Augusta, Ga. – Over the past few years, the 65-year-old Fred Couples watched the young player continue to drive him out of the Augusta National tee at 20, 30, 30, 40, and even 50 yards. However, the 1992 Masters champion did not stop him from appearing and giving the court the best chance.
Two years after becoming the oldest player of all time, the couple opened his 40th debut with a score of less than 71 – becoming the second-largest player to shoot at pole position in any Masters.
“Today is a hell. I’m exhausted,” the couple said. “I can play golf. I can play here. If the weather is like this and not hard, as long as I don’t do crazy things – I can shoot 73 or 4 or 5. It doesn’t embarrass myself at all.”
The couple, who were only a month younger than Tom Watson when shooting 71 in 2015, relied on his course familiarity on Thursday, and the right combination of stability and creativity, and a little bit of luck.
On the tee, the couple was almost automatic, meeting 12 out of 14 fairways. But when you average 275 yards from the tee, the approach shot is a real challenge, as couples often hit two to three games – even four clubs, more than their peers.
He hit only seven of 18 greens in Thursday’s round.
When he missed the No. 1 Green, the couple faced the difficulties of short grass. Instead of breaking it, he grabbed the putter and started making a 48-foot birdie putter.
On No. 9, he had only 7 feet left to go to the second bird of the day.
In the 14th hole, the couple was 186 yards away and then hit a 6-cross hybrid that landed in the dowel and rolled straight into the cup. The couple couldn’t see it into the hole, but once they heard the roar, he celebrated and kissed his club.
“I thought I had enough time to get there and then they went crazy,” the couple said. “It’s fun.”
The couple said last year, when he beat the promotion 80-76 two days ago, he wasn’t fully healthy and had no right club to play the longer game for the Augusta Nationals at now at 7,555 yards.
“Last year, I had a bunch of cortisone shots and I was really in pain,” the couple said. “If I came here, I could swing a club and I played. It wasn’t bad. I just couldn’t hit it, or played well enough.”
Now the couple is enjoying his new setup, which includes “a lot of head covers” as he adds four rescue hybrids. His first iron is 7 iron in the bag.
“Now, I have a group of clubs and I feel like I can hit it here,” the couple said. “If I do this today and come back for 70 or 71 tomorrow, then my goal is to lay off employees. Tomorrow may be different, maybe different shots. But it’s a lot of fun. It’s a really fun day.”
