, never winning more than one match. They have now combined to play 31 pro tournaments in Tucson.

Furyk has two children, Caleigh, a pole-vaulter on the Belmont University track team, and Tanner, an elite high school lacrosse prospect attending the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. Mickelson has three children. Two are in high school and a third, Amanda, is attending Brown University.

Furyk’s career was stalled 19 years ago, when he broke his wrist playing a pick-up football game in the parking lot of Heinz Field after a day watching his beloved Steelers. Mickelson’s career was stopped for almost six months in 1994 when he broke his leg while skiing in Flagstaff.

Furyk is private. His Twitter account has 19,000 followers. It is Steelers-centric. Mickelson is Mr. Personality. His Twitter account has 615,000 followers. He hams it up, including a two-minute sketch last week when he pulled his three Conquistadores helmet from a box and talked about his glory days in Tucson.

Both are known for their philanthropy. Both are solid as a rock. Mickelson seems to lead the PGA Tour every year in autographs signed. Furyk, as his former UA coach LaRose said, “If I had a son, he’d be it. They don’t get any better.”

About 15 years ago, Furyk returned to help LaRose at a UA golf program fundraising event at Tucson Country Club. Furyk spent almost six hours at the No. 12 tee, hitting tee shots with every group to pass through. If someone got closer to the pin that Furyk, he awarded them a dozen Srixon golf balls, posed for pictures and generally made you wonder if all pro golfers were so friendly.

Probably not all, but Furyk, like Mickelson, is an exception.

After the fundraiser at the TCC ended that day, Furyk realized that the crew who erected an awning with tables and cold drinks at the 12th tee had gone home for the day. Rather than leave the cleanup for the next day’s crew, the 2003 U.S. Open champion began dismantling the awning, folding up tables and hauling cold drinks to a nearby cart.

So whether or not Furyk wins the 2021 Conquistadores helmet on Sunday, he has at least one unofficial victory that isn’t included in the golf record books.

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Contact sports columnist Greg Hansen at 520-573-4362 or ghansen@tucson.com. On Twitter: @ghansen711