BARON SEKIYA / WEST HAWAII TODAY Fred Funk rallied from four strokes down yesterday.

He’s got the Funk

KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii » Fred Funk didn't let a four-shot disadvantage to Allen Doyle bother him during yesterday's final round of the opening event on the Champions Tour. Miss two putts inside of 5 feet for birdie on the back nine? Not a problem. Chip one in from 20 feet at the 17th to win the $1.8 million MasterCard Championship. Priceless.

Funk's final-round 65 left him at 21-under 195 for the 54-hole event, two shots clear of Allen Doyle, who closed with a 68. Doyle didn't give it away, Funk took it from him with a 31 on the back that handed the 51-year-old his third senior event in only 14 tries.

He earned $300,000 for the victory at the wind-swept Hualalai golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Paired together in the final twosome, it was pretty much just Funk and Doyle for most of the day.

Bernhard Langer birdied the last three holes to shoot a 7-under 65 to finish at 17-under 199, four shots off the blistering pace.

"I had a lot of fun out there," Funk said. "I won by 11 last year at Turtle Bay, but this finish was a lot more exciting."

BARON SEKIYA / WEST HAWAII TODAY Fred Funk's earnings in three Hawaii tournaments this year is $485,571 and some change.

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KAUPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii » Fred Funk has a goal of making $2 million on both the PGA and Champions tours. He's off to a good start.

Despite falling behind by as many as four shots on the front nine, missing two birdie putts that totaled less than 10 feet on the back and hitting his drive at the 18th in the bunker, the 51-year-old rallied to beat the ageless Allen Doyle by two shots.

His first win at the $1.8 million MasterCard Championship earned him $300,000 that will fit nicely in his wallet with the $185,571.43 he made in his first two golf events on the PGA. His final-round 7-under 65 included a chip-in from 20 feet on the fringe for birdie at the 17th. Funk then hit his approach out of the bunker at the 18th from 155 yards to within 7 feet for a closing birdie to shoot 21-under 195 for the tournament.

"Right now my mind is in a good place," Funk said. "I'm really having fun, regardless. I'm trying to have an outlet to just go out there and have fun. That's what really turned it around and kept me in the game today. If I don't win this thing, I'm going to have a ball doing it. And let's just go out there and play."

Doyle was having all the fun early on, but faltered down the stretch. He closed with a final-round 68 -- in conditions where the wind was blowing one direction on the first 12 holes, then abruptly switched -- to finish at 19-under 197. He birdied three of the first four, while Funk played even through five holes that included bogeys at Nos. 2 and 5 that gave Doyle a four-shot lead. He maintained it after both birdied the par-5 seventh, but it proved to be his last stand.

"I didn't give it to Freddie; he had to rip it out of my hands," Doyle said. "He had to pull out all of the stops on the back side, which he did. It's just one of those times where the guy rips it out of your hands. I had a pretty good hold on it. So, what are you going to do?"

Funk almost holed it at the par-3 eighth and followed that birdie with three more through the first four holes on the back nine. Funk and Doyle were suddenly tied at 19 under with five to play. At the par-5 14th, Funk missed a 5-footer for birdie that looked like it would break a little left, but actually went right and lipped out.

He had another good birdie try at the par-4 15th, but missed the 4-footer so badly, it didn't even touch the hole. No problem. Funk chipped it in at the 17th to take a one-shot advantage and then came out of the bunker on the left side of the fairway at the last to within 7 feet to seal the deal.

"We've got to keep these events (in Hawaii), that's what we've got to do," Funk said of the MasterCard that he won this year and the Turtle Bay Championship he won last year. Neither has a sponsor and both being around in 2009 is a long shot.

"Obviously, it feels good to come out on top," Funk said. "Especially the momentum being totally Allen's in the beginning of the day. I made a couple of bogeys and he has a four-shot lead. Then all of a sudden, I got on a little roll. I didn't even realize I shot 31 on the back, and I'm thinking of those two putts, I could have shot 29 on the back.

"It felt really good because my game, all of a sudden, I got into a so-called zone there. I played really good, solid golf."

Despite the disheartening loss, Doyle took it well as he talked about being in contention for the first time in a while. He has now gone 33 events since his last win in 2006 at the U.S. Senior Open. Playing poorly the last third of the 2007 season, Doyle went on a strict diet and exercise program that resulted in a 20-pound weight loss and a gain in confidence that was evident this week.

While Doyle hasn't played competitive golf in 10 weeks, Funk already had two PGA events in his bag. He has had time to work out the kinks, something Doyle struggled with yesterday, particularly after his driver deserted him when he needed it most.

But this day belonged to Funk, who was considered the heavy favorite coming into this winners-only tournament field of 41. He didn't show it the first day, trailing Tom Purtzer by five shots, but his 9-under 63 on Saturday left him one behind Doyle coming into yesterday's closing 18 holes.

"The keys for me were the par putt on nine, the birdie on 10 and the par save at 11," Funk said. "Then I made a nice birdie on 12 and I don't know how that ball (his approach landed 3 inches from the hole) didn't go in on 13; it did everything but go in."

But it was the chip at 17 that gave Funk the lead for good. He was so confident, he decided to take the pin out -- a wise decision, all things considered.

"It was just the right distance that you've got to fly it and let it roll into the hole," Funk said of the 20-footer. "It looked like with the lie I had, yeah, I can make this. I hit it a little too hard, but it was dead on line. Thank goodness I actually asked to get the pin out, because sometimes I leave it in.

"I just figured the wind was blowing so hard, it was leaning against me, so I wanted it out. I think if I hadn't taken the pin out it probably would have bounced off that pin as hard as I hit it. For once I made the right call on that one."