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Rod Funseth

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Rod Funseth
Personal information
Full nameJames Rodney Funseth
Born(1933-04-03)April 3, 1933
Spokane, Washington
DiedSeptember 9, 1985(1985-09-09) (aged 52)
Napa, California
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Idaho
(briefly attended)[1][2]
Turned professional1956
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins8
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
PGA Tour Champions1
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT2: 1978
PGA ChampionshipT8: 1965
U.S. OpenT10: 1977
The Open ChampionshipDNP

James Rodney "Rod" Funseth (April 3, 1933 – September 9, 1985) was an American professional golfer who played on both the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour).

Funseth was known for being one of the game's long hitters in his time and for having a pessimistic attitude toward the game.[3][4] He claimed that his "I'll never be able to make that shot" mental attitude of lowered expectations helped motivate him to play better.[1][5][6]

Early years

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington,[7] Funseth's father was a men's clothing store operator, born in Sweden.[1] Rod competed with his older brother Carl for city junior titles[1][8] and graduated from North Central High School in 1951.[9] Funseth briefly attended the University of Idaho in Moscow[2][10] to study civil engineering, but did not graduate.[1][11] He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.[12]

PGA Tour

Funseth played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1963–1979 and won three tournaments during this period. The first event he won was the 1965 Phoenix Open Invitational. His second win came at the 1973 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open. His final Tour win came in 1978 at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open,[7] which paid for his horse barn.[13] Funseth's best finish in a major championship was T2 at the 1978 Masters, one stroke behind Gary Player.[14] Funseth shot a final round 69, but Player carded a 64.

Senior Tour

Funseth became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour after reaching his 50th birthday in April 1983. He had a great deal of success his first year on the Senior Tour winning the Hall of Fame Tournament, the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Roberto De Vicenzo), and finishing second to Billy Casper in a playoff at the U.S. Senior Open; however, this phase of his career would be cut short by terminal cancer, attributed to exposure to asbestos in his late teens.[7][15]

Funseth died at the age of 52 at his home beside the 12th hole of the Silverado Country Club in Napa, California. He was survived by his wife Sandi and their two children, Lisa and Mark.[3][7] In 1999, he was inducted posthumously into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.[16]

Professional wins (8)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Feb 14, 1965 Phoenix Open Invitational 71-68-68-67=274 −14 3 strokes United States Bert Yancey
2 Jan 7, 1973 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open 73-69-65-69=276 −8 2 strokes United States Don Bies, Australia David Graham, United States Tom Weiskopf
3 Jul 30, 1978 Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open 65-67-68-64=264 −20 6 strokes United States Dale Douglass, United States Lee Elder, United States Billy Kratzert

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1971 Greater Greensboro Open United States Buddy Allin, United States Dave Eichelberger Allin won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (3)

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 United States Charlie Sifford

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1983 U.S. Senior Open United States Billy Casper Lost to birdie on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff (Casper:75, Funseth:75)

Other senior wins (1)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bingham, Walter (June 12, 1978). "Look For The Man Early, Not Late". Sports Illustrated. p. 51. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Barrows, Bob (August 22, 1975). "Funseth recalls steelhead fishing". Lewiston Morning Tribune. p. 1B. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Funseth loses battle with cancer". Spokesman-Review. September 10, 1985. p. B1. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  4. ^ "It's Rod Funseth in a breeze". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. January 8, 1973. p. 8.
  5. ^ McKenzie, Mike (April 10, 1977). "Rod's clods". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 2B.
  6. ^ "Johnny Miller Talks Golf". Golf Digest. October 2005. Archived from the original on November 1, 2006.
  7. ^ a b c d "Rod Funseth, 52, Pro Golfer Earned More Than $600,000". The New York Times. September 11, 1985. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  8. ^ "Carl Funseth trims brother Rodney, 5 and 4, for city junior title". Spokesman-Review. August 16, 1948. p. 9. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  9. ^ "Rod Funseth, 1951". North Central High School Alumni Association. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  10. ^ "Sports celebrities tackle LCC". Lewiston Morning Tribune. August 23, 1975. p. 1B. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  11. ^ Ashlock, Herb (July 16, 1954). "From the Bench". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 13. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  12. ^ "Sigma Alpha Epsilon". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1952. p. 284. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "Win by Funseth pays for barn". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. July 31, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  14. ^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  15. ^ Blanchette, John (September 11, 1985). "Rod breathed life into golf". Spokane Chronicle. p. C4. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  16. ^ "State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame: Golf". Retrieved January 7, 2013.

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