Funk rallies for lead

He leads the Buick Championship by one over Tom Byrum and Corey Pavin.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CROMWELL, Conn. -- Fred Funk needed a late rally on a sticky, steamy Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Buick Championship.
With 20 players within four strokes of the lead, the 48-year-old Ryder Cup rookie will have to hold off a gang of players Sunday to pick up his first win in six years.
"It was a pretty good struggle out there today," Funk said.
The second-round co-leader, Funk shot a 1-under 69 and is 9 under for the tournament. He was just ahead of Tom Byrum and first-round leader Corey Pavin. Joey Sindelar and Hunter Mahan were two strokes back and nine others, including Skip Kendall and Hank Kuehne are at 6-under after three rounds.
Shade was hard to come by at the TPC at River Highlands and, in the muggy conditions, games began to wilt, including Funk's. He and rookie Zach Johnson began the day at 8 under, but after starting out with two straight birdies, Funk lost the lead at the turn when he bogeyed three of the last four holes on the front.
Johnson dropped quickly with a bogey and double bogey in the first four holes and finished with a 73.
Early move
Byrum made his move early with four birdies through 11. With Funk struggling, Byrum grabbed a one-stroke lead with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 10 and followed up with his fourth birdie of the day to improve to 9-under. His troubles started, however, just as Funk was picking up his pace.
Byrum, whose only tour win was the 1989 Kemper Open, bogeyed two of the last five holes, including No. 17, the signature water hole and finished with 67.
Funk righted himself on the back nine with three birdies. He regained the lead for good with a 7-foot birdie putt on No. 17.
Pavin also regained his touch after a rocky start on Saturday. He salvaged the front nine with three birdies after making consecutive bogeys on the third and fourth holes. Pavin has been comfortable at River Highlands this week. He shot a 62 in the first round to tie his career-low.
Pavin rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to close out the round and finish with a 68.
LPGA
KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Grace Park proved she's healthy with an eagle-birdie-birdie finish.
Park surged into the lead at the Wachovia LPGA Classic, shooting a 7-under-par 65 for a two-stroke advantage over Jill McGill through three rounds.
Park's 17-under 199 total is a 54-hole record for the event, two strokes better than Michelle Ellis' 201 in 2002.
McGill, the second-round leader, had a 2-under 70, and Soo-Yun Kang (68) is another shot back at 201. Laura Diaz (67) is three strokes off the pace, and Nancy Scranton (67) and Lorena Ochoa (69) are at 204.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.