Rod Funseth
American professional golfer (1933–1985) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Rodney Funseth (April 3, 1933 – September 9, 1985) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions).[4][5]
Rod Funseth | |
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Personal information | |
Full name | James Rodney Funseth |
Born | Spokane, Washington | April 3, 1933
Died | September 9, 1985 52) (aged Napa, California |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
Sporting nationality | ![]() |
Spouse | Sandi (Hawkins) Funseth[1] (m. 1965–1985, his death) |
Children | 1 son, 1 daughter |
Career | |
College | University of Idaho (briefly attended)[2][3] |
Turned professional | 1956 |
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour (1962–79) Senior PGA Tour (1983–84) |
Professional wins | 9 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 3 |
PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
Other | 5 |
Best results in major championships | |
Masters Tournament | T2: 1978 |
PGA Championship | T8: 1965 |
U.S. Open | T10: 1977 |
The Open Championship | DNP |
Amiable and low-key but less than confident,[6] Funseth was one of longest hitters and fastest players of his era,[2][5] but better known for a pessimistic attitude toward his game,[7][8] He claimed that his "I'll never be able to make that shot" mental attitude of lowered expectations helped motivate him to play better. He was especially self-deprecating on his lack of putting prowess.[9][10]
Early years
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Born and raised in Spokane, Washington,[11] Funseth's father was a men's clothing store operator and salesman, born in Sweden.[2][12] Rod competed with his older brother Carl for city junior titles[13] and graduated from North Central High School in 1951.[14] Funseth briefly attended the University of Idaho in Moscow[3][15] to study civil engineering, but did not graduate.[16] He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.[17]
Funseth returned to Spokane after a semester and worked in various jobs in Washington while competing as an amateur.[18] One of these brief jobs was as a civilian draftsman at the Bremerton Navy Yard, west of Seattle.[2] He won the British Columbia Amateur in 1956 and turned pro that fall, first in Palm Springs, California.[19] In 1959, Funseth became an assistant pro under Masters champion Claude Harmon back east at Winged Foot,[20] north of New York City and later at Thunderbird in Palm Springs.[21] Funseth entered a handful of tour events in 1962, and received sponsorship of $800 per month from Spokane's Athletic Round Table (ART) in 1963 to allow him to play full-time. He played out of Esmeralda, a municipal course in east Spokane built in the mid-1950s. It was initially funded by ART (land and clubhouse) and was named for the group's mascot, a grinning cartoon mare.[21][22] Funseth had the smiling horse insignia on his tour bag for several years, which invited frequent inquisitions.[23] Keeping meticulous records of all his earnings, he reimbursed the ART to the last dollar.[24][25]
PGA Tour
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Funseth played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1963 through 1979 and won three tour events. The first was the Phoenix Open Invitational in 1965 at the Arizona Country Club, which came a week after losing a final round lead at the Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs.[26] Funseth's second win came eight years later at the Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, the season-opener in 1973 at Riviera.[27] His final PGA Tour win came at age 45 in 1978 at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open,[11] which paid for his horse barn.[28][29]
His best finish in a major championship was just months earlier, a tie for second at the Masters, one stroke behind Gary Player.[30] Funseth was in the last pairing on Sunday and had a three-under 69, but Player carded a record-tying 64 (−8) for his third green jacket.[31][32] Funseth birdied the par-5 15th hole, but parred the last three, with a putt left on the lip at the 16th and another narrowly missing on the final hole to force a playoff.[33]
Funseth was known on tour as an avid fisherman,[3][15] a passion shared by Johnny Miller,[34] his next-door neighbor in Napa,[1] and Jack Nicklaus.[23] The three played in an exhibition golf match in Spokane in 1975,[35] a rarity for Nicklaus at the time.[36]
Senior Tour
Funseth became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour after reaching age 50 in April 1983. He had a great deal of immediate success, winning the unofficial Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (team event with Roberto De Vicenzo) in early May,[37] and a nine-stroke victory at his tour debut at the Hall of Fame Tournament three weeks later in North Carolina at Pinehurst No. 2.[6][38] Funseth also finished second to Billy Casper in a sudden-death playoff at the U.S. Senior Open in July.[39]
Cancer
His career on the over-50 tour was cut short by terminal cancer, attributed to exposure to asbestos at the navy yard in Bremerton in his late teens.[11][40] Told by physicians in January 1984 that he had four months to live, Funseth continued to play well on tour,[41] and returned to defend his team title at the Liberty Mutual Legends in late April.[42] He competed in 17 events in 1984, with three runner-up finishes and nine in the top-10, despite losing weight and strength. Funseth won a match play event in October in Maine, besting Bob Toski 2-up in the final for a winner's share of $30,000. Although a non-tour event, it included most of the top senior players of the day.[43][44]
Death
Funseth's condition declined in 1985 as his body weight was reduced to 100 lb (45 kg) by September and his breathing assisted with oxygen.[25] He died at age 52 at his home in Napa, California, beside the 12th hole of the Silverado Country Club,[4] next door to friend Johnny Miller.[1] In 1999, he was inducted posthumously into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.[45]
Personal
Funseth was survived by his wife Sandi (née Hawkins), a former competitive water skier from Redwood City,[1] and their two children, Lisa and Mark, in their late teens.[7][11] He met Sandi during the rainy Crosby event at Pebble Beach in January 1965, when she was a spectator in a long leg cast (from a snow skiing accident) and had been offered shelter in a tournament tent;[2] they were married later that year.
Professional wins (8)
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PGA Tour wins (3)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
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1 | Feb 14, 1965 | Phoenix Open Invitational | 71-68-68-67=274 | −14 | 3 strokes | ![]() |
2 | Jan 7, 1973 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | 73-69-65-69=276 | −8 | 2 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
3 | Jul 30, 1978 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | 65-67-68-64=264 | −20 | 6 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1971 | Greater Greensboro Open | ![]() ![]() |
Allin won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (3)
- 1964 Northwest Open
- 1973 Confidence Open
- 1977 Spalding Invitational
Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | May 22, 1983 | Hall of Fame Tournament | 66-67-65=198 | −18 | 9 strokes | ![]() |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1983 | U.S. Senior Open | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Casper: +4 (75), Funseth: +4 (75) |
Other senior wins (2)
- 1983 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Roberto De Vicenzo)
- 1984 Unionmutual Seniors Golf Classic (match play)
References
External links
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