A Baylor School guy getting along with a McCallie fellow is supposed to be like cats and dogs, or oil and water - they don't mix.
Bryce Ledford and Luke List are an exception to the rivalry between Chattanooga private high schools.
They not only get along, but they're great friends in a business where a best friend can be named Odyssey, SeeMore or Scotty Cameron - a putter.
The arrival of the Chattanooga Classic means List and Ledford can communicate with each other in person instead of through technology.
"We were kind of close back in high school, and we both practiced out here at Black Creek and got to know each other that way," Ledford said. "In college, we went on a few trips to St. Simon's Island and have been good friends ever since."
Ledford and List are among a handful of Chattanooga-area golfers participating in the Chattanooga Classic. Others include Gibby Gilbert III, the head pro and manger of Valleybrook; Eric Axley, who grew up in Athens; and John Kimbell from LaFayette, Ga.
Competition begins Thursday morning at Black Creek Club. The champion will be awarded a $90,000 check late Sunday afternoon.
"We've both had success here," List said of him and Ledford. "I think our games are coming around a lot, and this is a great chance for both of us to play well."
With Ledford wearing blue and an "M" on his shirt, and with List in red with a "B" emblazoned on his chest earlier this decade, two of Chattanooga's best golfing prodigies dispelled the notion of rivalry and became good friends.
The game connected them back then, through their college years, and even today as they're both professional golfers.
"It was always sweet beating him at state," said Ledford, who was part of the 2002 TSSAA Division II championship team. "I wasn't the No. 1 in high school, but we had some good little games out here."
Their high school logos have been replaced by golf companies and sponsors. They pay somebody to carry their bags instead of lugging them up the seemingly endless strip of steps from the 13th green to the 14th tee box at Black Creek.
Even though they can afford - especially List, who has earned $70,000 on the Nationwide Tour this year - to wager a St. John's dinner or a round-trip plane ticket, the wager still is usually the same as it was before either had a driver's license: $5.
"I still like taking the five bucks from him," Ledford said. "That's always a good thing."
List and Ledford arrived at Black Creek late Tuesday morning. They putted, chipped, hit the range and chatted with manufacturers together before setting off on another round at Black Creek - a practice round.
"We talk on the phone a good bit, but it's good to see him and play a round together because we get to catch up even more," Ledford said. "We get to hang out, so it will be a fun week."