Outside the Beltway

Fred Funk Wears Skirt at Skins Game

James Joyner · Sunday, November 27, 2005 · 1 comment

Fred Funk lost a bet at the Skins Game and played the third hold while wearing a pink skirt.

Funk Doesn’t Skirt Issue at Skins Game (AP)

In a Skins Game first, Fred Funk played a hole worth $75,000 while wearing a pink flowered skirt, his penalty for being outdriven by Annika Sorenstam. But the 49-year-old Funk got the last laugh on a silly Saturday in the desert, rolling in a 15-foot eagle putt from the fringe on No. 9 to win $225,000 and six skins.

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Woods ignited a battle of the sexes by ribbing Funk that he’d never hear the end of it if Sorenstam outdrove him even once during the Skins Game, which is sponsored by Merrill Lynch. After coming close on the first two holes, Sorenstam outdrove Funk by seven yards on the third hole. Funk had agreed beforehand to wear the skirt for the entire hole if Sorenstam outdrove him. He just didn’t imagine having to wear it so early.

Because of the angle, Funk’s ball technically was closer to the hole. But Sorenstam’s ball had sailed 278 yards off the tee and Funk’s 271 yards. Sorenstam pulled the skirt out of her bag and Funk, known for his short but straight tee shots, gamely pulled it on over his pants before hitting his approach shot into the rough. Sorenstam signed the skirt while Funk was still wearing it.

While squatting down to line up his putt, Funk asked Woods, “What do you think?” Woods’ sidesplitting response was much more suited for the locker room than national TV.

Funk’s birdie putt missed to the right and Woods made a short putt to win $75,000 and three skins. As he walked off the green, still laughing, Woods said: “I don’t think anybody will remember me winning skins here.”

I suspect not.

Of course, the point of the exercise in teeing off isn’t to hit the ball the farthest but to leave onesself the best second shot. If Funk’s ball was closer to the hole, I’m not sure in what sense he was outdriven.