SWING TIME Left: Hale Irwin. Right: Andy Bean with a Junior Pro-Am partner.
The superstar reunion, a one-time-only happening, was among a bevy of reasons the Insperity Championship earned The Players Award, as voted by tour players. The event has “the best of everything” for players, sponsors and spectators. “It’s almost a tear-jerker to come back and see all these guys,” Gary Player said, echoing the sentiments of many fans who attended. “We’re on our last lap.” The Insperity Championship isn’t, however. United Healthcare extended its contract as sponsor through 2016. Its run has been exemplary. Each year for the past five years, the tournament has donated $500,000 to various charities. And it is about as fan-friendly as it gets. Admission and parking for spectators is free, believe it or not. The event also has an air of history. The Woodlands course was home to the PGA Tour’s Houston Open from 1975 through 2002 and featured winners such as Gary Player, Lee Elder, Curtis Strange (three times), Raymond Floyd and Payne Stewart. In fact, Fred Funk bridged a generational gap with his victory. As the 1992 Shell Houston Open champion, he became the first player to win PGA Tour and Champions Tour titles at the same course since Tom Watson won the 1980 British open and 2007 Senior British Open at Muirfield.
WE DIDN’T MAKE IT TOO SERIOUS,” ARNOLD PALMER SAID, “BUT WE DIDN’T WANT TO COME IN SECOND, EITHER.”
Better still, as the 2005 Players champion, Fred did it in style. “One of the best shots I’ve ever hit,” he said proudly. “My putt to win The Players was good, but it was a putt. It wasn’t a 5-iron over water.” Another bonus: He did it with his 16-yearold son, Taylor, on his bag. Still, that ranks as only Fred Funk’s second biggest moment at The Woodlands. The first happened shortly after he won the ’92 Houston Open. He was introduced to a woman behind the practice range. Her name was Sharon Archer, and it took him a year to ask her out. They married a year later. Two decades later, Fred, Sharon, Taylor and daughter, Perri, celebrated together. Another year, another storybook ending at the Insperity. •
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IN PLAY, SPRING 2013