Couples in the hunt, adds to Masters legacy
AUGUSTA -- More than any other sport, golf allows for its players to turn back time and take their fans along with them on a magical ride down memory lane.
Fred Couples has made a habit out of doing just that at Augusta National Golf Club, and he came up with another stirring chapter Friday in his long, dramatic story line at the Masters.
Couples came up with a 4-under-par 68 in the second round, stretching out his troubling bad back along the way and playing to standing ovations all over the course. The 1992 winner, who has long been a fan favorite here because of his easy-going and affable personality, is at 5 under for the tournament.
He is two more magical rounds from possibly breaking Jack Nicklaus’ remarkable win in 1986 at the age of 46. But Couples had a clear answer for what a win on Sunday would mean to him.
“Retiring, is what it would be,” he said, eliciting laughter in the press room. “I would be gone. You know, it would be the biggest upset in golf history. So, sure ... are you kidding?”
That brought about more laughter. But Couples’ game, even at the age of 51, is no laughing matter, and he has been at his best throughout his career at Augusta National.
In addition to his win almost 20 years ago, Couples has 11 top-10 finishes in 26 Masters appearances, and from 1983-2007, he made the cut in all of his 23 appearances. Last year, he led after the first round and was in the top 10 at the end of each day before finishing sixth.
“I think that just I’ve played so many times,” Couples said of why he plays so well in this tournament. “The course sets up very well. I still have a lot of length. But I know the course more than most people, and it helps.”
That experience does help on this course, and the numbers back that up. Couples has played 22 rounds in the 60s in his career at Augusta National, and he has 48 rounds under par.
And he prefers to point to his experience as an advantage instead of talking about the disadvantage of his age.
“I just think the odds are against a 22-year-old winning. I mean, I’m not being smart, but a 22-year-old that comes out here, there might be two of them,” Couples said when asked if the odds are against an older player winning. “You know, in the whole many years I’ve been playing, there have been some phenomenal rounds. But to do all of this for four rounds is a huge feat. I just hit the ball fairly long, so it gives me an advantage.
“But like someone said, Ray Floyd ... I don’t know how old he was when I beat him in ’92. I’m not smart enough to figure out how old he would have been.”
Still, Couples’ back has long been a problem, and he could be see stretching his back throughout the round in between shots and walking gingerly across Augusta National’s difficult layout.
“Well, I feel good enough to play,” he said. “I’m swinging. Since October, it’s been pretty much a toothache, which is un-normal for me. It hasn’t changed much. But I feel loose. It’s just every now and then, you know, some of these shots I hit (Friday) with these downhill lies, on No. 7 and 9 and 10. I have to be honest, when I make contact and looked where they were going, it was a big smile, because those were the three best shots hit all day and that’s the biggest problem, is when I have a downhill lie.
“That’s what I have to do. Those are why the rounds keep going. I would like to say it’s easy to hit these shots, but again, I got it around for two days. I made a few birdies (Friday), which I didn’t (Thursday). And I’m in a great spot to come out (Saturday). I’ll have no problem playing Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s just very awkward to play golf when it’s more painful. I’ve had a bad back for a long time, but the pain is not a whole lot of fun.”
But it has to be plenty of fun for Couples to play the way he did Friday, and the patrons at Augusta National certainly did enjoy the ride.
Contact Daniel Shirley at 744-4227 or dshirley@macon.com
This story was originally published April 9, 2011 at 12:00 AM.