Funk is feel-good story at TPC Updated: April 3, 2005, 5:22 PM ET By Jason Sobel | ESPN.com 0 0 0 EMAIL PRINT PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- After five days, three lengthy weather delays and, oh, let's say a few billion raindrops in the greater Ponte Vedra Beach area, The Players Championship came down to five feet, eight inches. And 165 pounds. And 48 years. AP As usual, Funk showed plenty of emotion on the course during the final round. Those are the pertinent numbers for Fred Funk, who made a par putt on the final hole that was just five inches shorter than himself to claim the biggest title of his career. The other applicable statistic is 85.7 percent. That's the ratio of fairways he hit this week. So for everyone out there who believes that only long bombers can win important events on tour these days, Funk just poked that theory down the fairway and out the window. "I felt kind of like Herbie the Volkswagen, the Love Bug, because I'm just out there just hitting my little pea-shooters and the bombers are going 40 by me," Funk said in his usual candor after the round. "I tried not to let that bother me, because I knew it was more important to be in the fairway." Funk is an unwonted champ, but hardly an unwanted one. Followed by a band of brothers known as Funk's Punks, he is a man of the people, a guy who cherishes the value of such a title. You see, he wasn't born onto the tour like some players. He was an assistant golf pro. He coached golf at the University of Maryland. He was a newspaper circulation supervisor. And now he's making headlines of his own. Such as: "WE GOT THE FUNK" and "FEELIN' FUNKY" and even the somewhat palatable "FUNKADELIC!" After all, it's his unusually cool surname that first makes most Punks aware of the man known as Chickenhawk. What makes them stick around is his unusually cool personality on the course. "The gallery really started jumping on when they saw me start getting closer and closer, and then I actually got the lead," Funk said. "It was pretty loud and emotional." And so was he. When Funk narrowly missed a putt down the stretch on Monday afternoon, he fell over backwards with emotion, lying down on the green for a few seconds before returning to the business at hand. Later, when he made that five-foot, three-inch putt on the 18th hole, he responded in typical Fred Funk fashion, slamming his hat to the ground like a touchdown celebration. "I knew I hadn't had the tournament in my hand at that point yet because someone behind me could catch me, and I knew that," Funk said. "But it was just pent up emotions, I think. I really felt good." How could he not? After all, that's a pretty weighty accomplishment for a guy who came within one snooze button of never realizing his dream. Funk lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, a mere five minutes from the TPC-Sawgrass course that hosts the event. On Saturday, while most of the field was pacing through the locker room, waiting through another weather delay, Funk was at home. Asleep. Now he'll have reason to rest easy, since the victory comes with a five-year exemption on tour. Funk sarcastically asked, "What am I going to do with that?" after the round, since that would make him a 53-year-old in a land of young bucks. But don't bet against him. After all, Fred Funk has already proven that size doesn't matter. Maybe age doesn't, either. Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com

Funk is feel-good story at TPC

Updated: April 3, 2005, 5:22 PM ET

By Jason Sobel | ESPN.com

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- After five days, three lengthy weather delays and, oh, let's say a few billion raindrops in the greater Ponte Vedra Beach area, The Players Championship came down to five feet, eight inches.

And 165 pounds.

And 48 years.

APAs usual, Funk showed plenty of emotion on the course during the final round.

Those are the pertinent numbers for Fred Funk, who made a par putt on the final hole that was just five inches shorter than himself to claim the biggest title of his career.

The other applicable statistic is 85.7 percent. That's the ratio of fairways he hit this week.

So for everyone out there who believes that only long bombers can win important events on tour these days, Funk just poked that theory down the fairway and out the window.

"I felt kind of like Herbie the Volkswagen, the Love Bug, because I'm just out there just hitting my little pea-shooters and the bombers are going 40 by me," Funk said in his usual candor after the round. "I tried not to let that bother me, because I knew it was more important to be in the fairway."

Funk is an unwonted champ, but hardly an unwanted one. Followed by a band of brothers known as Funk's Punks, he is a man of the people, a guy who cherishes the value of such a title.

You see, he wasn't born onto the tour like some players. He was an assistant golf pro. He coached golf at the University of Maryland. He was a newspaper circulation supervisor.

And now he's making headlines of his own.

Such as: "WE GOT THE FUNK" and "FEELIN' FUNKY" and even the somewhat palatable "FUNKADELIC!"

After all, it's his unusually cool surname that first makes most Punks aware of the man known as Chickenhawk.

What makes them stick around is his unusually cool personality on the course.

"The gallery really started jumping on when they saw me start getting closer and closer, and then I actually got the lead," Funk said. "It was pretty loud and emotional."

And so was he.

When Funk narrowly missed a putt down the stretch on Monday afternoon, he fell over backwards with emotion, lying down on the green for a few seconds before returning to the business at hand.

Later, when he made that five-foot, three-inch putt on the 18th hole, he responded in typical Fred Funk fashion, slamming his hat to the ground like a touchdown celebration.

"I knew I hadn't had the tournament in my hand at that point yet because someone behind me could catch me, and I knew that," Funk said. "But it was just pent up emotions, I think. I really felt good."

How could he not? After all, that's a pretty weighty accomplishment for a guy who came within one snooze button of never realizing his dream.

Funk lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, a mere five minutes from the TPC-Sawgrass course that hosts the event. On Saturday, while most of the field was pacing through the locker room, waiting through another weather delay, Funk was at home. Asleep.

Now he'll have reason to rest easy, since the victory comes with a five-year exemption on tour. Funk sarcastically asked, "What am I going to do with that?" after the round, since that would make him a 53-year-old in a land of young bucks.

But don't bet against him.

After all, Fred Funk has already proven that size doesn't matter. Maybe age doesn't, either.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com