Funk storms up the leaderboard

Fred Funk, one of the US Tour’s shortest hitters, has stormed up the leaderboard with an eight-under-par second round at the WGC-NEC Invitational at Akron, Ohio.

He played the first 15 holes of his second round at Firestone in a brilliant eight under par and moved into joint first place with overnight leaders Ben Curtis and Sergio Garcia.

Funk sank a 120-yard pitch for an eagle two on the first, birdied the long second and then picked up further shots at the eighth and ninth to turn in a five-under 30. Not content with that, he started for home with two more birdies.

Fellow American Peter Jacobsen, a recent winner on the US Tour at 49, underlined that golf is not just a young man’s game by posting a six-under 64 for a halfway total of 137, three under.

Meanwhile Padraig Harrington failed to build on a 40-foot eagle putt at the second and was one over for the day and four over for the tournament.