Late-Blooming Funk Playing Well in Early Part of Season

All you need to know about Fred Funk: He was the golf coach at the University of Maryland for six years and even taught Lefty Driesell (who swings right-handed), he used to be the circulation supervisor for a newspaper, he has had laser eye surgery because he’s nearsighted and he has won five times on the PGA Tour (not to mention the 1993 Mexican Open).

At 42, Funk is what serves as an overnight sensation, which says a certain something about pro golf since he’s been playing the tour regularly since 1989.

Here’s what it says to Funk: “You know it’s a fickle game.”

Well, yes, it is.

It’s a game in which an old-new sensation who can hit the ball only slightly farther than John Daly can bunt it and whose public recognition factor is only slightly higher than anonymous can become one of the best players walking around in soft spikes.

Right now, there’s definitely something Funky going on at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. That’s where your 54-hole leader is none other than Mr. Funk after his third-round 66 Friday on the Palmer Course at PGA West kept him in the lead going into the weekend.

In fact, the whole thing has got Funk thinking dynasty. Well, not exactly, but he is feeling pretty confident.

“Even though I don’t have the game David Duval has, I can beat anybody on a given day,” Funk said.

“I constantly remember where I come from. As hard as I worked to get out here, I have worked harder to stay here.”

And because we’re talking about a $3-million tournament, it’s a nice place to be.

Funk’s 17-under total of 199 is a shot ahead of behaviorally reformed Steve Pate, a volcanic personality in rehab, whose 64 at Bermuda Dunes scorched the cactus.

Next at 201 are Daly and Tom Pernice Jr., followed by Bob Estes at 204 and then Duval and Scott Verplank at 205.

They’re all chasing Funk, who has won nearly $5 million and earned the admiration of his peers for sticking with it. When asked for a comparison test, Daly said there’s nothing wrong with Funk’s distance.

“Hey, he hits it far enough,” Daly said. “And he hits it very straight.”

This is usually a good combination, and it has served Funk well so far, since he has had five three-putts and even wondered midway through Friday’s round if he was going to be able to hold it together. There was a period when it got a little unsettled, which is understandable when you start bogey, eagle, birdie, par, bogey.

But Funk regrouped, made six birdies the rest of the way, played the par fives in five under and put himself in position to contend once again. He could have won four times last year and got one, at the Deposit Guaranty, then began this year with a tie for fifth at the Mercedes Championships and a tie for 12th at the Sony Open.

His rounds of 65-68-66 at the Hope mean that Funk has shot in the 60s eight of his 11 rounds. He has a typically unflashy explanation for that.

“I just work hard,” he said. “There’s no question I’m a late bloomer.”

Meanwhile, Pate no longer seems to have to work as hard to keep his legendary temper under control. You hardly ever see him whirlybirding drivers or burying clubheads in the fairway or taking his problems out on a tee box with a few well-placed tomahawk chops.

Pate, a six-time tournament winner, admits he is usually his harshest critic.

“If I don’t do it, who else is going to do it?” he said. “That is what you call ‘realistic.’ ”

Of course, an eight-birdie, no-bogey round can go a long way toward improving one’s disposition. Eddie Merrins, the pro at Bel-Air who coached Pate at UCLA, said Pate has learned how to turn his anger into a positive.

“He used his temper as a fuel to make him better,” Merrins said. “He had been known to self-destruct on the spot, but it was holding him back.”

There wasn’t even one bogey in Pernice’s round to hold him back. His 66 was six shots better than Thursday’s second round and kept Pernice on track for what would be his first PGA Tour victory.

Duval had a 64 at Indian Wells. He has two more rounds to make up six shots and put himself in position for his ninth victory in 15 months.

The news isn’t so good for defending champion Fred Couples, whose third-round 72 left him at three-over 219, 20 shots behind Funk and in danger of missing the cut.

Funk has no such worries. If he continues to play well, the money will keep rolling in and he’s going to make the Ryder Cup team as well. Who would have thought that?

“If somebody told me that while I was working in the club pro shop, I would have said you’re crazy,” Funk said. “That would be something that I never even fathomed would happen.”

The way things are going, he probably can start fathoming it right away.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

In Front

Scores through Friday’s play (Complete, scores Page 12):

BOB HOPE CLASSIC--Par 72

Fred Funk: 65-68-66--199 -17

Steve Pate: 66-70-64--200 -16

Tom Pernice Jr.: 63-72-66--201 -15

John Daly: 69-66-66--201 -15

Bob Estes: 68-71-65--204 -12