Biography

Frederick Stephen Couples

A 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."

Fred first played golf on Seattle's public golf courses (developing his signature loose, rythmic swing in order to gain enough distance to keep up with the older kids), and attended 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, and 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 President's 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 President's 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 gardeners. Couples learned gardening from his grandfather, who was a groundskeeper at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Fred is single lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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

PGA Tour wins

1983 (1) Kemper Open
1984 (1) Tournament Players Championship
1987 (1) Byron Nelson Golf Classic
1990 (1) Nissan Los Angeles Open
1991 (2) Federal Express St. Jude Classic, B.C. Open
1992 (3) Nissan Los Angeles Open, Nestlé Invitational, Masters Tournament
1993 (1) Honda Classic
1994 (1) Buick Open
1996 (1) THE PLAYERS Championship
1998 (2) Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Memorial Tournament
2003 (1) Shell Houston Open

Team appearances

USA vs. Japan: 1984
Ryder Cup: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997
Asahi Glass Four Tours World Championship of Golf: 1990, 1991
Dunhill Cup: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
World Cup of Golf: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
The Presidents Cup: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2005

Reference:

http://spotted.augusta.com/masters/display.html?event=&gallery=4134&page=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Couples