Funk tops Coceres in playoff to claim Mayakoba Golf Classic
 
Feb. 25, 2007

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico (AP) -- Fred Funk won one for the old guys Sunday.

Fred Funk
Fred Funk is only the second player to win on the PGA TOUR after winning on the Champions Tour. (Mike Ehrmann/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
FRED FUNK'S CAREER VICTORIES
Year Event (Tour)
2007 Mayakoba Classic (P)
2007 Turtle Bay Championship (C)
2006 AT&T Championship (C)
2005 Players Championship (P)
2004 Southern Farm Bureau Classic (P)
1998 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic (P)
1996 B.C. Open (P)
1995 Buick Challenge (P)
1995 Ideon Classic (P)
1992 Shell Houston Open (P)

Playing with an achy back befitting his senior status, Funk won the Mayakoba Golf Classic on the second hole of a playoff with Jose Coceres to became only the second man to win a PGA TOUR event after winning on the Champions Tour.

"I think I validated how good the players are on the Champions Tour," Funk said. "Even though you are 50 or 51 through 55 ... age doesn't really mean anything. I just want to see how long I can last."

Funk led the tournament -- the PGA TOUR's first in Mexico -- since setting the course record with an 8-under 62 Thursday. He never gave it up, but was tied several times, including from the 14th hole Sunday until sinking the birdie putt in the playoff.

The former University of Maryland coach closed with a 1-over 71 to match Coceres (69) at 14-under 266 on the Greg Noman-designed El Camaleon course. Funk earned $630,000 for his eighth PGA TOUR victory.

Craig Stadler became the first Champions Tour winner to win a PGA TOUR event when he followed his 2003 Ford Senior Players win with a victory the following week in the B.C. Open, played opposite the British Open. Funk has won twice on the Champions Tour, including the Turtle Bay Championship in Hawaii last month.

Funk one-upped Stadler in another way: At 50 years, 8 months and 12 days old, he jumped ahead of The Walrus as the fifth-oldest PGA TOUR winner. All four guys ahead of him pulled off their feats in 1975 or earlier, emphasizing the rarity of someone his age topping fields that include foes old enough to be their kids.

In fact, Stadler's son, Kevin, was in this field.

The only downer to Funk's feat is that he didn't beat the PGA TOUR's elite: The world's top 64 players were in Arizona for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.