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CNN Saturday Morning News

Fred Funk Leads PGA Championship

Aired August 17, 2002 - 08:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: OK, it's time to be quiet. We're going to the PGA.
Larry Smith is on the 18th green -- Larry?

LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, you don't have to whisper here because of the weather. It's very windy. You have to yell today. But it's good to see you here this morning from suburban Minneapolis, where weather continues to dominate.

Welcome to British Open West, in fact. The weather that the golfers thought they left over in Scotland last month has kind of followed them here. Lightning strikes, yesterday made, halted play early in the second round and as you see, the fans were leaving early, as were the golfers.

The storms continued well into the night. It will be very brisk today, gusts of winds up to 45 miles per hour, so sales of windbreakers and parkas will be pretty brisk here, as well, here in the Twin Cities.

Those storms again continued well into the night. Workers working overnight to get the standing water off the course and get the play ready.

Fred Funk, by the way, is your leader. He is at seven under par when play resumes about an hour and a half from now. Funk at seven under par and very excited about the chances of getting his first career major.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED FUNK, PRO GOLFER: It was exciting. I was just kind of, I was playing a lot better to your green than I was yesterday. And I felt like I could really get things going and I was. And I was really enjoying the moment. And I wanted to relish the fact that I was, I was conscious of the fact that I was in the lead of the PGA into the second round and I wanted to keep it going. I had the momentum going. I wasn't scared of the atmosphere I was in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, 41 golfers, including Fred Funk, will begin play here about 10:15 Eastern time here at Hazeltine. And again, the weather always an issue. A high of only 68 today. No storms in the forecast, but as a good thing, keep in mind at the 1991 U.S. Open here a spectacular was killed when hit by lightning.

Tiger Woods, by the way, is also still on the course, a couple of holes to play. He is at three under par. A twosome that will be fun to watch when play does resume, Paul Azier (ph) and Bob Tway (ph), two former PGA champions. Each must birdie 18 if they have a shot at making the cut and continuing play when round three begins later on today here at the PGA championships.

Lets go back to you, guys.

O'BRIEN: All right, Lawrence Woods, good to see you.

SMITH: Good to see you.

O'BRIEN: Since you're on the going forward course I thought I'd give you a little more, you know, formality. You wear it well.

SMITH: Yes. Well, usually -- well, the way I play, whispering is the last of our problems.

O'BRIEN: All right, Larry Woods, Larry Mulligan Woods, not -- Larry Smith.

SMITH: Smith, yes. It all works.

O'BRIEN: Larry, how many times have I done that now to you?

SMITH: Too many to count over the years.

O'BRIEN: Is that six? That could be six times, yes.

SMITH: At least.

O'BRIEN: Anyway.

SMITH: Yes. That's the over-under, anyway.

O'BRIEN: I do have to go. The producers are screaming in my ear and I apologize for that.

SMITH: OK.

O'BRIEN: Larry Mulligan Smith.

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