Fred Couples, 65, is 2nd-oldest to break par at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — For the last few years, 65-year-old Fred Couples has watched as younger players continue to outdrive him off the tee at Augusta National by 20, 30, 40 and even 50 yards. Yet the 1992 Masters champion has not let it deter him from showing up and giving the course his best shot.

Two years after becoming the oldest player to ever make the cut at the Masters, Couples opened up his 40th appearance by shooting a 1-under 71 — becoming the second-oldest player to shoot under par in any Masters round.

“Today is a hell of a round. I am exhausted,” Couples said. “I can play golf. I can play around here. If the weather is like this and not hard, I can — as long as I don’t do crazy things — I can shoot 73 or 4 or 5. That’s not embarrassing myself at all.”

Couples, who is only one month younger than when Tom Watson shot a 71 in 2015, relied Thursday on his course familiarity along with the right combination of steadiness and creativity, plus a bit of luck.

Off the tee, Couples was nearly automatic, hitting 12 of 14 fairways. But when you average just 275 yards off the tee, the approach shots are the real challenge, as Couples is often hitting two to three — maybe even four — more clubs than his peers.

He only hit seven of 18 greens in regulation during Thursday’s round.

When he missed the No. 1 green long and to the left, Couples was faced with a tough up-and-down from the short grass. Instead of chipping it, he grabbed his putter and proceeded to make the 48-foot birdie putt.

On No. 9, he left himself just 7 feet for his second birdie of the day.

On the 14th hole, Couples was 186 yards out and proceeded to hit a 6-hybrid that landed short of the pin and rolled straight into the cup for eagle. Couples couldn’t see it go in the hole, but he celebrated once he heard the roar, kissing his club for good measure.

“I thought I had enough to get over there and then they went crazy,” Couples said. “It was fun.”

Couples said last year, when he shot 80-76 in the first two days and missed the cut, he wasn’t fully healthy and didn’t have the right clubs in his bag to play what is now a much longer Augusta National at 7,555 yards.

“Last year, I had a bunch of cortisone shots and I was really — it was the most pain I’ve ever been,” Couples said. “If I come here and I can swing a club, I play. It wasn’t awful. I just couldn’t hit it far enough or hit it well enough.”

Now, Couples is relishing his new setup, which includes “a lot of head covers” — as he’s added four rescue hybrids. His first iron in the bag is a 7-iron.

“Now I have a set of clubs I feel like I can hit around here,” Couples said. “If I did that today and come back with 70 or 71 tomorrow, the goal for me is to make the cut. Tomorrow may be different, maybe different shots. But it was fun. It was a very fun day.”

Source: espn.com