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| He wasn't saying Saturday, but a Senior Open victory for Greg Norman would mean plenty. (Fred Vuich/USGA) |
By Dave Shedloski
Carmel, Ind. – For the men in Sunday’s final pairing in the 30th U.S. Senior Open, there will be no moral victories. It’s a zero sum game.
Golf is mostly like that, though, especially for the more accomplished players. Some might feel good about a top-10 finish or the being an also-ran who seldom found his stride. Second doesn’t always spell defeat.
But nothing less than victory will be good enough for Greg Norman and Fred Funk when they tee off at 1:50 p.m. EDT today at Crooked Stick Golf Club. It’s not that this will be their last chance to win this championship, or other senior majors, or other tournaments, but both men have to be feeling considerable urgency.
Norman, 54, the Great White Shark, competes only sporadically now, having won two British Opens among tournaments the world over and once holding down the No. 1 world ranking for 331 straight weeks. He has too many other interests to be chasing Champions Tour titles, but the senior majors still get his blood flowing.
Asked what victory would mean for such an accomplished player who has had too many near misses in majors to account for, Norman replied with a smile, “I'll answer that question [Sunday] if it happens.”
Translation: “Plenty, or I wouldn’t be here.”
Funk, 53, didn’t blossom until late in his career, waiting until 48 to win the PGA Tour’s richest event, The Players, and becoming the second man older than 50, after Craig Stadler, to win a Tour event with his triumph at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He’s already won a senior major, but no one will confuse the JELD-WEN Tradition with the national championship for players older than 50 when it comes to significance.
Funk knows that. He showed up at The Broadmoor last year a week early to prepare, and led after the first two rounds before finishing second to Eduardo Romero.
On top of all that, Funk is playing on borrowed time, his right knee such a jangled mess that he’s resigned himself to the fact that it will need replacing, perhaps before year’s end.
It’s a momentous proposition for both, and yet, that’s not all there is to it. Each is shouldering disappointment from last week’s Senior British Open. Norman held the 54-hole lead at Sunningdale Golf Club, but couldn’t putt it into the Thames if he were standing on the bank and ended up sixth. Funk finished first but didn’t win. He tied Mark McNulty and eventual winner Loren Roberts at the end of regulation only to fall short in a playoff.
“I'm just trying to just really enjoy myself, really let it go,” said Funk after his 4-under-par 68 and 13-under 203 total Saturday gave him a one-stroke lead over Norman and Joey Sindelar. “I was very disappointed when it was all over last week, but at the same time, I knew I played well on Sunday. I just didn't make a couple key putts when I needed to. And I hit good putts, so I could still live with myself the way I played.”
That both men have put themselves back in position one week after having their hopes go askew abroad is a testament to their pluck and resolve, not to mention their stamina and skills. No one could confuse Sunningdale with Crooked Stick – or England with Indiana. The travel and time change have only added to the challenges this week.
“Last week seems like three months ago, to tell you the truth,” said Norman. “It's hard to believe that we were outside London on last Saturday night. But it goes to show you, if you keep playing well week in, week out, you're going to give yourself an opportunity to win a golf tournament, and that's what we're both trying to do and everybody is trying to do.
“What happened a week ago is long gone.”
Maybe, but it’s still fresh enough to wear on minds and older bodies.
“Well, it's tough,” said Funk of the time change and the wear of being in the hunt again. “The only thing I’m surprised about is … I really felt going into Thursday I wasn't quite prepared for the first round, yet. I didn’t feel I knew the golf course that well. I was too tired to take the time to practice the way I wanted to.”
The game plan for both men is simple.
“Keep hitting it to where I’m hitting,” said Norman with a shrug. “I’m driving the ball long and straight, and Freddy made the comment that I’m driving the ball like I used to do it. So it’s a good feeling when you get up on any tee and hit it the way you feel like you can hit it.”
Added Funk, who three times has finished second this year and has yet to add to his four Champions Tour titles: “I just don't want to play defensive. There is nothing to protect. There are good rounds out there, obviously … guys shooting 68s and 69s and lower. There are low rounds out there, and you can’t control that. So you just got to go out there and play your game, and that's the biggest focus.”
Complicating the situation is that each man understands what a win would mean to the other, and they genuinely like each other. Their game Saturday playing in the penultimate group was an enjoyable walk unspoiled.
“We both spurred each other on,” Norman said. “And if I play well, he plays well. And it's always very comfortable to play with somebody you like playing with.”
Sunday is shaping up as a day of redemption and disappointment. It’s not that Norman and Funk are the only two who can win – there are 12 players within seven shots of the lead. But there’s only one winner. It’s a zero sum game.
If Norman or Funk should win, their satisfaction would be rightly immense. Yes, one man could walk away feeling awfully good. Wouldn’t be surprising if the same man felt a little bad, too.
Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.ussenioropen.com.
