MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 8, 2025

Fred Couples

Quick Quotes

Q. Is the foursome one that gets put together last minute or does it come together a couple days ago?

FRED COUPLES: No, we've been working on that for a few weeks.

Q. Who is the ring leader?

FRED COUPLES: Brooks and I were going to play and then Tiger and JT and I always play, so when Tiger couldn't I called JT and then Adam Scott and I had talked, so we got a nice little foursome.

And then Brooks and I wanted to play a few more and the course is awesome, so it was nice to go play 1, 2, 8, and 9, too.

But it was a great foursome. These guys all hit it amazing. And then to meet Nick Hardy the last couple holes was fun too.

Q. How are you feeling?

FRED COUPLES: I feel okay. I'm a little sick. For almost three weeks now. But I'm getting some strength back and I'm trying to hit it hard and where I can reach most of the holes.

But I feel okay. Are you talking about our Cougs losing last night? Is that what you're getting at?

Q. What did you think of their run? How about that?

FRED COUPLES: It was a great run. To make it to the finals, they led every minute. Almost. But, you know, it's like every other sport, it's hard to finish. And they played really decent. We were mediocre. So they scored a few more coming down the stretch; we didn't.

Q. You were talking about just how excited you were to get the welcome back, the enthusiastic welcome back from the tournament. Now that you're here do you feel that same excitement?

FRED COUPLES: No, I do. I always thought there was some kind of an age requirement and there really isn't, but now there's more of a, you know, how do you play requirement.

So I feel good about my game and I'm -- like I said, I was at a Bridgestone outing and on the way back we called Steve at Augusta and he gave me the news, and the six-hour flight home kind of went fast.

So I can play this year and next year for sure, but I don't want to come here as a some clown just trying to play golf. I got one more day to keep swinging hard and I love the course as we all know, and I think the course is playing very good. The greens are a little -- we all agreed the greens were a little slower than normal. Hate saying that, but I'm sure they're going to speed 'em up. But they're firm. After all the rain, they know how to get rid of water.

Q. What are you battling health wise?

FRED COUPLES: I've got this virus. Two weeks ago it was in here and then it was the other virus and now I just got a mean cough and I'm a little congested. But I'm fine. I just could you have a lot.

Q. Is there any -- I know you and Brooks there was a little bit of a headline last couple months of whether he wants to stay on LIV, come back to the TOUR. Did you guys talk about that at all today?

FRED COUPLES: We talked about it after it came out. I called him or actually I texted him. He was in I think Singapore. And Brooks and I are great. A lot of times at Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups I sit with Brooks and his wife and my wife. I love Brooks.

Basically what I said was is what everyone else is saying, but then someone else turned it into like I wanted him to leave the LIV Tour and come play the PGA TOUR. I just basically said, you know, Brooks would like to play the PGA TOUR; not leave the LIV Tour.

So anyway, he and I are great. We had a good time. We talked basically a little bit about his brother and then we were talking little bit about clubs. He just hits it so far and he hits it so solid.

But basically it was a one-minute thing, but I had already talked to him before. And he's a good man. I like Brooks.

Q. Saw you give Max Homa a big hug on the range this morning. When a guy's struggling like he is what do you say to him?

FRED COUPLES: Well, I don't know anything about golf, so mentally I'm a little more stronger than helping people. He already knows it's a hard game. A long time ago I got in a rut where I didn't think I could hit a shot, but then it just clicks.

But again, he's working on his swing. That's a little harder when you don't get results and you see a lot of people work on their swing and get results.

So basically I'll see Max a little bit. I love to watch him play. We've always been friends. You know what I see is a guy struggling playing golf. That was a great, great, great player for, I won't say three, four, five years, but he's go got to turn it around.

Whatever he's got to do to do it, he's got to do it. And he's very talented. So why he's struggling now? He might not be struggling five months from now. But he could play the game. He's just got to go out and play.

Q. Is there a part of you that just wants to pretend everything's fine?

FRED COUPLES: You know, when I played I did. I kind of went the other way. In 1986 I was playing so poorly I just grabbed one of my buddy's clubs and they were Pings and I said, I'm going to use your Pings this week. I actually went out and had to focus more and they were completely different looking clubs and I actually played pretty well.

