Couples has another strong Masters finish

After a year away from the Masters, Fred Couples returned to his normal routine of playing well at Augusta National Golf Club.

Couples, the 1992 Masters winner, shot a final-round 72 to end the tournament at 1 over. Playing in the Masters for the 32nd time, Couples made the cut for the 29th time and earned his 20th top-25 finish.

“I was hoping to stay under par, and I had a great shot at it,” Couples said.

Couples started the day with birdies on the first two holes and another on the fourth (with a bogey on No. 3). But on the back nine, he had three bogeys and no birdies.

“It was a good start, and I actually thought I hit a really good shot on 3, and I watched it, and I hit it halfway up the bank, which was shocking,” Couples said. “But then I had an unbelievable birdie on 4. So I got it going, and the back nine is just really a hard nine. I don't play 13 and 15 particularly well. Everyone thinks you should birdie them. And I three-putted 16 four straight days in a row, and maybe one of them was a tough putt. The other ones I've had every year. So that's kind of hard to swallow, four bogeys there, and you're on the green.

“Other than that I had a good time.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Couples has another strong Masters finish."