Popular Player Expected To Make First Champions Tour Starts At U.S. Senior Open And Ford Senior Players Championship In Early July
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (June 7, 2006) — Fred Funk, a seven-time PGA TOUR winner and one of golf’s most popular players, will celebrate his 50th birthday next Wednesday, June 14th, at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. In early July he is scheduled to make his Champions Tour debut with back-to-back starts in majors at the U.S. Senior Open in Kansas and the Ford Senior Players Championship in Michigan.
"I’ve heard a lot of guys are having a lot of fun out there on the Champions Tour," Funk said. "I even asked Craig Stadler in Hawaii this year about it and you know how gruff he always looks on the golf course, but he said he loves it. It’s great to have the extension in our careers and be able to compete and challenge yourself. These guys are not necessarily playing for money. They just want to feel that competition and have something to practice for and compete against. I think everyone really pinches themselves when you think about the fact that at age 50 you can start all over again.
"I’m really looking forward to the fan aspect of things. I pride myself on interacting with the crowd. I’m certainly no Chi Chi Rodriguez or Lee Trevino, but I like getting them involved and when I’m playing my best golf, that’s when I’m really conscious of trying to acknowledge the crowd after they acknowledge me. It’s fun to get them involved and with the Champions Tour having that as their focus, it’s a little better for me. I’ve been able to make a great living playing a game.but at the same time we’re out there to entertain."
"Fred Funk’s personality and game are perfectly suited for the Champions Tour, and the Champions Tour, with its competitive and fan-friendly environment, is perfect for Fred Funk," said Champions Tour president Rick George. "We can’t wait to welcome him to our Tour next month."
The 27th U.S. Senior Open will be played at Prairie Dunes CC in Hutchinson, KS July 6-9. The 24th Ford Senior Players Championship returns to the Tournament Players Club Michigan July 13-16.
Funk will be playing in his 18th U.S. Open and first at Winged Foot. His best finishes in the Open were a sixth in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills CC and a T-7 in 1993 at Baltusrol GC. He made the cut in the 1997 PGA Championship played at Winged Foot, finishing T-61.
The native of College Park, MD and former University of Maryland golf coach sits 13th on the PGA TOUR career money list, having earned almost $19 million since joining the PGA TOUR in 1989. Funk’s crowning TOUR victory came in 2005 when he won THE PLAYERS Championship in his adopted hometown of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. He has also played on two Presidents Cup teams (2003 and ’05) and one Ryder Cup team (2004).
In 15 starts this year, Funk has earned $1,061,490 and is 36th on the current money list. He has made 11 cuts and has two top-10 finishes, including a T-2 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April.
Funk will be joined soon by another Champions Tour rookie Scott Hoch, whose debut has been delayed due to a nagging wrist injury that dates back to March 2005. The Funk/Hoch duo will be joined in 2007 by perhaps the strongest class in Champions Tour history. Mark O’Meara (Jan.), Nick Price (Jan.), Seve Ballesteros (April), Nick Faldo (July), Bernhard Langer (August), Jeff Sluman (Sept.) and John Cook (Oct.) all turn 50 next year. Collectively, they have won 69 PGA TOUR events, 19 major championships and countless other international titles.
Contact:
Jeff Adams
Director of Public Relations, Champions Tour
904-273-3397
jadams@pgatourhq.com
