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AT&T NATIONAL

July 1, 2008

Fred Funk

BETHESDA, MARYLAND

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: We'd like to thank Fred Funk for joining us here in the media center at the AT&T National. I'm sure it's a fun, but busy, week for you, Fred, with being kind of close to a home. Just talk a little about that, and I don't know if you had an opportunity to play the course or not.
FRED FUNK: No, I'm getting ready to go out and play nine holes, anyway.
Yeah, it's always great to come back home. It truly is my home. And getting the support and having a chance to see a lot of friends I grew up with; the typical responses when a guy comes home. It's fun, and especially coming back to Congressional, great venue. It's just a real treat to play this golf course, any time you get a chance to play it, especially in a tournament.
So it's really a special event on the TOUR. We needed to be in D.C., and having Congressional sign on and having Tiger as the host, has just created a big win/win situation for the TOUR and for the city and for golf.

Q. Can you take us through your knee, the surgery, and are you now looking at possible knee replacement?
FRED FUNK: Well, to answer the second half, yeah, and hopefully I can wait eight to ten years, he said I'm definitely going to need a new knee eventually.
It was bothering me end of last year. I had an MRI done in November and it showed two tears in the cartilage in my right knee. I said, "Can I make it to the end of the year, next year?"
And he said, "Probably not. You'll be seeing my eventually."
I had a drain twice prior to TPC and it was getting a lot of fluid out of it each time, and I tweaked it at TPC and had it drained the Monday after. I had a lot of like particles of cartilage in it and stuff and he said you're done. We operated two days later, and he found, I just had a normal small little tear on the cartilage on the medial side. But on the lateral side it was already completely torn off the bone, and it's just bone-on-bone.
So he cleaned it up, cleaned the bone up and made everything as smooth as he could again. Just said that, you know, move on. I went into rehab, they get you rehabbing right away. Literally had no pain and no swelling at all and I started hitting balls a week later.
And then I played in Memphis the third week after, and I shouldn't have probably played Memphis, but I was going to try to qualify actually up here at Four Streams for the U.S. Open but I knew I couldn't go 36 holes.
It's gotten a lot stronger and it's still probably at best 60 percent and still achy, but he said it's always going to be achy because it's real arthritic in there.
But I didn't get hardly any attention compared to Tiger. (Laughter) Feeling a little down. He had this small little knee problem he had, and just because he wins a U.S. Open on one leg. (Chuckling).

Q. Do you need to do anything after the season again?
FRED FUNK: No, no, I think hopefully everything will be okay. It's just a matter of rehabbing and getting it stronger now.
So I've got a little ways to go with that.

Q. The second question had to do with drug testing. July 1 is the first day, allegedly, that this can be done. Just curious what your thoughts on that are.
FRED FUNK: Well, I love to be accused of somebody that has been enhanced because I'm driving it so far all of a sudden, but that will never be the case.
Today is the first day from what I understand that I can be tested, so it's been a work up to it, as far as having availability to our drug testing people, and they have been in the locker room every week and you can consult with them and they recommend if you're taking any supplements; any vitamins any supplements you're taking to give it to them and tell them what you're doing, and that way they can tell you yeah or nay before you even get to the drug test.
They are not out to penalize you and they are not out on a witch hunt or anything. They just want to make sure everybody is on the same playing field and not doing something inadvertently. I don't think there's a problem here at all as far as somebody doing something on purpose, but there's so many banned substances that could be even in some other substance that you're taking that can give you a positive test, that you're taking inadvertently and testing positive; and if that's the case, inadvertent, you just say, hey, you know, you don't do that anymore basically. But if you're doing something on purpose, you will get caught.

