U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 18, 2004

Fred Funk

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please. Joining us on the podium now at 4-under for the championship with a round of 4-under today, Fred Funk. Fred, if you could start us off by walking through your birdies. You don't have to do any bogeys.

FRED FUNK: That is nice, actually. I have to remember where they were.

16 was a -- the hole was playing short. And I got up high, and hit a bad chip behind the hole, long, and behind the hole to the left of the pin. Impossible putt. I was upset and I made that. So that was probably about 15, 18 feet, and a big breaker, real fast. That followed a really nice par save on 15. Those were two huge putts.

15 was about 18 feet. I drove in the rough there and then was in a real short bunker.

No. 2 I holed it out of the bunker, the front right one, for the second hole out of a sand trap. My sand game has been unbelievable this week.

And then what else? Just the last two, right?

8 I hit a pitching wedge in there about three feet.

And then 9 I didn't know if I could get a 7-iron there; I hit a soft 6 and hit it behind the hole, must have been 35, 40 feet probably, and real fast, obviously down the hill, and I should have called my caddie in to read that with me. First time I asked him to help me, and I just poured it in the middle. He saw it left-to-right and I thought it would be left-to-right. So he read it. He told me where he thought it was. But it was just one of those putts I'm trying to lag down there and it rolled in.

Q. Did the excitement bring back memories of Hazeltine?

FRED FUNK: The fans aren't quite as behind me as they were at Hazeltine, but it was pretty neat. I am hearing a lot of that -- I don't know if you saw that clip that was made at TPC, but I'm hearing a lot of that out here. They're just wearing me out with that, but it's a lot of fun.

Q. Enthused about the amount of ground you made up?

FRED FUNK: Yeah. I was real disappointed after the rain delay, I had a 12-footer for par on 15, and I three-putted, so I then I bogeyed 18. I had 3-under and went all the way back to even. I was disappointed with that obviously. But today was just one of those days. I made some really key putts and some great up-and-downs out of the sand. It was just a really good scoring day, really good scoring day.

Q. Working on your bunker game?

FRED FUNK: Not really. I didn't think I liked these bunkers because they have so much sand in them, and quite a few pebbles are in there. I had one of those, it didn't get any spin, because I must have sandblasted a pebble, I didn't get any spin on that on the 5th hole, and actually lipped out, but it might have gone in if it didn't have that pebble there.

But everybody is faced with that. I don't know, I've just been just -- I've holed two really hard bunker shots; they weren't run-of-the-mill. They're the kind you're hoping you'll get up-and-down and I holed it. I had a lot of green, but you don't -- they're such deep bunkers and so much sand. They're pretty long shots.

I was on the front right bunker there on 11 yesterday and holed that, and then today on 2, the pin was in the middle, I was in the front right bunker pretty deep.

Q. These kind of courses, do you enjoy playing them, where everybody has a chance?

FRED FUNK: This one is definitely where it's an Open venue where anybody can play well if you're keeping the ball in play. It's not that big a factor on length. Here and there it is. There's no substitute for having length. But I know I can score on this thing. It's perfect the way it's playing.

It plays different from what I remember it did in '86 and '95. I thought it played longer, and it had the rough around the greens then, too. I'm not necessarily a big fan when it was deep like Oak Hill where it rolls off the fringe and you're dead; there's no skill getting those up-and-down, it's just luck.

Q. What makes that hole such a challenge overall?

FRED FUNK: The effective landing on 7, it may be an eight-foot square area, and you have to have the right trajectory and right shot coming in, it has to land soft, and the greens have so much pitch right-to-left. It's tough. And it's not a very healthy green, either; it has a lot of patchy poa annua in it.

They're going to have it this afternoon. All the poa annua is going to be bloomy and it becomes like a pinball machine, when you're relying on the speed of the putt.

Q. (Inaudible).

FRED FUNK: No, because I haven't been playing good. I'm still struggling with my ball-striking a little bit. I've been working unbelievably hard -- I haven't hit so many balls as I have the last six weeks. This is my seventh week in a row on the road. I've been working really hard and trying to see signs.

Last week I saw a little bit of a sign, even though I missed the cut at Westchester. I love that golf course there. But I missed the cut by one last week, and that was disappointing. I really wanted to work on what I've been working on on the weekend, last weekend and put it in play. Instead I had to come up here, and you're not really ready to work on your game on Saturday and Sunday, so I waited until Monday.

But no, I didn't have any high expectations, I was just hoping, and I'm still hoping. It's feeling better and better. I'm hitting a lot of good shots on the range. I'm hitting a lot of good shots out there. I was even having trouble hitting good shots on the range. I practiced for three and four hours walking away feeling like I didn't accomplish anything, and last week it came around a little bit.

