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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

May 8, 2010

Fred Funk

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA

Q. Talk about your round, please?
FRED FUNK: It was a good day with the putter. It was just a good day with the putter. I hit the ball pretty good. And actually, I started to hit the ball pretty good the last couple of weeks, and I saw signs of it coming around, but my putter was just horrible.
The first round I putted poorly and shot the 72. Had a lot of opportunities the first day, more than I had today actually, realistic ones. Then turned it into even par. Yesterday I decided to go to the claw or pencil or whatever you want to call it. I don't know what it is, but more like the claw.
And I putted really solid yesterday. Other than I missed really two makeable putts, really short ones on 8 and 9 yesterday, other than that, I putted fabulous. Then today I putted really good again other than one little putt on 14 that I had for par that I probably should have made, but I made a ton of putts.
Making that last one after such a bad second shot, that makes up for a couple, actually.

Q. How often do you practice a shot like that third?
FRED FUNK: Never, no, never. That could have gone anywhere. That was so far above my feet I could have left it way right of the green, or I could have actually chipped it down to the front left. If it gets away from me. So where it ended up, it was really good. I was just hoping to make 5 out of it. So making 4 was a bonus.

Q. Do you feel like you won't probably peak until you're 59 like Watson?
FRED FUNK: Yeah (laughing). I hope so, that would be a nice thing. Well, he has a new hip. And nobody ever really talked about his hip at the British, and he was only nine months out of having a new hip or so. And not that I know of, I never read one thing that he had a new hip, and his game turned around at that point.
Then I wish he would have won it. I think a lot of guys did other than Stewart.

Q. Did the birdie on 6 get you going?
FRED FUNK: The chip-in on 6?

Q. Yeah, what kind of lie did you have?
FRED FUNK: I had a perfect lie down there. I just didn't have any green to work with. So it was a real delicate chip. With the kind of shot I was going to hit, flopping it up there, I probably had a foot to land it in and get it close, and it ended up perfect.
Yeah, I got on a little roll there when I birdied 6 and 7, and then made a great par putt on 8 after being in a bad spot there just short of the green. Birdied 9, 10, and 11, so that was pretty sweet.

Q. How good was that par on 18?
FRED FUNK: Real good. I didn't birdie 7. I'll take that back. Yeah, the par on 18 was as good or better than any of the birdies the way it turned on out. It felt like a birdie after the really poor second shot. I just didn't commit to it. I was trying to aim on out there to the left side, left center of the green and let the wind take it back.
I hit a little cut, and I just came completely out of it and the wind just slammed it.

Q. What were your hopes on that chip? Did it roll past about as far as you thought it would? Could you make it further?
FRED FUNK: No, I just wanted to keep it on that level that the pin was on, if at all. That was my goal. Just get it somewhere on that level where the pin is so I can two-putt. It could have gone dead left as much as I had it above almost eye level for Pete's sake. And/or I could have overplayed it and hit it to the right.
So obviously the par is ridiculous, but I got it on the level I wanted to, and I just wanted to make sure I had a chance for bogey.

Q. How many hours do you have out there?
FRED FUNK: I've put a new driver into play. I've had three drivers in three days. I've had the SuperTri, and then I had the Super Deep, and then I had the new Burner, the newest Burner, which goes a lot lower and it runs out, and that's the one I like.
I got a lot more distance today because I had the run out on it. I wasn't flying it any further, but trajectory-wise I was skipping it out there pretty good.
I'm giving up, when he really hits it 20, 30 yards, but I'm used to more than that with these guys. That's not the problem with this golf course other than holes like 14 and 5 today played short. But 14 and 7, 5. And obviously on holes like 11 you can get it out there and I can't quite reach the green.
But then the long guys go for it with that front pin and he's dead in the back bunker.

Q. Pain in the knees still?
FRED FUNK: Yeah, it fatigues out. The knee's probably 75, 80%. Getting better all the time. But it was killing me the last four or five holes.

Q. What do you think the greens are going to be like 4:30, 5:00 o'clock today?
FRED FUNK: I know hoping they're really dry and cooked. Just getting way they're supposed to be. That's the advantage -- one advantage of playing in the morning when you have the humidity that we've had and the softness already on the greens, you have really good scoring conditions. I didn't complain about one spike mark or anything.

Q. Do you think they'll bake out a little bit?
FRED FUNK: I think they'll bake out a little bit. But with the humidity in the air, though it's a little drier now that the wind's blowing a little more. But they're getting pretty brown. You look at 13, you look at 18, they're as brown as can be. But they still have a little sponge to it. They have a little softness.

