
DATE: Monday, October 13, 1997              TAG: 9710150783

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   26 lines

THE MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP

ILLUSTRATION: Photos

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

ABOVE: Fred Funk showed plenty of heart on Sunday, but still missed

the playoff by two strokes. RIGHT: Funk also played a dual role,

holding the flag as playing partner Kirk Triplett tapped in a short

birdie putt on the ninth hole. Triplett finished four strokes behind

the leaders.

NHAT MEYER/The Virginian-Pilot

Defending champion Scott Hoch made a strong bid to repeat. His

closing 69 left him at 10 under par and three shots behind the

leaders.

The James River provided a scenic backdrop for fans walking from the

18th tee to the 18th green on Sunday. A total of 34,617 showed up

for the final round, the second straight single-day record. A total

of 142,678 turned out for the four days, breaking the record of

114,179, set in 1990.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu

by CNB