CARMEL, Ind. --- Fred Funk built a reputation as a short hitter who kept the ball in play and usually got the most out of his ability. He showed another dimension to his game with a record-setting performance in the U.S. Senior Open.
Funk closed with 7-under 65 on Sunday to become the first player in a USGA championship to finish at 20-under par. He won his second senior major, setting one tournament record (score in relation to par) and matching another with his six-shot victory.
"It's something I really didn't fathom happening, but the biggest thing is just getting my name on that trophy," the 53-year-old said Sunday at Crooked Stick.
Funk finished at 20-under 268, breaking the previous record of 17-under set by Hale Irwin in 2000 at Saucon Valley. Juli Inkster won the U.S. Women's Open at Old Waverly in 1999 at 16-under, and Tiger Woods holds the U.S. Open record by winning at Pebble Beach at 12-under.
An eight-time winner on the regular PGA Tour, including The Players Championship, Funk has shown he can go low. He set a Champions Tour record two years ago with an 11-shot victory in a 54-hole event in Hawaii.
At the Senior Open, records fell early and often at Crooked Stick, a Pete Dye design.
Greg Norman, Joey Sindelar, Dan Forsman and amateur Tim Jackson all tied for the course record Thursday with 66s. That record was bettered Saturday when Russ Cochran had 64. Loren Roberts then tied Cochran's mark Sunday.
The seniors posted better numbers than those from the PGA Championship held at the course in 1991. John Daly won that event with a score of 12-under.
"These guys can still play," Norman said. "The golf course is very similar to what we played in 1991, and you know, we are still hitting in the same places, hitting the same irons into the greens. So, goes to show, these guys are still very, very good."
Funk, who lost in a playoff last week to Roberts in the Senior British Open, picked up his fifth Champions Tour victory. His other major came last year at the Jeld-Wen Tradition in Oregon.
Funk led at 13-under after the first three days. He birdied Nos. 2, 5 and 9 on Sunday for 33 on the front nine and was on his way to routing the field.
Tom Watson, 59, closed with 72 and tied for 43rd. It was his third week in a row playing a major, starting with his remarkable bid at Turnberry where he lost the British Open in a playoff.
Jackson, who led after the first two days, shot 4-over 76 on Sunday to tie for 11th. His 72-hole score of 282 was the lowest by an amateur in U.S. Senior Open history, shattering the record of 288 set by Greg Reynolds and George Zahringer in 2005. He also shot the lowest round for an amateur in a U.S. Senior Open, with 66 on Thursday. Jackson's score of 133 over the first two days matched the event's best 36-hole mark.
"This was a great experience and a great week," the 50-year-old said. "Even as old as I am, I learned a lot."
Such performances inspire Funk.
"It shows that the game is kind of an ageless game," he said. "You can still play at a super high level as long as you're healthy and prepared."
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