Q. How hard is it to put the injuries behind you and to try not to think of them even though you said there is still some pain involved? What is that process like when you're out there?
FRED FUNK: You know, I've played -- I hate to dwell on it. But I've played the last three and a half years with a lot of knee pain. It's just a part of life right now with me. It is getting better, it still hasn't been six months yet. My goal was to be ready for this tournament, and hopefully I was going to be pain free. But it's a lot stronger than it was before, even though it's still achy.
It's getting better all the time, but it's still got a ways to go. But it's just become a part of my everyday deal. Just.

Q. Did you have complications after it, infections?
FRED FUNK: No, I had that the year before. I had a staph infection the year before. And I came back in '08. I got the staph infection from having 18 drainings and trying to run down Jay Haas and win the Schwab Cup, and I failed in that.
And last year I was trying to run down -- and I caught them both going into the last event. I was just a cripple at Sonoma both years, and I just couldn't hold them off. So that's been disappointing.
Basically what I've done the last two years on the Champions Tour is played really well in the majors and that's where I got all my points. Now the other Freddy, thee Freddy is running away with everything, and I'm going of to to smoke the five majors we have to even think of catching him. But I plan on doing it.

Q. If he's thee Freddy, what are you?
FRED FUNK: I'm just the other Fred. He's the Freddy. He's earned thee Freddy. He's boom-boom, and I'm poof-poof.

Q. You've made reference to this potentially being your last players?
FRED FUNK: Well, could be.

Q. How much does that mean?
FRED FUNK: Well, yesterday it meant a lot to me to make the cut. I was grinding like crazy yesterday to try to make it to the weekend. I just didn't want to miss it. It's going to be hard to be home and not playing THE PLAYERS.
Now I'm part of the history of the players and it's home and it's my favorite tournament that we play on TOUR. I love this place.
I liked it in March, and I like it in May, so it doesn't really matter. It's still a great tournament.

Q. Do you remember your walk from 16 to 17 and the difference in the atmosphere in 17 on Sunday when you're coming down in contention to win the tournament?
FRED FUNK: Oh, that was magical on Sunday. I was a nervous wreck though. I had serious cotton mouth, and hard to get my breath. There was a lot of stuff going in my mind through there it was blowing 30, 35 miles an hour that day. And just hitting that green.
I'm glad it turned out the way it turned out, but I wish I putted a little better coming in. I could have just walked my way down 18 if I could have two-putted 14, 15, and 17. But, obviously it turned out great the way it all unfolded on 18.
But I remember the crowd being so much behind me. It was really a great feeling.

Q. If it gets windy this afternoon, do you think 8-under might give you an outside chance tomorrow?
FRED FUNK: I don't know. Lee Westwood is playing so good. I see him playing great. I kind of see myself probably 15th to 20th by the time the day's done. If I'm better than that, that's a bonus. That means the conditions got really tough.
Then tomorrow, I get the later tee time and hold on from there.

Q. Do you feel like you've turned back the clock today or do you think your new knee has put you back to where you were?
FRED FUNK: I'm get back to where I was. I still feel like I've got a ways to go. I'm not near as strong as I need to be in that knee. And it just gets so achy by the end of the round.
But the decision was the right one to do, and I'm on my way, where it's getting better every week, so. As far as turning back the clock, you know, I don't know. What feels good is to be putting good again and rewarding my good shots, and doing things like that last hole where I save them every now and then. That's what I haven't been doing and that's what you've got to do to stay in contention or even get into contention.
I didn't do it the first round, I put myself behind the eight ball the first round, and you know, the course is really to be got that first day, and a lot of guys did, and 72 really wasn't that good of a number on this golf course. It's hard to say that, but it proved out on the way the scores were.
But hopefully I can play -- I want to get really consistent again. I just want to be able to compete because that's where I expect to be whether it's this or the Champions Tour.

Q. Which knee?
FRED FUNK: Right knee.

Q. When are you deciding what driver you want to use?
FRED FUNK: I've got one now. I've got the trajectory now. I've got one that will school out there now. And if I catch it solid on the trajectory, I don't give up that much yardage. Because I tend to spin everything else, I just flow it up in the air, and I get no roll. When I'm only flying at 250, it's against guys flying at 290, that's demoralizing.

Q. How long have you had that?
FRED FUNK: I've had it off and on. This driver tends to go a little too low, sometimes. But I've adjusted. I'm still learning where to tee it up, I tee it up real high and I can get it up in the air. I kind of like it down, and I get it get it scooting.

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