Fred Couples

Fred Couples
Personal information
Full name	Frederick Steven Couples
Born	October 3, 1959 (1959-10-03) (age 52) Seattle, Washington
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Palm Springs, California
Spouse	Thais Baker (died 2009)
Career
College	University of Houston
Turned professional	1980
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour (joined 1982) Champions Tour (joined 2010)
Professional wins	53
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	15
European Tour	3
Champions Tour	6
Other	30
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1992
U.S. Open	T3: 1991
The Open Championship	T3: 1991, 2005
PGA Championship	2nd: 1990
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour Player of the Year	1991, 1992
PGA Player of the Year	1992
Vardon Trophy	1991, 1992
Byron Nelson Award	1991, 1992
PGA Tour leading money winner	1992
Byron Nelson Award (Champions Tour)	2010

Frederick Steven Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament.^[1] In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship. Because of his long drives, Couples has been given the nickname "Boom Boom".

Early years and education

Couples was born in Seattle, Washington, to Tom and Violet (Sobich) Couples. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Italy and changed the family name from "Coppola" to "Couples" to make it sound less ethnic.^[2] His mother is of Croatian descent.^[3] His father was a groundskeeper for the Seattle Parks Department and the family, which included brother Tom, Jr., and sister Cindy, lived in a modest house on Beacon Hill near the city's Jefferson Park golf course, where Couples developed his signature loose, rhythmic swing in order to gain enough distance to keep up with the older children.

Couples attended O'Dea High School in Seattle and the University of Houston, where, as a member of the Houston Cougars men's golf team. He roomed with Blaine McCallister, another future PGA Tour player, and future CBS television broadcaster Jim Nantz.

Professional career

PGA Tour

Couples' first PGA Tour victory came at the 1983 Kemper Open. Playing in the final group, along with Scott Simpson, and T.C. Chen the three golfers finished over one hour later than the previous group on the golf course. In spite of rounds of 77, 76, and 77 Couples, Simpson, and Chen finished tied for first along with Gil Morgan and Barry Jaeckel who had finished their rounds several hours earlier. Jaeckel, who spent time in a bar waiting for regulation play to conclude, was eliminated on the first playoff hole after he hits a wild tee shot.^[4] On the second hole, Couples scored a birdie to take home the title.^[5]

In addition to his Kemper Open win, Couples won another fourteen PGA Tour titles. Among them were two Players Championships (in 1984 and 1996) and one major victory, the 1992 Masters Tournament.

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

In 1992, Couples became the first American player to reach the number one position in the Official World Golf Rankings (since the World Ranking points system debuted in April 1986). He spent 16 weeks at number 1, after one of the hottest ever starts to a season by a PGA Tour player. Beginning with the Nissan Los Angeles Open, where he defeated Davis Love III in a playoff, Couples won two tournaments and finished second in two others 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, Couples 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. Although his ball rolled back towards the water, it incredibly remained on the bank and he saved par. 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 Couples 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 (in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004), accumulating US$3,515,000 and 77 skins in 11 appearances. Because of his dominance at the Skins and other off-season events like the Johnnie Walker World Golf 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 Golf and Country Club often mentioned.

Couples is a frequent visitor to the UK, 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, Couples 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 challenged 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 Couples won, he would have been the oldest player ever to win the Masters at age &1000000000000004600000046 years, &10000000000000188000000188 days—supplanting Jack Nicklaus, who, coincidentally, won his final Masters 20 years earlier and also at the age of 46. His competitiveness in the tournament was an encouraging sign for his career. "I didn't hit the ball like I was 46," Couples said.

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

Fred Couples at the 2009 Telus World Skins Game in Lévis, Canada

Couples was sidelined for virtually the entire 2007 season because of health problems. However, he did compete in the 2007 Masters, making the cut for the 23rd consecutive time, tying the record held by Gary Player. Couples missed the cut in 2008 and 2009.

In 2009, Couples limited his play but performed impressively at the Northern Trust Open. If it wasn't for Phil Mickelson shooting a 62 on that Saturday, Couples may have won instead of finishing third. He nearly won the Shell Houston Open but bogeyed the last three holes and finished third behind Paul Casey. He also played well at the HP Byron Nelson Championship (T8) and the AT&T National (T11) tournaments. He hurt his back practicing for the RBC Canadian Open and had to withdraw. But he rested and recovered and made the cut for the 2009 PGA Championship (T36) and performed successfully in the Wyndham Championship (T5) which put him past the $1,000,000 mark on the money list for the 7th time in his career.

Couples was named as 2009 Presidents Cup captain for the United States team on February 26, 2008 and led the Untited States team to a decisive victory.

