Fred Couples

Fred Couples has become a familiar face to golf fans since he turned pro in 1980. Born in Seattle, Washington, Couples got his PGA Tour start in 1981. He is a favorite for many who live in the Pacific Northwest. Nicknamed “Boom Boom” for his length off the tee, Freddy has a total of 15 PGA victories to date. You might recognize him from a certain Bridgestone commercial. All together now, “Boom, boom, boom, boom.”

As a testimony to Couples’ staying power, he is 27th on this year’s money list at $1,459,046. He broke in to the top 20 again after his excellent finish at the British Open last week and is currently ranked 17th in the world. He finished 12th on the money list in 2004 after starting in just 16 tournaments due to back trouble. His back limited both his tournament schedule and his ability to practice for much of last year.

Fred Couples is Mr. Cool on and off the course. Not much seems to rattle him, unless you are talking about his lack of wins of late.

Freddie has become a fixture on the PGA Tour. While more players than we’ll ever realize have come and gone from the Tour, Fred has kept grinding it out year after year with a steady game and good mechanics. I’d say Couples is one of those guys with intangible appeal. He won’t be remembered as the best golfer in history or even the best of his generation but he has delivered something special to the game: character.

Couples’ first Tour win came in five-man playoff at 1983 Kemper Open when he overtook four others in a playoff. He won the Vardon Trophy 1991-1992 and was PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1992. He has ruled in some lesser known events such as the World Cup of Golf where he teamed up with Davis Love III to win a record four consecutive titles (1992-95).

Love III is one of Couple’s best friends on Tour. Love III said of Couples, “Everybody thinks he relaxed on the golf course, but he’s more tense on the golf course than anywhere. He’s a relaxed guy.” They both have experienced back trouble and a decline in success on Tour in recent years.

Fred has found success outside the Tour’s regular season, winning a total of 5 times internationally. Between 1991 and 1995 he posted 5 victories, including three victories at the Jonnie Walker World Championship. Couples has also become known for his prowess in the silly season. He said of skins games:

They are so much fun. Obviously, you have three other competitors that are incredible players. I think it is kind of like being in the Masters or U.S. Open, and whether it is a silly season for some people or not, I think the silly part of it just comes from a guy makes a putt and he wins $250,000.”

Erik Barzeski pointed out in a comment on “Fives For Freddy” that:

In 11 Skins Game appearances, Couples has won 77 skins and $3,515,000. That’s about $18,000/hole (198 holes total), and he’s won nearly 40% of the skins that have been available (77/198).

Couples is the master of skins.

Freddy’s childhood dream was to win the Masters. As a kid would pretend he was at Augusta National putting for the victory. Broadcaster Jim Nantz was his roommate at the University of Houston. The two would make believe they were broadcaster and player in an interview after the victory. These previous “victories” at the Masters loosened Couples up because he finally won the Masters in 1992 by posting a two-stroke victory over Raymond Floyd.

Couples had come into the 1992 Masters the number-one player in the world and he delivered on his and other’s expectations. It was his third victory that year. He had won both the Nissan Los Angeles Open and the Nestle Invitational in March and less than a month later he finally had his major.

Couples’ trouble is that he hasn’t been able to match the magic in any Major championship since. He came close to that mark again this year as he finished T3 at the British Open, but there was no doubt that a certain Tiger Woods was going to win. The Masters is one of Couples favorite tournaments, for good reason. I’ve included his finishes at the Masters since his win in 1992 below:

Year   Finish   Score
1992   1        69-67-69-70--275
1993   T21      72-70-74-72--288
1995   T10      71-69-67-75--282
1996   T15      78-68-71-71--288
1997   T7       72-69-73-72--286
1998   T2       69-70-71-70--280
1999   T27      74-71-76-71--292
2000   T11      76-72-70-70--288
2001   26       74-71-73-68--286
2002   T36      73-73-76-72--294
2003   T28      73-75-69-77--294
2004   T6       73-69-74-70--286
2005   T39      75-71-77-72--295

Couples got close only one time since his victory in 1992, at the 1998 Masters, where Tiger’s buddy Mark O’Meara birdied three of the final four holes, including 17 and 18 to win by a stroke over Couples and David Duval. Duval, of course, was one of the front-runners at the time.

I love watching Couples swing. It seems like he just about falls asleep as he completes his followthrough. He is just so utterly relaxed on the golf course. Unfortunately for Couples, he has had to deal with people like Mark O’Meara, David Duval, Vijay Singh, and Tiger Woods along the way. While an excellent golfer and steady competitor the quality of the field has just held him back from further success. 15 Tour victories and a host of other victories have secured Couples a place in golf history never-the-less. He’s a player I would like to emulate on the course.

Couples has shown promise the last couple of years. He finished second at both the 2003 and 2004 Memorial Tournaments and finished T3 at the British Open last week. Couples will always be a favorite because of his laid back personality and “cool” persona. Time, however, is ticking away at his chances for further success, unless you are talking about a Skins game. He still owns the Skins and is the man to beat in the Silly Season.

Photo Credit: © Fred Couples Homepage.