Old Master: Couples Shows ‘Em How It’s Done At Augusta

With all the talk of a youth movement in the last few years on the PGA Tour, a familiar name is at the top of the leaderboard on Day 2 of the Masters. Fred Couples overcame a double-bogey on No. 7 and finished with a birdie to card a 1-under 71 and stand at 5-under 139.

Some courses fit certain golfers better than others, and Augusta National suits the 53-year-old Couples as comfortably as the green jacket he won there in 1992. Ten top-10 finishes attest to his proficiency at a place that crushes lesser golfers and leaves them under the Hogan Bridge. Then there was last year, when he recorded 139 through the first two days only to bow out of contention with a 75 on Saturday. Obviously, he’s hoping not to repeat that performance this year.

“I get fired up [coming to the Masters], but I have to drive it really well,” Couples said in an interview published in the Irish Times. “I stepped up on 1 [Friday] and hit a really good one. And I hit a good one on 5 and a good one on 7. And I hit a good one on 8. They are all good driving holes.”

Couple that easy attitude with his fluid style of play, and it’s plain to see why he’s not only a favorite to win but a favorite of the crowds. Age has only seemed to sharpen his game: since his 50th birthday, the Seattle native has scored in the 60s in five of 13 rounds at Augusta.

“I think for myself, I hit the ball a long way, and I know last year I putted very, very well,” Couples told CBSSports.com. “The last two days, I’ve driven the ball nicely. So it seems like the same old course to me. So, am I good enough to play four rounds in a row on a course like this? It didn’t happen last year … but, you know, when I get to be a certain age and I’m not driving it well enough [to avoid a 3- or 4-iron into No. 18th], then it’ll be impossible for me to compete here.”

It’s an appropriate analysis for a player whose philosophy with the driver is to “smash the ball.” That strategy has its downside, though: on Friday he hit only 10 greens. On the other hand, he was accurate enough with the flat stick to need only 25 putts.

“People think this place is wide open, but drive it to the right on 7 and see how many pars you’re going to make. I used my length, and it just makes the course play easier for me. If I can come out and feel good and pound my driver, it’ll make [Saturday] feel easier too. I know how to play this course.”

That has to throw some fear into his competitors. Now all he has to do is show that mastery yet again.

UPDATE: Sadly, Couples did melt down again on Moving Day, shooting a 5-over 77 and falling out of contention. Then on Sunday, on the second playoff hole, Adam Scott became the first Australian golfer to win the Masters championship.