Champions Tour

Couples made his debut on the Champions Tour at the opening event of the 2010 season, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.^[6] He nearly won the tournament, finishing second to Tom Watson. Couples later stated, "I had a wonderful time. I think I was 21 under par and didn't win a tournament. That hasn't happened too many times." Had he won, he would have become the 16th player to win his Champions Tour debut. He won his next three starts, The ACE Group Classic, the Toshiba Classic and the Cap Cana Championship, becoming the first player in Champions Tour history to win three of his first four career events. Couples made another run at the 2010 Masters Tournament but finished 6th. It was his 26th top ten finish in a major tournament. A second place finish in the Senior PGA Championship was a disappointment for him. But an even greater disappointment was losing the U.S. Senior Open to Bernhard Langer. Couples had a 1 shot lead after 55 holes, but disaster struck on the par 5 2nd. He decided to lay up rather than going for the green. His lay up shot was effective, but his 3rd shot landed in the water. After dropping 4, his 5th shot was driven over the green. He was on in 6 but finished the hole with a triple bogey; his 1 shot lead became a 3 shot deficit. He played solidly the rest of the round, but couldn't catch up to Langer. He was very disappointed for letting down his hometown fans who cheered for him every step of the way. He earned a 4th win at the Administaff Small Business Classic. On Sunday, he was grouped with Corey Pavin and Mark Wiebe and soared past them and the rest of the field shooting a 9 under 63, with 29 on the back nine. Couples won the Champions Tour Rookie of the Year award in 2010.

Couples was sidelined once again for most of the 2011 season because of his stubborn back problems. But after receiving treatment in Germany, he was able to come back. He won his first major tournament on the senior circuit by defeating John Cook, on the third hole of a sudden death play-off, capturing the Senior Players Championship.

Other ventures

Couples co-designs golf courses with his design partner, Gene D. Bates. This venture, beginning in 1992 has resulted in the formation of Couples Bates Golf Design firm, and over 20 award winning championship golf courses worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Personal

Couples' marriage to his first wife Deborah ended in 1992. They had met as students at the University of Houston in 1979. The divorce was finalized in 1993, and she later fell to her death in May 2001, ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles City coroner's office.^[7]

Couples' estranged wife, Thais Baker, died from breast cancer on February 17, 2009. They had married in 1998 and the union was childless.

Couples currently resides in Palm Springs, California.

Trivia

• 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's a relaxed guy."
• Couples is an avid gardener. Couples learned gardening from his grandfather, who was a groundskeeper at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
• Inducted into the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
• Couples is one of few professional golfers who does not use a glove at any time.
• Couples is a good friend of Michael Jordan and a season ticket holder for the Charlotte Bobcats, where Jordan is the majority owner.

Professional wins (53)

PGA Tour wins (15)

Legend Major championships (1) Other PGA Tour (14)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 5, 1983	Kemper Open	-1 (71–71–68–77=287)	Playoff	T.C. Chen, Barry Jaeckel, Gil Morgan, Scott Simpson
2	Apr 1, 1984	Tournament Players Championship	-11 (71–64–71–71=277)	1 stroke	Lee Trevino
3	May 10, 1987	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	-14 (65–67–64–70=266)	Playoff	Mark Calcavecchia
4	Feb 25, 1990	Nissan Los Angeles Open	-18 (68–67–62–69=266)	3 strokes	Gil Morgan
5	Jun 27, 1991	Federal Express St. Jude Classic	-11 (68–67–66–68=269)	3 strokes	Rick Fehr
6	Sep 22, 1991	B.C. Open	-15 (66–67–68–68=269)	3 strokes	Peter Jacobsen
7	Mar 1, 1992	Nissan Los Angeles Open	-15 (68–67–64–70=269)	Playoff	Davis Love III
8	Mar 22, 1992	Nestle Invitational	-19 (67–69–63–70=269)	9 strokes	Gene Sauers
9	Apr 12, 1992	Masters Tournament	-13 (69–67–69–70=275)	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd
10	Mar, 12 1993	Honda Classic*	-3 (64–73–70=207)	Playoff	Robert Gamez
11	Aug 7, 1994	Buick Open	-18 (72–65–65–68=270)	6 strokes	Greg Kraft, Steve Pate, Curtis Strange
12	Mar 31, 1996	The Players Championship	-18 (66–72–68–64=270)	4 strokes	Colin Montgomerie, Tommy Tolles
13	Jan 18, 1998	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	-28 (64–70–66–66–66=332)	Playoff	Bruce Lietzke
14	May 31, 1998	Memorial Tournament	-17 (68–67–67–69=271)	4 strokes	Andrew Magee
15	Apr 27, 2003	Shell Houston Open	-21 (65–68–67–67=267)	4 strokes	Stuart Appleby, Mark Calcavecchia, Hank Kuehne

*Note: The 1993 Honda Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather

European Tour wins (3)

Legend Major championships (1) Other European Tour (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Apr 12, 1992	Masters Tournament	-13 (69–67–69–70=275)	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd
1	Jan 22, 1995	Dubai Desert Classic	-20 (65-69-68-66=268)	3 strokes	Colin Montgomerie
2	Jan 29, 1995	Johnnie Walker Classic	-11 (72-67-67-71=277)	2 strokes	Nick Price

