Rod Funseth
| Rod Funseth | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | James Rodney Funseth |
| Born |
April 3, 1933 Spokane, Washington |
| Died |
September 9, 1985 (aged 52) Napa, California |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Spouse | Sandi (Hawkins) Funseth (m. 1965–1985, his death) |
| Children | 1 son, 1 daughter |
| Career | |
| College |
University of Idaho (briefly attended) |
| Turned professional | 1956 |
| Retired | 1985 (illness) |
| Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour (1962–79) Senior PGA Tour (1983–84) |
| Professional wins | 9 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | T2: 1978 |
| U.S. Open | T10: 1977 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T8: 1965 |
James Rodney "Rod" Funseth (April 3, 1933 – September 9, 1985) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions).
Amiable and low-key but less than confident, Funseth was one of longest hitters and fastest players of his era, but better known for a pessimistic attitude toward his game, He claimed that his "I'll never be able to make that shot" mental attitude of lowered expectations helped motivate him to play better. He was especially self-deprecating on his lack of putting prowess.
Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Funseth's father was a men's clothing store operator and salesman, born in Sweden. Rod competed with his older brother Carl for city junior titles and graduated from North Central High School in 1951. Funseth briefly attended the University of Idaho in Moscow to study civil engineering, but did not graduate. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.
Funseth returned to Spokane after a semester and worked in various jobs in Washington while competing as an amateur. One of these brief jobs was as a civilian draftsman at the Bremerton Navy Yard, west of Seattle. He won the British Columbia Amateur in 1956 and turned pro that fall, first in Palm Springs, California. In 1959, Funseth became an assistant pro under Masters champion Claude Harmon back east at Winged Foot, north of New York City and later at Thunderbird in Palm Springs. Funseth entered a handful of tour events in 1962, and received sponsorship of $800 per month from Spokane's Athletic Round Table (ART) in 1963 to allow him to play full-time. He played out of Esmeralda, a municipal course in east Spokane built in the mid-1950s. It was initially funded by ART (land and clubhouse) and was named for the group's mascot, a grinning cartoon mare. Funseth had the smiling horse insignia on his tour bag for several years, which invited frequent inquisitions. Keeping meticulous records of all his earnings, he reimbursed the ART to the last dollar.
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