Q. Are knee problems more prevalent just because of the way people swing now?
FRED FUNK: It seems like everything goes in cycles in everything, life in general. But at one time we were having hip problems, everyone was going in and getting their labrums and hip's tearing out and knees and elbows and backs, and right now it just seemed to be a lot of guys have been having knees.
But when your marquee guy gets a knee problem, that gets big attention; especially what he had to overcome. So it just puts it on the front page of the news when Tiger comes up with something or Phil or somebody like that.
All of us are fighting something. Most of it's overuse-type injuries. I think with Tiger, who knows, there probably was something obviously weak or degenerative or something in his knee to even cause all this whole problem.
So hopefully everything will come out okay, and I know as a group of players and everybody, we want him back out as soon as possible. I think all our prayers are with him to get healthy again.
You know he's going to work, and that's apparently where his stress fractures came from; he overworked his rehab. I only know what I've read. I haven't had a chance to talk to Tiger, but you know, we all wish him well.
And it's just a cycle thing, to answer your question. Everybody goes through -- I think backs are still the No. 1 thing out here that people fight with. Usually that's caused by a muscle imbalance or something, and something's got to give when you're doing it every day and torquing every day.

Q. I take it you watched the Open?
FRED FUNK: Yeah, I did, yeah.

Q. Can you relate to what Rocco went through, having been through a similar experience in Minnesota a few years ago in the PGA with Tiger?
FRED FUNK: Yeah, it's great. I am actually one guy that really loves being in that theatre with Tiger, and Rocco obviously enjoyed it, as well.
I think Rocco has the personality where he, you know, is real upbeat, carefree, and just had the perfect attitude to deal with all the pressures that were put on him and self-imposed pressures and the outside pressures, as well, of playing that well and being in the limelight of the U.S. Open; that's a huge deal.
And having Tiger breathing down your neck and basically had him twice, and Tiger does what Tiger does, to end up beating him, to beat him, and I think Rocco made it fun to watch. He gave a lot of people that probably would always root for Tiger, would at least have a little feel for Rocco saying, boy, this means an awful lot.
It's kind of the same feeling I and a lot of people probably have when Goydos was doing so well at PLAYERS, you get a guy that is in that position and how much it means for him to win, versus the other guy. Obviously it meant a lot for Sergio to win that, as well, but you just feel that Sergio is going to go on and win a bunch, and this was Goydos's chance.
And then Rocco, this was huge for Rocco. I mean, the U.S. Open against Tiger, it was a big deal, and same with what Chris DiMarco went through at Augusta with Tiger.
But personality-wise with Rocco, I think allowed him to have the media fall in love with him; the public fall in love with him and really enjoy all the drama and everything. It was a great U.S. Open to watch, it was really fun.

Q. Just curious from a player's perspective, what's it like participating in an event in which Tiger is playing, and in one in which he's not? We're familiar with TV ratings, but strictly from a player's perspective, do those have different feels?
FRED FUNK: I think there is a little more focus as a player. I would say almost every guy down the field will want to be curious on what Tiger shot during the day or how he's doing during the round. That's always kind of the feel when probably Nicklaus because playing; everybody wanted to know how he was doing; did he get off to a good start.
I remember the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach when Tiger won by however many he won by -- the first day, what did he shoot, 67 or 66? He shot real low, and he usually doesn't start off fast. And everybody in the tent area, I had not even teed off yet and we're in the eating area and everybody is going, "Tournament's over." And we had not even started yet. You get that feeling where you just want to know where he is and what he's doing.
So there's a little different focus when he's there. The atmosphere, obviously because of the attention the media draws, or that Tiger draws with the media, and the public, it's a bigger deal when he's there. But at the same time, they are great tournaments and great stories and great venues and everything else that goes and makes a great tournament, even without Tiger.
So one thing that's a little different with this one is Tiger is the host of this one, so you know he wants to win his own tournament. I know it was hard for him to hand the trophy over to K.J. last year and not to himself. I think he's going to come back with a vengeance next year and really be even more focused; not that he's not focused, but I think he really wants to win his own tournament.
But there is a different feel, no question, and even on the player side, because he's the one guy in the field, you're like, all right, what's he doing today.