I didn't change my swing or my attitude. I just paid a little more attention to what I was doing and I kind of turned it around a little bit.

But for some people they're more knowledgeable on golf swings, I'm not at all, I barely know anything to tell anyone. So my brain's usually clear, it's more of other things that bother me, but for a lot of TOUR players they struggle and they bounce back. When you're good, you're good.

Q. Visually how different is it out there with some trees down?

FRED COUPLES: I just think it looks better. I don't know why I say that. The other day we played No. 1 and we were standing on the green and you just look right down and you see a lot more room on the 9th tee.

I think that's kind of cool. You can watch people hit. There's a few areas where it blew right through there, but for me personally I know a lot of trees went down. I know this town was devastated, but the golf course is unbelievable. But the trees, I couldn't tell you if they lost 10 important areas where trees were, I don't think so. But there's still a lot of trees. My God.

Q. This is obviously Bernhard Langer's last week as a competitive player here at the Masters. Can you speak about the legacy that he leaves behind?

FRED COUPLES: Yeah, well Brooks and I were talking about him too. I said, did you see the car that Mercedes is giving Bernhard? And he goes, no, I didn't. It's pretty amazing. He is a -- he's incredible. He makes our Champions Tour really what it is, because he doesn't take many weeks off. He loves to play and compete.

I think we all do, but I say I'm old. He's two years older than me, but he's an amazing guy and he's always been amazing. He's fun to play with, be around, but his game is, it's just so solid and he does all the right things. Doesn't matter if he's playing a short course -- now this is brutal so he's going to have to do everything in his power -- so am I -- to do well this week.

And when I say do well it's the old thing when you're our age is to make the cut and that's the goal. And we can't make many mistakes. But for him personally and when I get to play the 10 or 12 times on the Champions Tour, he's amazing.

Q. Is there any particular memory that you share with him here at Augusta?

FRED COUPLES: We were rarely paired when he's won. I don't think I've ever been paired with him in the heat of a battle. I don't really know. I don't remember.

But I will say that, you know, back when he was winning you could see how he was winning. He was winning it by not missing many shots and putting well and mentally strong.

But I don't think we really ever battled. I battled with O'Meara and Phil, myself, (laughing), a few other guys. But Bernhard and I never really were kind of trying to beat each other to win or compete with whoever was winning.

Q. The 12th here, would you put that amongst the top 3 par-3s in the world?

FRED COUPLES: You know what, great question. I put it No. 1 as the most beautiful par-3. And did you say challenging or...

Q. Well, there's a number of ways of looking at it.

FRED COUPLES: Well, for me, yeah, the beauty of it is the best par-3 you could ever step on. You know, it's up there. They all talk about 16 at Cypress Point or 7 at Pebble, or the Postage Stamp at -- I don't even know where. I'm embarrassing myself. Is it Troon? Where is that one? At Troon.

But there's so many cute, intricate holes. But No. 12 here is -- there's so many things that happen. You watch a U.S. Open, I know it's only the 7th hole at Pebble and it's not the 12th or leading through Amen Corner, but rarely do you see anything horrific happen at 7 at Pebble.

At Augusta it just -- it just comes and comes and comes at you. And I was very lucky the year I won it stayed on the bank, but other guys have hit it in the water. And the year Tiger won, I don't know, there were three or four guys right in a row. It's shocking.

But again, when you're standing up there and you're trying so hard and maybe you're 1 behind and you have an eight or 9-iron, everyone thinks, well, they have an 8 or 9-iron; you can make a birdie. When in reality, you want a 3 and get the hell out of there. And it's just hard to do.

Q. You mentioned a few other holes from other courses. Do you have another favorite?

FRED COUPLES: You know, I like my home course No. 3 at Big Canyon because I'm home, and when I'm done playing I drive my car and I go right into my house (laughing).

As I get older I like golf a lot more, but I don't pay that much attention. It's all TOUR stuff to me. 17 at THE PLAYERS Championship is just incredible. And I don't quite understand it, I've not been on that course in a long time. The year I won I hit a little cut 8-iron to the back pin. Now they hit wedges.

Now I know that the wind was blowing and JJ think hit an 8-iron but basically the hole's shorter, it's not easier, because it's such small quadrants to hit in. But that's a hell of a hole too. That's an unreal hole.