Fred Funk has won two tournaments and nearly $1.8 million this year on the Champions Tour. He hangs out with players his age, navigates courses of realistic dimensions and begins each event without worrying about missing the cut -- because there is no cut.And he'd rather butt heads with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on super-sized PGA Tour courses, where players half his age routinely hit the ball to the moon?"I like Fred," John Cook said, pausing briefly for effect, "and I think he's nuts."Cook spoke earlier this week in Sonoma, Calif., where the world's top 50-and-older players have gathered for the Schwab Cup Championship. Funk begins the tournament No. 2 in the Champions Tour's season-long points race, only one strong finish from passing Jay Haas and pocketing another $1 million. That won't be easy as Funk is in last place after shooting a 2-over 74 in Thursday's first round.Even so, Funk already has declared his intention to devote more time to the PGA Tour in 2009 (he has played in 14 events there this year). He plans to focus entirely on the big tour into at least April, hoping to prosper on those precious few courses where accuracy and precision matter.He's a singles hitter in search of a suitable big-league ballpark -- even when the big leagues keep making their parks larger and longer."I've always dreamed of playing the PGA Tour," said Funk, 52. "I don't want to walk away when I think I can still play. I'm not trying to prove anything -- I just really enjoy playing with the young guys out there."Haas and other Champions Tour players have wrestled with a similar dilemma after turning 50. But Funk's situation is unique -- he arrived on the PGA Tour late (at 31), owns boundless energy, typically travels with his family (his kids are home-schooled) and has a PGA Tour exemption through 2010, thanks to his Players Championship win in '05.Then again, Funk's situation is not at all unique in one notable way: His body is barking. That often happens on the Champions Tour, but Funk's troublesome right knee led to arthroscopic surgery in May. Then he came back too quickly, aggravated the injury and now hears his knee protest every time he steps into a bunker.Just wait until he steps into one of those deep PGA Tour bunkers in January.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Post new comment