Struggling Fred Funk regains lead - Mayakoba Golf Classic 2007

Face-down on the ground behind the 13th tee, with a trainer mashing on his back and his three-shot lead shriveled into a tie, Fred Funk's trip to the Riviera Maya suddenly wasn't looking like much fun.

"I wasn't even sure I could finish," Funk said. "I couldn't move. I couldn't bend over."

Then he popped up and grimaced his way to a birdie. Then another. In between, the guy he'd been tied with made a bogey.

Just like that, Funk's lead was back to three strokes.

Funk wound up shooting a 6-under 64 Saturday and finished the third round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic with a two-stroke lead over Jose Coceres.

The 50-year-old Funk had a chance Sunday to make the PGA Tour's first trip to Mexico historic in another way: If Funk holds on, he'd join Craig Stadler as the only players to win on the regular tour after winning a seniors event.

Stadler did it in consecutive weeks in 2003. Funk's Champions Tour victory came a month ago in Hawaii, when he went wire-to-wire at the Turtle Bay Championship and won by 11 strokes.

This could be another wire-to-wire win for Funk, but his cranky back guarantees a tougher finish than he had in Hawaii.

"Hopefully I'll be able to go at it, play, swing with a little pain, very little pain, and just play my game," he said. "I'm real happy with the way I'm playing. I just need to be able to swing at it. That's my big concern right now -- get a good night's sleep and wake up with my back feeling good."

Funk was 15 under, having gone 62-69-64 on the par-70 El Camaleon course designed by Greg Norman. Coceres shot a 65 Saturday.

"If a Mexican doesn't win, it might as well be an Argentinian, right?" he said, laughing.

Cameron Beckman and Boo Weekley went into the round tied with Funk, but couldn't keep pace with their playing partner. Beckman shot a 69 to drop into a tie for third at 10 under with Peter Lonard (67). Weekley had a 70 to fall into a tie with Skip Kendall at 9 under.

Kendall was the big mover of the day with a 7-under 63. He narrowly missed a long birdie putt on his final hole that could've broken the course record set Thursday by Funk and tied Friday by Brent Geiberger. Then Kendall's bid to tie the mark went around the cup, but not in it.

Funk turned 50 in June and is trying to be active on both tours. He thought about going to the Champions Tour event in Florida this week, going so far as to send in his entry form, but came south of the border because he'd promised them first.

He brought the back problem with him, but wasn't too worried about it. He'd never had any such trouble before and was confident it was only a muscle strain. After the opening round, he joked that "Advil and stretching has been a godsend to me."

He felt fine Friday and Saturday morning on the driving range. It was after his first swing of the day that the pain shot down his back and leg.

"Any twisting move or bending over was not fun to do," he said. "And you have to do both when you're swinging the golf club."

Funk grabbed his back and grunted after his second shot. By the second tee, he was crossing his ankles and bending over at the waist, and frequently lifting and flexing his left leg as if he were on a single-pedaled bicycle.

The most awkward moments came after drives. He'd bend over to get his tee, then need an extra second or two to straighten up, sometimes hopping to get on both feet.

"I was hurting pretty bad there on the 11th tee and 12th tee," Funk said. "I was wondering if it stayed like that, how many full swings would I have? I just had to get through the round."

Funk managed to birdie No. 11, restoring a three-stroke lead he'd had after birdies on 5, 6 and 7.

Then he bogeyed No. 12 and called for help -- not even realizing that Coceres, who was playing in the group ahead of him, had tied for the lead by chipping in for birdie at 12 and making another on 13.

Luckily for Funk, the therapist loosened up just the right spot.

"He pressed so hard on the one part where it was bothering me, I felt something pop a little bit," Funk said. "I don't know if it was my hip or his thumb, but it definitely helped. I was definitely a little more mobile coming in."

Funk popped up and hit "two of my best shots all week" to birdie 13. Coceres, meanwhile, bogeyed 14 and Funk followed with a birdie on 14 that he began celebrating before the putt dropped.

Leaving the 17th green, Funk caught up with his wife, Sharon, and shared a kiss. She'd missed all his excitement because she spent the afternoon caddying for Grant Waite.

Oh well. One way or another, Funk should put on an interesting show Sunday.