Fred Funk tops crowded leaderboard

Black clouds gathering over Hazeltine and the sound of a siren was the only thing that stopped Fred Funk in the second round of the PGA Championship.
Tiger Woods stayed in contention Friday with the cold look of an eight-time major champion, but it was Funk who charged up the galleries with one birdie after another, surging to a one-stroke lead when storms suspended the second round.

Funk was at 7-under par and had five holes to play when the horn sounded to stop play. He had just made his only bogey of the round, missing a 4-foot putt. But don't get the idea that's a sign of things to come.

"I'm not going to back down," Funk said.

The clubhouse lead belonged to Mark Calcavecchia, Retief Goosen, Justin Leonard and Rich Beem, who finished at 6-under 138 in warm and gentle conditions.

The thrills belonged to Funk, the 46-year-old former golf coach at Maryland who has never seriously contended in a major.

He swung his putter like a baseball bat when putts stopped short of the hole. He pumped his fist when they fell, and distributed high-fives to just about everyone along the way.

"I wasn't scared of the atmosphere I was in," said Funk, who has never led after any round in a major. "I was having fun. I was enjoying being in the lead at the PGA."

Funk and 40 other players will have to return at 7:30 a.m. Saturday to complete their rounds, and then the real fun starts.

Just like the British Open at Muirfield, the top of the leaderboard is packed with players who bring different styles of game and different credentials. And just like Muirfield, Saturday is supposed to be a real brute.

Once the storm system clears, the forecast is for cooler temperatures and higher wind, gusts that could reach 40 mph. That could be a nightmare at Hazeltine, with greens that require the ball to arrive by air, not by ground.

Water comes into play on eight holes. Bunkers guard most of the greens. There is no escape when the wind blows that hard.

"People like seeing train wrecks," Funk said. "You're going to see some train wrecks when you have that. It's going to be a battle of patience. Guys are going to be missing greens all day long. I think par is going to be about 78."

If the weather isn't an issue, Funk still has a bunch of players right behind.

That includes Woods.

The winner of the Masters and U.S. Open, Woods swiftly moved into contention with a burst of birdies - a tee shot into 2 feet on No. 4, a 15-footer on the next hole and a two-putt birdie on the par-5 seventh.

In between was a shot no less amazing - a powerful wedge out of thick rough to a green surrounded by water and bunkers.

Woods wasn't immune to the blustery conditions, either. He left his tee shot on the par-3 13th about 60 feet short, lagged to 8 feet and missed the par putt. Woods was at 3 under and still had two holes to play.

British Open champion Ernie Els was 2 under, overcoming a sloppy double bogey with back-to-back birdies to stay in the mix.

The usual contenders were nowhere to be found.

Phil Mickelson made double bogey on his final hole for a 72 and narrowly made the cut, although he'll likely spend the next eight months contemplating another year gone by without a major.

David Duval couldn't find the fairway and shot 77. Sergio Garcia charged and retreated and wound up with a 73. All of them were at 4-over 146.

In their place was a collection of past major championship winners - Goosen (U.S. Open), Calcavecchia (British Open) and Leonard (British Open) - and one guy who was just happy to be there.

Goosen chipped in for birdie on the 18th his second straight 69. Leonard made five birdies over a 10-hole stretch for a 66, while Calcavecchia went at every pin and made it pay off with a 68.

The happy-go-lucky Beem had the most amazing shot of the day, hitting out of the trees into the slope of the 18th green, the ball stopping 4 feet away for his eighth birdie of the round. He finished with a 66.

"If I had missed the cut this week, it would not have been a big deal, not a blow to my ego at all," said Beem, a former stereo salesman. "I'm still new to the ballgame. I'd like to find out how good I can get."

He's showing plenty this week.

Beem has a better game than his pedigree might indicate, fundamentally sound in all aspects and only lately showing some results. His victory two weeks ago at the International was his second on the PGA Tour, and perhaps a major is the next step.

"I'm just as surprised as you all that I'm sitting here," Beem said. "What I'm not surprised is that I'm playing well. I know I've got some game, but at the same time, this is a major and I haven't really done anything in the majors yet."

Considering this is only his fourth major and he had made only one cut (tie for 70th in the '99 PGA Championship), that would be a fair assessment.

No debating his outlook on the weekend, either.

"I don't know exactly what's going to happen tomorrow, but it's going to be fun," Beem said. "Unless I shoot 90. Then it won't be fun."

Beem has a soul mate in Calcavecchia, who has a lot more experience, a lot more PGA Tour victories (10) and a British Open on his resume. But the free-wheeling Calcavecchia knows how to have a good time - especially when he's playing well.

"I'm emotional. I'm aggressive. When I'm swinging good, I just go right at it, which works on a lot of occasions when the ball is going in the direction I want it go," he said. "That probably backfires a little bit when I'm not swinging good, because I have a hard time aiming at the middle of the green."

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