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TRAVELERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 2007

Fred Funk

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

Q. Excellent 65. You just went out there and got things going until the 18th hole bogey-free in strange conditions.
FRED FUNK: It was a strange day. I played really solid today. I was real pleased. I had a chance to really get it low on the back, after turning 4-under, I hit it close on 10, 11, and 12, they were makeable on 10, 11, and 12, and didn't do that. But I played really good.
I played 18, made bogey there, but I played pretty good. I hit a good putt.

Q. If it makes you feel any better, a lot of people bogeyed 18.
FRED FUNK: Yeah, but it doesn't make me feel better.

Q. Nobody ran off today and hit today. You were right there.
FRED FUNK: With the conditions, it was just good to shoot anything under par or around par today. It was blustery and the different weather conditions we had. We had a little bit of everything today.

Q. Three years ago you almost won this thing. You were playing as well as you had ever played before. Are you playing as well as you did three years ago?
FRED FUNK: I'm starting to play like I did earlier this year, better than I was back then. I just have to get the putter going. My putter was smoking hot earlier in the year, and the last few weeks it hasn't been as good, and today I finally made some. It's been a little frustrating on the greens. I just have to take advantage of that until I hit the good shots. I made a really nice par putt on 16 today, and that's something I haven't done. And a nice up and down on 15, so things like that are things that keep the round going and the attitude in check.

Q. Did you have any advantage seeing what the conditions were before you went out?
FRED FUNK: No, it doesn't help you at all. And then we had totally different conditions once the rain came in and it got cold. It was blowing all day long. You know you're in for some testy holes with the direction, especially with holes like 4.
On 4, I made birdie today, kind of hit a shaky drive, a bad 3-wood that I couldn't even get to the green because my drive wasn't that good, and then the chip went in. That was a nice hole. That was a two-shot swing. A lot of tough holes out there. You have got to keep it in play. You've got to keep the ball in front of you, and you have to give yourselves opportunities.
In blustery conditions, you can -- there is enough trouble out there, especially on holes like 15, 16, 17, a lot of water, 13, you have got to be careful. I'm real pleased with my round, the way I'm hitting it.

Q. What do you attribute it to?
FRED FUNK: I'm hitting the ball pretty good recently, I just finally made some putts. I actually could have done a lot better. I played real solid on the front. And on 10, 11, 12, I had good birdie runs and missed them all. Then I made a nice one on 13, and 15.
It was just really disappointing I bogeyed 18. I hit an okay drive. I hit the second shot where I needed to. I hit a good putt, but it didn't make it. I misread it.

Q. Was the wind a big factor for you?
FRED FUNK: It's a big factor for everybody. It makes you second guess yourself and you have to create shots, got to keep it going. You have to control your trajectory and hit the ball solid when it's windy or you're not going to play well. It's going to exaggerate your misses. The wind is the big factor. Throw any other element in with it, weather it's cold weather or rain or anything else with the wind, but the wind is the primary thing that messes up the golfers and makes the scores go up. Today we had those kind of conditions on the golf course.

Q. What is it about this course that appeals to you?
FRED FUNK: I just like it. I think it's one of the best TPCs we have. It's the second best. The best one is TPC Sawgrass and then this one. They did a great job on the re-do. It's probably the best re-do on a golf course I've ever seen, when they created all those new holes back in the back. It just has a nice flow to it, a nice look to it, a nice mixture of holes, the elevation changes here and there, the water features, everything is great. The finishing holes are fantastic for spectators and for us. 15 is a real exciting hole, and then 16 and 17, and then 18 you have a great amphitheater there.

Q. You're playing on the Champions Tour and you come back, is this a place you would like to keep coming back to?
FRED FUNK: I'm not playing the Champions Tour full time. I'm playing the regular Tour full time. It's odd to see me out on the Champions Tour more than it is to see me here. Right now I'm committed to playing the regular Tour and I'm going to do it next year the same way. Until I'm not competitive, I want to stay out here as long as I can, so I'm trying to push myself as hard as I can and see what we can do. I don't want to relax, as soon as you relax you get run over.

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