Straight Man

Woods, with Furyk at the 2009 Quail Hollow Championship, loves Jim's competitive fire. Photo: Charles Laberge

Mentally, Furyk is as good as they get, strong enough to serve as Tiger Woods' preferred partner in team events and compile an 8-2-1 record in his singles matches (one of the losses was to Retief Goosen long after the U.S. clinched the 2007 Presidents Cup). He is a guy you want in the foxhole, and especially on the final nine with a game on the line, because, as Cowan says, "He has no idea how to quit. I've never seen him not play as hard as he can until he runs out of holes to play."

Physically, there are players with more tools and natural skill, although Furyk has improved dramatically as a ball-striker since 2000, when he began staking his claim among the game's elite. Known for his loopy rerouting of the club in the early days, Furyk's rise coincided with the development of a right-to-left ball flight, which resulted in a less exaggerated outside-in move and a six-year stretch (2002-07) when he finished no worse than 11th in GIR. Furyk has evolved from a short hitter with limitations to the game's most consistent and decorated control player. "All the kids worry about nowadays is how pretty they look," he says. "They don't worry enough about what really matters."

It doesn't get more old school than that, but today's top players perform in a fishbowl, their popularity levels determined largely by public perception. Colorful is wonderful, personable is preferable, and if neither was true, guys such as Rocco Mediate and Fuzzy Zoeller never would have become fan favorites.

Nobody hammed it up better than Chi Chi Rodriguez, who founded golf's version of the end-zone dance long before anyone knew of Tiger or Ickey Woods. From the victorious fist-pumps to notorious bursts of profanity, Tiger packs an emotional punch unlike any superstar. Between the 300-yard smiles and nods to the gallery, Phil Mickelson hits a lot of terrific shots and a few crazy ones. What will Phil do next? Tune in to find out.

Furyk? In the eye of the cynical, the guy is too clinical, a man of few words when it comes to body language. He did serve up a superb imitation of Camilo Villegas when the two were paired together at last year's Tour Championship. While preparing for a putt on East Lake's 18th green, Furyk hit the ground Spiderman-style, lowering his chin to the earth and contorting his body in a pose better suited for those who are 26 and built like Gumby.

Finding the right driver has been a puzzle. Photo: Charles Laberge

It was a comical moment, but only a moment. "He can be funny in a dry sort of way," says Justin Leonard. "He's the kind of guy you want to hang out with, a guy who likes to sit around and have a couple of beers and watch football."

That doesn't make him the second coming of George Carlin, or even George Costanza.

"He's not going to crack you up with a bunch of jokes or one-liners," Leonard explains. "He knows how to find humor in situations. He's got timing. Conversationally, he's got it."

Of all the commercials made to promote the inaugural FedEx Cup playoffs, the one featuring Furyk was the best. He is sitting in a Chinese restaurant with his family. The check comes with a fortune cookie, but Furyk doesn't like the message, so more cookies are brought to him. He cracks one after another until 40 or 50 are strewn across the table. Furyk finally finds a fortune he likes and responds with a huge grin. By this point, his wife, Tabitha, daughter Caleigh and son Tanner clearly are fed up.

Outside the fishbowl, tour pros have been known to double as human beings, and human beings don't come any better than Furyk. For all that has been written about his love of the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are a bunch of things you should know about him but don't. For instance, he still plays nine holes once or twice a week with his dad.

"I taught him how to fish, and this isn't just sitting-on-the-bank stuff," says Mike, a former club pro who quit playing golf for seven years to compete in regional fishing tournaments. "To this day, that's what we do."

When Furyk attends a Steelers game, he never flies in a private charter despite having a deal with NetJets. In fact, it isn't unusual for him to get up at 4 a.m. on game day and catch a 6 o'clock flight from Jacksonville to Atlanta, then connect to Pittsburgh, where he attends the game at Heinz Field with a bunch of maniacs dressed in yellow and black, very few of whom have earned $40 million in 16 PGA Tour seasons.

"He is constantly offered tickets to sit in a luxury suite, and he never takes them," says his agent, Andrew Witlieb. "Jim wants to be out there in the crowd. Troy Aikman is another of our clients, and he invites Jim to sit in the [Fox] broadcast booth. He's never interested."