Other wins (30)

• 1978 Washington Open (as an amateur)
• 1983 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Jan Stephenson)
• 1988 Northwest Open
• 1990 Northwest Open, RMCC Invitational (with Raymond Floyd), Sazale Classic (with Mike Donald)
• 1991 Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship
• 1992 World Cup (team event with Davis Love III)
• 1993 World Cup of Golf (individual event and team event with Davis Love III), Alfred Dunhill Cup (with John Daly and Payne Stewart), Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International
• 1994 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International, World Cup of Golf (team event with Davis Love III), Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Brad Faxon), Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Paul Azinger and Greg Norman)
• 1995 Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship, Skins Game, World Cup of Golf (team event with Davis Love III)
• 1996 Skins Game, Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Davis Love III and Payne Stewart)
• 1997 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Tom Lehman and Phil Mickelson)
• 1999 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with David Duval), Skins Game, Diners Club Matches (with Mark Calcavecchia)
• 2001 Hyundai Team Matches (with Mark Calcavecchia)
• 2003 The ConAgra Foods Skins Game, Tylenol Par-3 Shootout at Treetops Resort
• 2004 Merrill Lynch Skins Game, Tylenol Par-3 Shootout at Treetops Resort
• 2006 ING Par-3 Shootout

Champions Tour wins (6)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Feb 14, 2010	The ACE Group Classic	-17 (68–67–64=199)	1 stroke	Tommy Armour III
2	Mar 7, 2010	Toshiba Classic	-18 (66–64–65=195)	4 strokes	Ronnie Black
3	Mar 28, 2010	Cap Cana Championship	-21 (67–66–62=195)	2 strokes	Corey Pavin
4	Oct 24, 2010	Administaff Small Business Classic	-17 (71–65–63=199)	7 strokes	Mark Wiebe
5	Aug 20, 2011	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	-11 (68–66–68-61=273)	Playoff	John Cook
6	Oct 16, 2011	AT&T Championship	-23 (65-62-66=193)	7 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1992	Masters Tournament	1 shot deficit	−13 (69–67–69–70=275)	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd

Results timeline

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	2007	2008	2009
The Masters	T11	26	T36	T28	T6	T39	T3	T30	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	T16	CUT	DNP	T66	CUT	T15	T48	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	6	CUT	DNP	T46	DNP	T3	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	CUT	T37	DNP	T34	DNP	T70	CUT	DNP	CUT	T36

Tournament	2010	2011
The Masters	6	T15
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP

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.

Summary

• Starts – 87
• Wins – 1
• 2nd place finishes – 2
• Top 3 finishes – 8
• Top 5 finishes – 12
• Top 10 finishes – 26
• Longest streak of top-10s in majors – 3 (twice)

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
2011	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	1 shot lead	-11 (68-66-68-71=273)	Playoff 1	John Cook

¹ Defeated John Cook in sudden-death playoff with birdie on the third extra hole.

Senior results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2011.

Tournament	2010	2011
The Tradition	DNP	T63
Senior PGA Championship	T2	DNP
The Senior Open Championship	DNP	DNP
U.S. Senior Open	2	DNP
Senior Players Championship	WD	1

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

U.S. national team appearances

• USA vs. Japan: 1984
• Ryder Cup: 1989 (tie), 1991 (winners), 1993 (winners), 1995, 1997
• Asahi Glass Four Tours World Championship of Golf: 1990, 1991
• Alfred Dunhill Cup: 1991, 1992, 1993 (winners), 1994
• World Cup of Golf: 1992 (winners), 1993 (winners), 1994 (winners), 1995 (winners)
• Presidents Cup: 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 1998, 2005 (winners), 2009 (captain, winners)

See also

• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of World Number One male golfers

References

1. ^ "Champions". www.masters.org. http://www.masters.com/en_US/history/records/champions.html. 
2. ^ Seattle Times' Pacific Magazine, "The Couples Conundrum," 1997-07-20, p. 12-19
3. ^ "Fred Couples". www.mahalo.com. http://www.mahalo.com/Fred_Couples. 
4. ^ Kemper Open replay unlikely
5. ^ Couples claims Kemper in sudden death
6. ^ "Couples, Pavin set for official Champions Tour debut" (Press release). Champions Tour. January 8, 2010. http://www.pgatour.com/2010/tournaments/s524/01/06/debuts/index.html. Retrieved January 11, 2010. 
7. ^ Sports Illustrated June 11, 2001

External links

• Fred Couples' unofficial web site
• Fred Couples at the PGA Tour official site
• Fred Couples at the European Tour official site
• Fred Couples at the Official World Golf Ranking official site

Persondata
Name	Couples, Fred
Alternative names	Couples, Frederick Steven
Short description	Professional golfer
Date of birth	October 3, 1959
Place of birth	Seattle, Washington
Date of death
Place of death