Brad
Faxon shot a par on the second playoff hole to win the B.C. Open on Monday, beating
Fred Funk and completing a comeback that included a dramatic 30-foot putt for
birdie to achieve a tie at the end of regulation and force the playoff.
With about 2,000 spectators
on hand, Faxon played the hole with a straightforward regulation par, hitting
the fairway, green, and two-putting for par.
But Funk, who had led the tournament from the second round when he shot a course
record 61, struggled on the playoff hole to make bogey.
Funk's drive struck a tree on the right side of the fairway, then his second shot
struck another tree and skipped straight sideways across the fairway, fortunately
stopping short of a pond.
His third shot buried into the lip over a front greenside bunker and he ended
up making a nice eight-foot putt for bogey.
Funk said he was frustrated with the loss.
"I
led this tournament for a long time, and it's truly discouraging because this
was my tournament to win and I lost it," said Funk, who has finished second in
his last two starts.
Faxon said he was relieved not to have had to play more than one hole on Monday.
"It was weird. We had to prepare like it was a regular tournament day, but I'm
glad we only played one hole. I was more nervous over the four-footer for par
this morning than I was on the 30-footer last night," said Faxon.
Play was halted on Sunday night for darkness after the two were tied after the
first playoff hole. The two were tied at 15 under par for 72 holes, with Faxon
making a 30-foot birdie putt on the last hole of regulation to get into the playoff.
It was Faxon's
sixth career win, and first top 10 finish of the year. This was his fifth start
since returning from a wrist injury. He fractured a bone in his left wrist when
he fell off a ladder in May.
"This
is a big jump, a big step for me. The wrist could have been a career-ender," said
Faxon.
Said
Faxon, "Fred's the straightest driver out here, so that was a surprise to see
him hit that tee shot. I played 37 holes with him yesterday and I don't think
he missed two fairways."
Faxon
& Funk to finish playoff Monday
By the time Fred
Funk regained his touch today, it was too late to win the B.C. Open. And no one
will until Monday.
Entering the 36th hole of the day in a tie for the lead with Brad Faxon and South
African rookie Rory Sabbatini, Funk appeared set to win here for the second time
when he lofted his second shot within 2 feet of the pin.
But Faxon, who had hung near the lead during the long day and forged the tie with
the rest of his threesome with a clutch birdie on No. 16, calmly rolled in a 25-foot
birdie putt as darkness fell.
"I
couldn't really see the cup," Faxon said. "It was kind of dark, but it was light
enough that I could read the break. I knew it was going to break about a foot
to the right. It looked good the whole way.
"It's
do or die, you've got to make it," said Faxon, who had a fourth-round 67. "You
know that he's going to make that for birdie. When you putt in a scramble, all
you do is putt to make. The best putters always putt to make. They don't worry
about if they miss. I didn't care. If I missed it, I finish second."
Funk easily made it, and when Sabbatini settled for par to drop from the lead,
it forced a playoff. Both Faxon and Funk parred No. 18 and will play for the title
Monday morning.
It was a disheartening finish for Funk, who beat Pete Jordan in a playoff to win
the 1996 BC Open.
"I'm
tired, I'm mentally beat," said Funk, who opened the door with a costly bogey
on No. 15. "It was a tough day. I couldn't get it on aggressive mode. I missed
some short putts when I had chances, but I hit some bad shots, too. I ended up
letting everybody into the tournament. That part's a little tough to take. It
would have been great if it all ended the way I wanted it to end. But it still
can."
Both Faxon
and Funk finished regulation at 15-under 273.
Craig Spence, who had a closing 65, finished in a tie for fourth at 276 with Jonathan
Kaye, Stephen Ames, Ronnie Black and Mark Carnevale. Peter Jacobsen was alone
another stroke back, followed by Mike Weir and Deane Pappas at 278.
The field was forced to play the final two rounds today because rain from Hurricane
Floyd had postponed Thursday's opening round. Fog delayed the start of play for
45 minutes Saturday, making for a long day that Funk struggled to survive.
Funk, who began the day
with a five-shot lead over Faxon and Sabbatini, slowly watched it dwindle as the
day wore on.
Clinging
to a one-stroke lead over Sabbatini, Funk's second shot on the 432-yard par-4
15th hit about 15 feet on to the sloping green, tore up a big ball mark, and spun
back down into a giant water hazard. Funk had to settle for a bogey while Faxon
and Sabbatini had pars.
Faxon then forged a three-way tie for the lead when his second shot on the par-4
16th landed within a foot and he easily tapped in for birdie.
Funk, who shot an 11-under 61 to surge to the top of the leaderboard after Saturday's
second round, couldn't come close to duplicating the best round of his 15 years
on tour.
Funk had
his troubles in the third round on the way to a 70. He landed in three sand traps
on his way around the En-Joie Golf Club course and had two bogeys to go with four
birdies.
Sabbatini
shot an impressive 68 in the third round despite some erratic play. The highlight
of his round was a terrific eagle on the 545-yard par-5 12th. He also had six
birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey.
"Rory's
fun to watch because he's just guns and roses," Funk said. "Sling it and find
it, hit it as hard as you can and find it again."
Funk's lead quickly dipped to one shot early in the fourth round when he bogeyed
No. 3 and Sabbatini made his second straight birdie.
But Funk made a 12-foot putt for birdie on No. 4, and when Sabbatini three-putted
from 45 feet, the lead was back to three strokes.
Faxon also shot a 70 in the third round to remain five shots off the lead. And
when he began the final round with a string of three birdies, he was back in contention.
He could only lament two other putts that lipped the cup and stayed out over the
first six holes.
"I
never felt like I was actually contending until the 16th hole," Faxon said. "I
was hanging in there, but I was always two shots or three shots (back)."
Phil Mickelson, Tom Lehman
and Steve Pate, three members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, entered the BC Open
as a final tuneup for the international competition, which begins Friday in Brookline,
Mass. Only Mickelson made the cut, however, and he did barely with an even-par
144. He shot a 1-under 71 in the third round and a final-round 64 to finish at
279.