Q. Why do you think it is, if you look at guys like Bob May or DiMarco or the ones that don't quite have the pedigree of the others seem to give him the biggest fight in some of these majors?
FRED FUNK: Geez, that's a good question. You know, I think you get into your own game that particular week, and those guys, I felt it a couple times at Shinnecock and Hazeltine, and you know, where I jumped up on the leaderboard and obviously didn't have the pedigree of the guys I was chasing. I was with Phil and Retief at Shinnecock, and one of those weeks, just get out of your own way, and you enjoy the moment and you enjoy the atmosphere, and you know you're playing well and you're just letting it go, and those are the weeks that you don't get overwhelmed with where you put yourself and who you're playing with.
So you're basically comfortable in your own skin that particular week, and you can for some reason, that week, you can really stand up to the pressure and awful the self-imposed and outside stuff that's being thrown at you. And you believe you can do it, and you also feel like there's nothing to lose. When you're going up, nobody expects you to win, so give it your best, so probably like going up against Federer and Nadal in a final somewhere and you're one of the other guys. You want to beat him, you just think, well, if I don't beat him, I wasn't supposed to. But you still want to take advantage of that opportunity and not blow it.
So you just let it go. If you can bottle that, you know, if Chris could bottle it and I could bottle it and Rocco, any of the guys that jump up; Bob May, when they are in that position, and say why can't I do that every week, because Tiger does it every week. Really if you think about it, Tiger is the only guy that does it every week. If you think about it Phil and Vijay and Ernie and Retief and those guys don't do it every week; Tiger seems to do it all the time and there's something special with him. But those particular weeks, there's something special with the underdog, too.

Q. How do you expect the course to play at Congressional this week, and how does a course like this stretch your game? How does it challenge you?
FRED FUNK: Well, you used a good word, "stretch"; it's pretty long. I would think it's playing pretty long and soft, because I know we had a pretty good rain last night and it looks pretty green around here. I wouldn't expect it to be very firm, but I'm going to find out this afternoon. It's a really good golf course for controlling your golf ball, obviously length is a nice advantage this week on this golf course.
I think if you go back, you've had a blend of players that have done well at the top, I look at the top 20 and 25, short, medium hitters, different types of games, if they are all interspersed in that top 20, then I think it's a really good test and setup and I think Congressional tends to do that.

Q. Talk about being from Maryland and some of the golfers from the area --
FRED FUNK: It's been 13 or 14 years now that I haven't been here, but I think Maryland has not produced top golfers to get to the PGA TOUR, obviously Deane Beman and Don Hammond and some other guys, Webb Heintzelman played a couple years, and so any time you get the local guy coming back and a Maryland boy or northern Virginia guy playing in this event, places a lot of attention to him.
With me, I've had pretty good run on the TOUR, and have had success beyond even my dreams of what I've done so far, and I think people recognize that, and they come out and they support me for that, and it's great to see them all.
So it's fun for me. It's a little added pressure because I really want to be playing well. I want to give them a good show, but I'm starting to play pretty good again, and hopefully, you know, everything will show up this week and I can just get myself in a good, solid game that's working out there and see how I do on this golf course.
It is a tough course for me, but I love the golf course. It's one that I think it's a true treat to play. I think it's one of the best in the country. Definitely Top-5 on the TOUR that we play, in my opinion. The 10th hole is a little tough.

Q. Last year there was something like seven out of the Top-10 in the world here and this year there's something like seven out of the Top-30. Is that just coincidence or does it have anything to do with Tiger not being here?
FRED FUNK: I didn't know that. Yeah, it gives an appearance of a lot weaker field, but I don't know -- it's got to be -- it's in the same place in the schedule. I guess guys are a little tired and gearing up for -- well, they just came off the U.S. Open, they had Memorial, those are big ones, and then -- where did we just come from, Flint and Hartford. British is coming up, so a lot of guys are probably gearing up for that.
I don't know the reasons why. It's such a great venue and being here in D.C. I think is a great place to come, and a lot to do here, if you're not on the golf course, and I wouldn't know where they are not here, so I really don't know how to answer that one.

