Fred Funk: Hero to the everyday golfer?

Fred Funk doesn't hit the ball very far. In fact, a lot of weekend hackers could and do hit it as far as "Fairway" Freddie. Gosh, I average 275 or more off the tee and would blow it by Funk. Of course, I don't hit 90% of my fairways. Something to aim for, I guess.
While some have suggested Funk's win at the Players on Monday was a dull slog around a wet course, I can see why he appeals to a lot of golfers. After all, he's a lot like them. He doesn't hit it far, he's faced with hitting 4-irons into a lot of greens and he looks like he might have a beer or two after the round.
He also proved that the shortest hitter in the game can compete and beat the longest. Where was Ernie Els, Vijay "The Big Bore" Singh, Phil Mickelson and some guy named Tiger at the end of the Players? Way down the leaderboard, that's where.

Anyway, Art Spandler on Golfobserver.com has a neat column on Funk that you can read here.

There's also an interesting piece in the Boston Globe about Brad Faxon's attempt to qualify for the British Open. It is worth a read. Apparently Faxon hasn't made it into any majors this year, so he's flying to the UK to qualify.