Fred Couples

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Fred Couples on the cover of a 2000 biography by Kathlene Bissell.
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Fred Couples on the cover of a 2000 biography by Kathlene Bissell.

Frederick Stephen Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Because of his long drives (especially when he was a younger player), he was given the nickname "Boom Boom."

Couples was born in Seattle, Washington. He first played golf on Seattle's public golf courses (developing his signature loose, rhythmic swing in order to gain enough distance to keep up with the older kids), he attended O'Dea High School and later the University of Houston, where he roomed with Blaine McCallister (another future PGA Tour player) and CBS television broadcaster Jim Nantz. His first PGA Tour victory came at the 1983 Kemper Open. He has amassed 15 total PGA TOUR victories, including the Players Championship twice and The Masters Tournament in 1992, his only Major Championship victory.

Couples has been named the PGA Tour Player of the Year twice, in 1991 and 1992. He also won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average each of those years. He has been named to the United States Ryder Cup team five times (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997).

In 1992, Couples spent 16 weeks at the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings, after one of the hottest starts to a season by a PGA Tour player ever. Starting with the Nissan Los Angeles Open (where he defeated Davis Love III in a playoff), Fred won two tournaments and finished second in two others (plus broke the course record at the TPC at Sawgrass with a third-round 63 in The Players Championship) in the five weeks leading up to The Masters. At Augusta, Couples carried over his momentum, shooting in the 60s in each of the first three rounds to hold second place heading into Sunday. After a shaky start to his final round that allowed 49-year-old Raymond Floyd to claim the lead, Fred took it back with 18- and 20-foot birdie putts at the 8th and 9th holes, respectively, then saved par on a slick 6-footer at 10. At 12 (perhaps the scariest par-3 in the world), Couples barely cleared Rae's Creek in front of the green, but his ball stuck in the rough instead of rolling backwards into the hazard. Sensing that destiny was on his side, Couples held off Floyd the rest of the way, completing Augusta's treacherous back nine with eight pars and one birdie to win his first Major. The win pushed Fred past the $1 million mark in earnings on the season as well, by far the fastest any player had reached that plateau.

Couples is sometimes called "Mr. Skins" because of his dominance in the Skins Game. He has won the event five times, accumulating US$3,515,000 and 77 skins in 11 appearances. He won five of the Skins Games overall (1995, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004). Because of his dominance at the Skins and other off-season events like the Johnnie Walker World Championship, Couples is also known as the "King of the Silly Season," referring to the exotic made-for-TV events staged in the winter that are better known as the "silly season".

Couples was frequently accused of "choking" in his early career, with mistakes in the 1989 Ryder Cup and the 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek often mentioned. However, he became the first American player to reach the number one position in the World Rankings in 1992. His only major, at The Masters that year, came with a stroke of good fortune at the 12th hole. Hitting an 8-iron, Fred's tee shot landed on the rough at the edge of Rae's Creek; although his ball rolled back towards the water, it incredibly remained on the bank.

Fred is a frequent visitor to Great Britain, and has an excellent record in the Open Championship, where he has finished several times in the top ten. His best places are tied 3rd in 1991 at Royal Birkdale -shooting a last round 64, and tied 3rd in 2005 at St Andrews. He completed his first visit to St Andrews in 1984 on a spectacular high by holing his approach at 18 for an eagle on the final day.

Back problems have, at least in part, truncated Couples' career. His swing features an extreme shoulder turn at the top, which, combined with the fact that he keeps his left foot flat on the ground throughout the backswing, puts a lot of pressure on his lower back. However, with an abbreviated schedule and a little help from swing coach Butch Harmon, Fred is still one of the best players on Tour. In 2003, at age 44, Couples finished 34th on the PGA Tour money list. That year he also won the Shell Houston Open, his first win in five years; Couples wept with joy after the win, but quickly explained the tears: "I'm always emotional when nice things happen to nice people," he quipped.

In April 2006, Couples would again flash some of his old magic at Augusta, making a Sunday run at what would have been his second green jacket before finally bowing out to eventual winner Phil Mickelson, with whom he was paired in the final round. Had Fred won, he would have been the oldest player ever to win the Masters at 46 years, 6 months, and 6 days old -- supplanting Jack Nicklaus, who, coincidentally, won his final Masters 20 years earlier and also at the age of 46. Alas, though, it was not to be for Couples in 2006, but his competitiveness in the tournament was an encouraging sign for his career. "I didn't hit the ball like I was 46," Couples said.

Fred's part in the USA 1993 Dunhill Cup win included victory in all five of his matches, and his overall record reads: played 16, won 12, lost 4. In 2004, Couples won the Dunhill Links Championship Team Event at St Andrews, partnered by New Zealand amateur Craig Heatley.

In 2005 Fred sank a crucial putt in the Presidents Cup, securing an unlikely 1-shot victory over the International team's best player, Vijay Singh. This match proved to be pivotal in the contest. Couples has now played Vijay three times in Presidents Cup match play, and has yet to lose.

Couples enjoys a reputation for being one of the most laid-back, easygoing players on the PGA Tour. His best friend on Tour, Davis Love III, confirms this: "Everybody thinks [Fred's] relaxed on the golf course, but he's more tense on the golf course than anywhere," he says. "He's a relaxed guy."

Fred is an avid gardener. Couples learned gardening from his grandfather, who was a groundskeeper at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Fred is currently dating Kathy Masters, and lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Also, Fred is rare among professional golfers in that he does not wear a glove.

[edit] PGA Tour wins (15)

Major championship is shown in bold.

[edit] Other wins (23)

[edit] Results in major championships

Tournament 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP T32 10 T10 T31 DNP T5 T11
U.S. Open T48 LA DNP DNP CUT CUT T9 T39 DNP T46 T10 T21
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T4 DNP T46 T40 T4 T6
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP T3 T23 T20 T6 T36 CUT CUT CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters 5 T35 1 T21 DNP T10 T15 T7 T2 T27
U.S. Open CUT T3 T17 T16 T16 CUT DNP T52 T53 CUT
The Open Championship T25 T3 CUT T9 DNP DNP T7 T7 T66 DNP
PGA Championship 2 T27 T21 T31 T39 T31 T41 T29 T13 T26
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
The Masters T11 26 T36 T28 T6 T39 T3
U.S. Open T16 CUT DNP T66 CUT T15 T48
The Open Championship 6 CUT DNP T46 DNP T3 CUT
PGA Championship CUT T37 DNP T34 DNP T70 CUT

LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

[edit] Team appearances

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Official World Golf Rankings | World No. 1's in Men's Golf
Severiano Ballesteros | Fred Couples | David Duval | Ernie Els | Nick Faldo | Bernhard Langer | Tom Lehman | Greg Norman | Nick Price | Vijay Singh | Tiger Woods | Ian Woosnam
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