Q. Do you feel like -- (inaudible)?

FRED FUNK: It's not that I had good putts, I was just on the fringe a lot. I hit eight official greens yesterday, and today I might have hit 10 or 11. I feel like -- last night when I counted up I thought I hit 10 or 12, and only eight official. Your putting total is deceiving. I didn't feel like I putted great yesterday. I putted good today. I made about every opportunity I had. I can't say that. Actually I had five good birdie putts I missed on the front nine.

The greens I hit, every one was within birdie range, except for the one on 16. And that was the one that really wasn't a birdie putt.

Q. (Inaudible)?

FRED FUNK: Not with all the up-and-downs.

Q. Do you feel you fit the profile like an Open winner, somebody who hits straight with a great short game?

FRED FUNK: Yeah, absolutely. I think I could be. Yeah, I think I could. I hope and wish that I was hitting the ball solid as I am capable of. Who knows, I'm going to go work on it today. And each day has gotten a little bit better. I've had a little more faith when I'm over the ball. It's a struggle. The game is usually not this hard for me. It's become harder the last six or seven weeks.

Q. (Inaudible) -- is that the same with you?

FRED FUNK: No, I haven't, to tell you the truth. I've picked up five or six yards. I didn't gain anything. I don't have enough clubhead speed to benefit from the two newest balls, and the modern ball, really, I should say, because you need X amount to get it up with the right launch angle and spin. Jay has quite a bit more clubhead speed than I do, he's hitting the ball better, and in better shape than he's ever been. He's more motivated than I've been. Jay Haas winning would not surprise me a bit.

Q. (Inaudible).

FRED FUNK: Last night I was upset. Driving home, walking off 18, I finally made some putts, and I think I birdied four out of six-hole stretch and got it to 3-under. If I make the putt on 15 for par, if I hit it a little easier, I get it going. The worst thing happened; I three-putted it in. I hit it through the break a little bit.

And then on 18, I force shot another putt. I was a little disappointed. But somehow I had to -- what you've got to do is just look forward somehow. I didn't try to three-putt from 12 feet or whatever it was. And just look forward to whatever is positive.

Q. Even though there's more lower scores than you expect in an Open, there's still a lot of trouble out there. And so with your straight hit, do you feel the next two days you could very well be in contention?

FRED FUNK: Yeah, I missed a lot of fairways, though. I'm missing -- I missed three or four in the high stuff, which is what's bothering me. Usually when I miss them they just roll out in the fringe or the short cut, and that's not that big a deal. But I've been missing some even in the hay. That's not too good. So today was a little better. Yesterday I missed a few in the hay and I paid the price for those.

Q. Does this remind you a little of Hazeltine?

FRED FUNK: Hazeltine was a bombers' golf course.

Q. Is it fun getting in contention?

FRED FUNK: Yeah, it's fun to get back in contention. Hopefully I can keep this going and have a lot of fun on Sunday and make a run at this thing. I still have the goal of Ryder Cup points. I've got a chance at that. And Jay's -- that's Jay's No. 1 goal. Ryder Cup will be -- if I can just get up there and get some points and maybe win this thing, who knows. I don't know, what did Phil end up?

Q. 6.

FRED FUNK: Okay. I actually threw my arm out on that last hole.

Q. (Inaudible).

FRED FUNK: I've gotten better as I've gotten older, so that part is good. I don't know whether -- I work really hard trying to stay in good enough shape to swing a golf club, but, you know, I try to play smarter, I guess.

Right now it's been -- it's almost like I've gone backwards a little bit, the last few months have been so tough for me. I've been a little disappointed, after coming off such a good year last year and the year before and the year before. I had such high expectations; maybe that's what did it. I had big goals, and I haven't played to that level yet.

Q. What specifically have you been working on with your swing?

FRED FUNK: It's more my setup. I got in such bad setup. My swing is dictated by my setup. And I got in such bad setup habits. I'm still having trouble with that. My focus is what I'm doing right here, instead of my focus being out there on the golf course or where I want to hit it. I used to set up to it and not care what I was doing setting up over it.

Q. This might be a simple question. Why are golfers able to play -- (inaudible)?

FRED FUNK: It's an entirely different sport. I can't run around like a 20-year-old. I think -- you can't run around with those guys, just because -- this game isn't a cardiovascular event or a strength event, but if you stay healthy and have confidence and keep your mind straight, there's no reason you can't play up to middle age.

Q. (Inaudible).

FRED FUNK: I was -- I thought that was cool to shoot 32 on the last nine in a U.S. Open. This course has eaten my lunch the last two times I've played it. It felt good to have a good round under my belt, anyway, potentially two, but at least the one.

End of FastScripts.