Bernhard Langer brings the No. 1 ranking on the money list to Harding Park. Tom Watson brings the nostalgia, given his eight major titles and last year’s stirring bid to win the British Open at age 59.
And then there’s Fred Couples, who brings the buzz to San Francisco for this week’s season-ending Champions Tour. As always, Couples is the coolest guy in the room.
Couples, at 51, remains a fan favorite as he prepares to make his inaugural appearance in the Schwab Cup Championship. He still has the sweetest swing this side of Ernie Els, still hits the ball into distant galaxies, still saunters from tee to green with his distinctive gait.
Couples still wins, too, much to the delight of Champions Tour officials. He won three times early in his rookie season, pumping energy into a tour often lost in the shadow of the PGA Tour. And he won again Oct. 24 in Houston, where his final-round 63 — highlighted by a back-nine 29 — vaulted him past Corey Pavin.
It’s an intoxicating brew for Couples’ fellow 50-and-older players, who savor the scene even as Couples zooms past them on the money list.
“Freddy has been a huge boost for the Champions Tour,” Jeff Sluman said. “People come out to watch him play. Heck, I like to watch him play.”
Or, as John Cook said, “Not that we needed credibility, but Freddy brings more credibility to what we’re doing.”
Couples, second to Langer on the money list, brings the credibility of 15 PGA Tour victories, including the 1992 Masters. He also guided the U.S. to an emphatic Presidents Cup win, as the team’s captain, in October 2009 at Harding Park.
In tracing the roots of Couples’ popularity, start with his power off the tee. He perpetually ranked among the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, and he leads the Champions Tour in driving distance at 293.2 yards.
Then, maybe more than anything, there’s his demeanor: nonchalant, carefree and upbeat. Couples seems like an ideal companion with whom to share a beer and talk sports. (During an idle moment at the Presidents Cup, he approached one reporter and eagerly sought updates on the day’s college football scores.)
Sluman recalled one long-ago moment at the Masters, when Couples holed a difficult bunker shot as if it were merely an ordinary occurrence.
“Then he shrugs his shoulders, laughs and goes on to the next tee,” Sluman said. “He looks so effortless in everything he does, that’s probably one thing that makes him popular.”
Couples, who carries noticeable insecurity beneath his public persona, wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on the Champions Tour. He knew he would enjoy reconnecting with old friends from the PGA Tour, but he also knew several big-name players didn’t instantly thrive on the 50-and-over circuit (see Ben Crenshaw, Mark O’Meara and Nick Price).
The notion didn’t last long. Couples, in his first start, engaged Watson in a riveting duel in Hawaii in January (won by Watson). Couples then won his next three Champions Tour events, stretching his season-opening streak to 12 rounds of 68 or better.
He didn’t win again until last month in Houston, but he has pocketed 12 top-10s this season, including three runner-up finishes. Couples, long considered an average putter, did not hesitate in identifying the key to his big year.
“If I putted like this in my 30s, I really think I could have won a lot more events,” he said. “This is crazy. … For me to be ahead of Loren Roberts in putting, that’s just stupid.”
Couples’ fun-filled whirl convinced him to come back for more. He split his time this year, playing seven PGA Tour events and 17 times (counting this week) on the Champions Tour. Next year, he plans to play only a couple of big-tour events before the Masters, then devote himself to the Champions Tour.
For now, he’s focused on trying to win at Harding — the only way he can pass Langer for the season-long points title. Couples arrived in San Francisco on Monday night, earlier than he usually reaches a tournament site, and planned to play a practice round Tuesday.
He skipped last week’s event in San Antonio, mostly because he was tired and wanted to rest his chronically troublesome back. Now he’s ready for Harding, with heat wraps for his back and an open mind about the course.
Harding reminds Couples of Jefferson Park, the public track he often played while growing up in Seattle.
“I like tree-lined courses and small greens,” Couples said.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
