Fred Couples, 63, turns into oldest to make Masters minimize

May 02, 2023 at 8:52 AM
Fred Couples, 63, turns into oldest to make Masters minimize

Thirty-one years after his 1992 championship at Augusta, Fred Couples turned the oldest participant ever to make the minimize on the Masters at 63.

Couples entered the third spherical at 1 over par after following his opening-round rating of 71 with a 74 on Saturday morning at Augusta National Golf Club.

“That’s why I come here,” stated Couples, who final made the minimize right here in 2018. “The last four years have been really mediocre golf. Maybe one year I was semi-close to making the cut. But that’s my objective, and I did it.”

Competing in his thirty eighth Masters, Couples has hit 23 of 28 fairways and averaged higher than 290 yards off the tee via two rounds. His 31 made cuts at Augusta rank third on the all-time listing.

“When I get pumped up, I can drive it far enough where it gets them all excited,” Couples stated Thursday. “Last year I played — I was really almost a cripple, and I was popcorning it. This year I felt pretty good. So I got it within 20 yards of them a few times, which is good.”

After carding birdies on 4 of his final seven holes within the first spherical, Couples bogeyed Nos. 17 and 18 within the weather-delayed second spherical.

“Am I going to look thrilled to play 18 holes in this this afternoon? No, I’m a wimp. I’m an old wimp, but I’m excited to play,” stated Couples, a 2013 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame. “I love the place.”

Couples was ranked No. 1 on the planet when he received his inexperienced jacket in 1992 for his solely main championship. His 64 skilled wins embody 15 on the PGA Tour and 14 on the Champions Tour.