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BUICK CHAMPIONSHIP

August 26, 2004

Fred Funk

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

TODD BUDNICK: Well, thanks for joining us, Fred, after a 4 under 66 today, no bogeys, two birdies and an eagle. That's a very nice round out there.

FRED FUNK: It was nice. It was a good start, especially coming off a week like last week. That's one reason why I came here, to do what I just did today, and hopefully I can follow it up. That helps a lot with the psyche.

TODD BUDNICK: You mentioned you found something and it looks like it worked today.

FRED FUNK: I'm hitting the ball solid, and the only way you can really work on hitting golf shots first you've got to hit it solid, so I got the solid contact back in it again. I've got this little draw that I haven't had all year, so I think I'm on the right track. I've just got to get out there and trust it. The problem is today I didn't trust it all the time, and the other day, Tuesday, when I really stumbled on it, I was swinging as hard as I possibly could and hitting it just perfect, but if you ease up on it a little bit it doesn't work as good. I've just got to trust it.

Q. As far as finishing it or what?

FRED FUNK: It's a follow through thought. That's all I'm trying to do. Did I explain it the other day?

Q. Yeah.

FRED FUNK: Just trying to get that left shoulder behind me as fast as I can, same thought really or same result, posting up on that left leg and firing that left hip straight behind you as fast as you can, so it's more of a rotary move, and I've been getting a lot of slap slide kind of move and hitting it more with my right side and now I'm hitting it more with a rotation, or I guess it's left side. It's just a lot better swing thought.

I think everybody's goal is to find a swing that you can be real aggressive with, and it works. The harder you swing, the straighter it goes, and that's what this when I do it right, that's what it does. If I hesitate a little bit, then it'll go a little right or I'll pull it.

Q. It was just by happenstance?

FRED FUNK: Well, I was playing with my caddie and he asked me on the 9th hole to watch him and I gave him I stood behind him and said take it to the stop and just take your left shoulder and go as fast as you can this way. He hit this 310 yard drive straight in the air he hits it a mile anyway and I said, that worked that well for him that way, it might work with me.

Q. What's your caddie's name?

FRED FUNK: Mark Long.

Q. How much is timing a factor in that?

FRED FUNK: Well, it's nice because I've gotten away from so much of a timing move. Now it's just staying aggressive and swinging at it. I've gotten almost all year, especially I'd say the last three months, easily the last three months, I've been all backswing thoughts trying to get the club started, trying to figure out where it is up here. I've never cared about any backswing before. I don't know why I got so much into worrying about where I am and how to get it there. The heck with that. It just doesn't matter at this point. My swing isn't going to change much. I know my flaws, I know what's good about my swing and I know what's bad about my swing. When you're playing well, you just let it happen.

Q. Are you an advocate of the grip it and rip it philosophy?

FRED FUNK: When you're playing good that's what you're doing. The ideal way to play golf and the ideal way to play any other sport is to react, and the problem with golf is it's not a reaction sport. You have to initiate the whole move. That's why everybody gets caught up and gets tense over the ball. It creates a lot of tension, a lot of doubt. Football and basketball and baseball you don't have time to think; you're just reacting. So if you're a good athlete you'll do it. The good athletes that react to the target on the golf course are the ones that play the best. That's what you've got to do, figure out how to get to that mode.

I use the analogy of a camera lens. On a wide lens you see everything, but when it's time for the shot you zoom in and you're hitting it right where you need to hit it. You know where you don't want to hit it but you're not focused on where you want to hit it. It's the blur, except for the pretty girl out on the right or (laughter).

Q. You've hit the ball obviously very well before this year. You had a good U.S. Open, had a good year before. Your swing going well right now, how does that compare to other good points?

FRED FUNK: This year I haven't hit the ball well really. I was really, really struggling with my game even at the U.S. Open. But the golf course just was so out of control by the weekend it was you couldn't tell what you were doing. I played pretty solid at TPC this year and I played pretty solid at Hilton Head, and I played exceptionally well in Milwaukee. U.S. Open, I didn't play that well. I scrambled my way around and scored and stayed patient. My attitude was really good that week and that's what got me through the U.S. Open. I didn't let the conditions get to me. I laughed at the conditions because they were so bad instead of getting teed off at them.

Q. You had a tough driving week you mentioned at Akron?

FRED FUNK: Last week?

Q. Yeah. Did that prompt you to search

FRED FUNK: I've been searching but I didn't know where to go. You usually do just stumble onto something and I did. I'm not saying it's the top of the mountain here, I've found it, but it's a lot better than it's been, so I'm really pleased with that. It was right at the right time so I feel like I can work on this and take it to Oakland Hills and be counted on to hit fairways and hit it solid. When I do it right, I'm hitting it about 20 yards longer than my average, which is nice. That's a nice thing that I haven't had all year.

Q. The eagle on 15, did you try to drive the hole?

FRED FUNK: No, I actually laid up. I hit a 3 iron off the tee and hit like a 65 yard shot in there. It was the perfect shot, just trickled into the hole.

Q. With a lob wedge or something?

FRED FUNK: Yeah. That front pin is kind of hard to unless you can definitely hit on that green, it's hard to go for that green with a front pin because you don't have any room to chip it.

Q. Just characterize your round today for me, please.

FRED FUNK: It was just real solid. I made some good par saves here and there. The last hole was a good one. 8 was a good one, which was my 17th. Just a lot better, a lot of light at the end of the tunnel is a good phrase to say how I played today versus where I've been the last couple weeks.

TODD BUDNICK: How about those birdies, Fred, the one on 3 and the one on 7.

FRED FUNK: Yeah, 3, I hit a driver and a 6 iron to about 12 feet, made it there.

7, hit another 6 iron to about 25 feet, I guess, 20 feet, probably 25 feet, and made that.

Q. How about the saves?

FRED FUNK: I was on the green. I drove it too far on 9. I drove it through the fairway and I didn't know I could even reach it, the end of the fairway, and I asked my caddie, how far was that, and my caddie said it was 292 to the end of the fairway, and I was down in a hole in the rough and I was dead, so I skulled it to the back of the green, made a nice 2 putt.

8, I hit it on the fringe with a 5 iron and left my first putt at least ten feet short and made that one. I made some good ones there. I made a real nice save on my first hole, the 10th hole, right out of the gate. It was pretty solid overall.

Hope to see you guys all week.

TODD BUDNICK: Thanks, Fred.

End of FastScripts.

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