The Fred Funk File

Age: 42 Resides: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Career victories: 5 Career earnings: $5,120,727 Season info: Native of Takoma Park has three top 10s: Mercedes Championships, Bob Hope Classic and last week's Colonial ... Not a long hitter off the tee, but very accurate ... Fourth on tour in par-4 performance (12 under par) and fifth in scoring average before the cut (69.82) . . . Last won at the 1998 Deposit Guaranty Classic. Best '99 finish: T-2nd (Colonial) Best '99 stat: Driving accuracy (1st, 80 pct.) Season earnings (rank): $604,453 (32nd) Worst '99 stat: Par-5 birdie leaders (156th, has birdied 30.1 pct of holes played)

By Kathy Orton
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, May 27, 1999; Page H6

Fred Funk has always wanted to win the Kemper Open, and he put himself in a position to do so last year. Leading by one stroke going into the final round, he watched his chances slip away as he went 6 over par on the first five holes while fighting windy conditions. Given his early struggles, he was actually pleased to shoot 77 that day.

The memory of that disastrous start, which cost him a victory in a tournament he treasures, hasn't become any less painful for the Takoma Park native and former University of Maryland golf coach.

"That start has hurt me," Funk said. "I haven't gotten over that yet. I'm trying to get over it, but I wanted that tournament more than I wanted any other one."

After leading the Kemper the first three days, Funk had to settle for a tie for third place. This year, he eagerly awaits the chance to redeem himself at TPC at Avenel, where he is set to tee off this morning.

Fortunately for Funk, his collapse at the Kemper did not adversely affect the rest of his season. He finished with his best year on the tour-complete with his fifth PGA Tour victory at the Deposit Guaranty Classic and more than $1.1 million in earnings, enough to rank 23rd on the money list.

But the first five holes that Sunday have remained with him. Holding a one-shot lead over Stuart Appleby, the eventual winner, Funk three-putted for bogey on the opening hole. He followed that with a bogey on the third hole, and to make the collapse complete, triple-bogeyed the par-4 fourth hole, where water and deep grass bunkers combine to form a golfer's worst nightmare.

"I hit one of the worst swings on tour on the wrong hole and made triple and that was the end of that," Funk said. "All I had to do was play my game. I shoot a 73 and I win. But that probably was the best 77 I ever shot. I really, honestly thought last year at Avenel that Sunday's conditions were one of the most difficult conditions I've ever played since I've been on Tour. I held on to shoot 77, where I could have shot 90 that day."

In the 11 events he has played at Avenel since the Kemper moved there from Congressional in 1987, Funk never felt comfortable playing the course. At 7,005 yards in total length, the course rewards golfers who are long off the tee.

Funk, whose 268-yard average ranks just 113th on tour, is not a long hitter. And that means having to hit longer irons into tough greens and pin placements at a course such as Avenel. Until last year, Funk had never scored well during the tournament. His previous best finish was a tie for 27th in 1989-his first year on the tour-and he has missed five Kemper cuts. Then, last year, Funk played the first three rounds at Avenel as if he owned the course, setting a 36-hole tournament record of 12 under par.

"For some reason, I got into a comfort level with Avenel last year," Funk said. "I just feel like I can play that golf course now, where I never felt I had a chance on it before."

His sudden success at Avenel followed several years of increasing success on tour. After winning his first tour event in 1992, Funk didn't win again until 1995 and won at least one tournament in 1996 and 1998. He has ranked no lower than 38th on the money list the past four seasons.

"I've played pretty solid the last four or five years," Funk said. "I've really worked hard to get my game at a level where it's good enough to win golf tournaments. Every little part of my game has gotten a just a little bit better since I've been on tour.

"It's gotten to the point where if I am playing good, I now realize I'm good enough to win where I didn't know that before."

Funk has ranked in the top 10 in driving accuracy in each of the past seven seasons. But he has improved his driving distance from a low of 170th on tour in 1993 to 126th last year. His scoring average also dropped to a career best 70.34 in 1998, good for 29th on tour.

His success from last season carried over into the early part of 1999. He was in the last group during the final round of the Mercedes Championships (finishing tied for fifth place) in Hawaii and the Bob Hope Classic (a tie for fourth) in Indian Wells, Calif.

But since then, he missed the cut three times and did not record another top 20 finish until last weekend's Colonial in Fort Worth, where he finished tied for second and had a chance to pull into a tie with eventual winner Olin Browne for the lead on both of the 17th and 18th holes Sunday.

"I've probably played better than I have in any season that I've been on tour at this point of the year, but I've been more frustrated this year," Funk said. "I've had a couple chances this year to win tournaments and I didn't do it. I've had a couple other chances to play really good in tournaments and didn't finish them off and ended up falling back."

Still, Funk is 16th on the Ryder Cup points list. He hopes as the season wears on that he can pick up enough top 10 finishes to improve his chances of claiming one of 10 automatic spots on the team.

"That would be a real big dream of mine," he said.

Yet the Ryder Cup remains in the back of his mind this week as he renews his quest for a Kemper Open title.

"Someday, that would really mean a lot to me to win," he said.