	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

July 23, 2009

Fred Funk

SUNNINGDALE, ENGLAND

RODDY WILLIAMS: Fred, thanks very much for coming in, and great round out there. I think that's the lowest in the history of the first round of the Senior Open Championship.
FRED FUNK: Wow, I didn't know that. I would have choked if I knew that.
RODDY WILLIAMS: That second nine in particular, what suddenly clicked for you?
FRED FUNK: I was putting -- all of the sudden, I started hitting it close. But it was really a tale of two sides, because the front nine I got out of position numerous times and made some great par putts.
And then I made an unexpected birdie on 11 and started hitting it close from there. Then actually, there was a three- or four-hole stretch there: 13, I hit it inside three feet and missed it; and I had about, I don't know how long, 18, 20 feet for eagle on 14 and missed it; and I had it inside 12 feet on the next hole and missed it; and then about a 15-footer on the next hole and missed it; and then I had the great finish on 17 and 18.
So there was -- the front nine where I could have shot 3- or 4-over, and the back nine I could have shot 7- , 8-under. It just was a good ball-striking round other than on the back nine, other than 17, I had my easiest iron shot and I just flared over into the right bunker and then I holed it, anyway.
You can't complain about 64. I've been really concerned about my putting and found something last night and it was working great. And then I got thinking about it too much and then I had that little -- it wasn't very good. It was less than three feet I think on 13. It was a straight-in putt and I just yanked it, or shut it down a little bit. That threw me for a little bit of a loop, and I lost my confidence just a little bit because of that, but I shouldn't have.
And then I just tried to regroup and keep hitting it close, which I did. So ended up being a great finish. Any time you do what I did on 17,1, it's pretty nice.

Q. What clubs did you play, those last two birdies?
FRED FUNK: Well, I hit a sand wedge in the hole out of the bunker on 17. I hit a hybrid off the tee and hit a 7-iron in and just pretty hard left-to-right wind, and I was trying to play it way out to the left with the pin on the right and I had missed it so bad, the wind just flared it out into the bunker.
Then I holed it and I hit a driver not that great, but up the left side, really good angle in on 18 and I hit an 8-iron in. Probably made, I don't know how long it was, 18, 20 feet, something like that.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Listening to you outside, it sounds as if you're quite enjoying your first visit to Sunningdale.
FRED FUNK: Oh, it's great. The golf course, I heard so many great things about it. Tom Lehman said it was one of the finest courses he's ever played, and he's played a lot over here. When I saw it for the first time -- I walked it Sunday night, and we took a little time out. We are renting a house right out by the first hole, so we walked out with the opener of the house who is the captain of this club, or used to be, and walked with him and took a little break in the middle of the British Open and got to see it. Walked all 18 holes and just loved the looks of it and played Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
You're still learning, with the different winds and different angles and stuff, I'm still learning how to play it. But what's interesting about the golf course is that you can play real aggressive and get rewarded if you pull off the shot; or you can play real defensive and try to avoid those bunkers out there or other hazards that are out there, but mainly the bunkers. It just leaves you a longer shot in there.
It's a neat golf course. If you feel really good about yourself off the tee, you can just pull that driver out all day, like on 10, 10 is a hole I'm playing defensive now, but some guys are taking it up between those bunkers. So that's an example of a hole you can really get rewarded you can take a driver and 8- 9-iron, wedge left and for me I was hitting 3-iron -- I hit hybrid, 3-iron in there, so it played long for me. I'm trying not to make that 6.[] and then I got aggressive on 11 and got away with it. I hit driver there where that's kind of stupid.
RODDY WILLIAMS: How does it feel to be sitting on top of the leaderboard to be looking down at some of the names behind you? Quite a field, isn't it?
FRED FUNK: It's neat to see guys. A little awestruck about some of the guys up there. I've always looked up to, you know, the Watsons and the Normans, and Jay Haas is one of my best buddies. I love that guy. Crenshaw and all these guys I saw growing up before I got out on Tour, and then I got out on Tour, and I've had a good career.
You know, I look back at that, and I've done okay, but those guys are just at a different level as far as what they have done I think, or the way they are looked upon, and the way I look at them, anyway. I just think it's great that they are playing and it's such a great opportunity to be this age and still be competitive and be driven. I think all of us still have the same drive -- most of us -- I can't say that.
A lot of us still have a lot of drive, I can't say as much as when they were young, but a lot of guys are really driven to play really good out here on the Champions Tour and win these majors. These majors mean a lot. That's part of the history. I want to be part of that.

Q. Where were you when the heavy shower hit?
FRED FUNK: The heavy shower hit when I was putting out on 7.
But then the hardest was when we were up on 8 and we just waited on the tee for however long that delay was. It was kind of funny, it seemed like instead of a stop from the officials, it was just a boycott of the players saying, we are not going any further right now. I think everybody just stopped and said we'll wait.
And then the greens started puddling up pretty bad. We could see the puddle on 7 and 8. It didn't take long for all that -- it didn't take long for it to puddle up and it didn't take long for it to run-off, either. It was pretty neat. You.

Q. You were saying about you could play 10 and some of the other holes and you can play it defensively, given the way you played the back nine and the last few holes, do you think you'll be a bit more attacking tomorrow?
FRED FUNK: No, I'm going to stick with the game plan. I'll probably play 11 a little different. The only reason I hit driver today was it was a little more downwind and the pin was on the right side, and you could miss it left and still be okay.
I didn't plan on missing it so far left as I did, but 9, that's another hole I play aggressive, just take driver. I hit a terrible drive there. I got myself way out of position there and was just playing for par.
And then I -- you know what I did I wasn't sure how bad I was going to be, but I pulled a 3-wood a little bit on 7 and I think a lot of guys bogeyed 7 today, because the ball was running out for whatever reason further than what it was during practise round, and it was getting left, quick, behind those trees and blocked out. I was blocked out and Angel in my group was blocked out pretty easy. I thought I might have been too far left but I didn't know I was so far left. I just had a little sand wedge and chipped out almost sideways.
So it's pretty quick the way that thing banks. So you have to be pretty careful out there with your run outs and stuff. I got in trouble on No. 5. I hit it in the right bunker and had to sand wedge it out and got up-and-down.
The guys in my group played short of it and I took 3-wood thinking I wasn't going to reach that and I reached it and went right underneath the lip almost. You can get into some bad places out there, that's for sure.

Q. What about the crowds?
FRED FUNK: The crowds seemed great, yeah. They seemed pretty spread out. They were following all of the big groups early, and with the tee times so spread out the way they are and all of the nostalgic players that they would want to watch and their favourites they would want to watch, would be all across the tee time sheet, so they were spread out pretty good.
It will be even better -- I hear it will be pretty great over the weekend when you get those last groups and everybody is focused in on all of the final groups. It will be pretty cool. I heard 50,000 may be expected each day, Saturday and Sunday, I don't know if that's true.
I was proud to see Tom Watson play as good as he did and bounce back after what he went through last week. I can't think too many people weren't rooting for that history about to be made there on 18. But anyway.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297