Jim Furyk is as much into sports rivalries as anyone else

Sports are supposed to be fun.

This is true for playing sports obviously, but sports are also meant to be fun in terms of the spirit associated with them. We cheer for our teams and also cheer against our rivals. When your squad beats the one you don’t like it is an extra layer and level of euphoria.

Earlier this week I had the chance to interview the great Jim Furyk with regards to him serving as the United States Captain for the upcoming Skechers World Champions Cup, and as an Arizona State Sun Devil I had to give him some grief right away considering he is a Wildcat.

Furyk couldn’t have handled it any better and then ribbed me back about my Dallas Cowboys as he is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and the overall record between the two in Super Bowls favors his side (the most recent one was won by Dallas at Sun Devil Stadium, incidentally).

Jim told an amazing story about a round he played with another Sun Devil in Phil Mickelson out at the Phoenix Open, where Sun Devils roam. Furyk noted this was a long time ago and that he was having a poor day relative to Phil having some success. Apparently the fans in attendance were teasing Jim about the Wildcats when he chirped back about a recent basketball game between the rival schools.

This is why we love sports. These moments are so much fun, whether you are the average joe or a professional golfer in the middle of an event near the heart of your most hated rival.

Good on Jim Furyk for knowing how this works.