Q. This is probably the first time you've played here in 15 years or so without Ben Bundred being part of the event in some way, shape or form. What kind of relationship did you guys have, and how would you characterize him as a man?
FRED FUNK: Ben is fantastic. Ben is sorely missed.
He's turned out to be a great friend of mine. We got to know each other back when I was a club pro, and trying to get in old Kemper Opens and as I got more and more popular and when I got my TOUR card and started needing a demand on tickets I was like, Ben, I need a little help here, and each year it would go from 15 tickets to 20 tickets to 50 tickets and just like, I'll give you any, what do you knee. I always felt greedy; he gave me everything I needed.
He's just a great ambassador for the players to come in and see, and ambassador for the game, for golf at its highest level with the PGA TOUR here in D.C. He was our go-to guy and he was all very reliable and just a great friend to everybody. Everybody misses Ben, that's for sure.
You know, it's sad. He had a great life, though. I know everybody that had an opportunity to get to know Ben really knows they lost a really good friend. He was a special guy.

Q. I was wondering, thinking ahead to the rest of the year, everything at stake, the FedExCup and the Ryder Cup and you have a lot of money to be won and the No. 1 guy is not there; how do you feel? Is there excitement about that?
FRED FUNK: No, but I do think the guys -- I'm not in that position, but the guys like Phil and Kenny Perry right now is playing extremely well, are in a position where, wow, you know, I could win this FedExCup. And they really can. So it's not like if Tiger was there and they were starting to inch closer to Tiger but Tiger was still playing; they would be saying, well, all right, second place looks pretty good, too.
Now they have a really good shot at winning, so it does create a lot more excitement for those guys that are trying to position themselves at the top of the FedExCup, and that's really neat. There's a lot of other story lines out there with guys, obviously we all miss Tiger and you want Tiger in your fields and tournament directors obviously want Tiger, and the ones that had him are going, geez, why did this have to happen and the guys that didn't have him, they are used to trying to make their tournaments still a big deal.
And it's really up to you, the media, to help the public realize that, hey, there is golf without Tiger, and it's important for that to happen, because yes, he is the best that's ever played the game. He does things that no one else can do. He's Mr. Clutch-of-clutch. He makes putts when it just seems like he can't possibly do it again and he does it every time.
But there's a lot of other stories out there and a lot of great players, a lot of great young players and then you have Rocco rising up and Kenny playing great right now, and some really, really neat stories that are out there.
I was really proud of Trevor winning. He's become a good friend of mine. That was a huge deal in the way he played and as great a game as he has; that he got a chance to showcase it at Augusta, and he's here. It's up to you, the media, I think to really just keep educating the public on how big the TOUR is. It's not a one-man show. It's almost played upon as if there's a one-man show but there's still a lot of great golfers out there and a lot of quality golf.

Q. Do you think if someone wins the money title this week, that it will carry an asterisk? Phil's got a great chance.
FRED FUNK: No, I don't think you need to put an asterisk to it. It is what it is. Everybody has to deal with injuries. I guess Tiger would be the only guy that would warrant an asterisk, though, that you would have to put there. If Phil or Ernie or Vijay or somebody came down that wouldn't be worthy of I guess saying, well, they weren't available because Tiger won because Vijay -- yeah, I can understand your point that Tiger would be the one guy that if he's not playing, you say, well, "Note at bottom." (Laughter), "Refer to bottom, Tiger was not there the rest of the year or half the year."
But everybody already knows that. I don't think you need to -- there's enough attention on it that anyone that follows golf or even cares about that would know that, anyway.

Q. Who has got the most to gain by Tiger's absence?
FRED FUNK: Wow. I would tend to think Phil, but Phil's still going to be Phil no matter what. I think a guy like a Kenny Perry or an Adam Scott that would jump up, or Trevor.
I haven't seen a World Ranking recently to see who is in the top 5 or six or ten.
Those are the kind of guys that could really turn on their games at the end of the year and win the FedExCup. I think Phil would be like the expected one to do it but if one of the other guys did it, I think that would be a bigger story than if Phil did it. Phil is kind of the expected one to take over, but I think the way Kenny is playing right now, Kenny is the odds-on favorite to did it. Kenny is playing fabulous golf.
Anything else? It's good to see you guys.

End of FastScripts

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