MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 10, 2025

Fred Couples

Quick Quotes

Q. Death, taxes, and Fred Couples at Augusta National. Jim Nantz said he thought you were going to have a good week. Started out really nicely. How would you assess your round?

FRED COUPLES: He's been saying that since I turned 50, and he right a few times.

You know, I played pretty well. I did hole a shot and really undercut a shot on 13 and made a great six, which is a big boost.

I hit most of the fairways and drove it well. Got a little windy and chipped a little bit better than I normally do around here. I hit two really, really good shots on 1. I don't know if anyone saw it. Flew right by the hole and trickled and trickled down the embankment down where you don't want to ever be left.

And I holed it. Putted it up in into the hole for birdie.

But it was fun. Pendrith and English, they're so fun watch. They drive it, like everyone, so far. So I just piddled around. You know, hit a lot of good woods. My rescues, really 5-irons and 6-irons.

And I just -- you know, I've been saying it for 40 years, I just love the course and I feel like, to be honest with you, last year I was not really very healthy at all. If I had the right clubs in my bag, even as bad as I felt, I really feel the way the scores were, I was disappointed when I finished, but I had a 7-wood, 9-wood, and those were so I could swing at them.

Now I have a set of clubs I feel like I can hit around here. Tomorrow may be different. May be different shots. But it was fun. It was very fun day.

Q. What was the club at 14?

FRED COUPLES: A 6-rescue or hybrid, whatever you want to call them.

Q. Yardage?

FRED COUPLES: 186. When I hit it, it was hit really, really well and it did just carry that ridge where Harris' didn't and spun back. I thought I had enough to get over there and then they went crazy.

You know, it was fun. I don't know if I've ever -- have I ever had an eagle on the par-4 here?

Q. I was going to ask you if you did.

FRED COUPLES: I don't think so. I wouldn't know. Nothing jumps in.

Q. Could you see it?

FRED COUPLES: No, you wouldn't see it. It's over the hill and they start to go like that, and then the roar got pretty loud. It was a battle. Harris played really, really well and shot 2-under, which I think is a hell of a score.

Pendrith didn't do well here, but as far as he drives it, first round playing it's very difficult. We had a great group.

Q. You mentioned Pendrith. (Regarding expertise on this course.) When you're paired with a rookie as powerful as Taylor, how can you help him navigate the course?

FRED COUPLES: I can help him next year in a practice round or two. I can't really help him on the course because I'm not even near him. We stand on the tee and he hits it 330 and I hit it 275. I'm here and he's down there.

But I watch. He hit a lot of really, really good shots. You know, he kind of -- I think sounds like you know him. You're going to talk to him. He's going to tell you he gave away four strokes with nothing really bad.

Did he drive it bad here and there? Of course he did. But he hit two beautiful shots on 15 and three putted from a brutal -- that green is so fast and hard. He'll be fine. He could shoot 69 tomorrow no problem.

Q. You said you weren't healthy last year. What does it take to get healthy this year?

FRED COUPLES: Last year I tried to push myself a little more on the west coast, the Champions TOUR. Last week, I chipped and putted two or three days. I didn't even want to feel stiff; didn't want to do anything.

Then I go in the basement and hit these rescues, warm up with wedges, and I hit 4-, 5-, 6-rescues. Then I flew here and felt pretty good.

Yeah, last year I had a bunch of cortisone shots and I was really -- it was the most pain I've ever been. 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.

Q. You were really concerned that they might...

FRED COUPLES: No, no, no. I was in the car. The story is I was at Bridgestone thing and Lynn said, I talked to Steve. This is not your last year. I said, well, I thought at 65. Well, I shouldn't even be talking -- I think at one time they maybe mentioned that, but it's not.

So I really shouldn't use the world clown. I don't want to be a clown. I don't want to be a guy, how is that, if we say it again, the other day I said clown and don't want to use the world clown manage Augusta.

But 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.

If I do that, if I did that today and come back with 70 or 71 tomorrow, the goal for me is to make the cut. Same with Langer. Any other ancient guys? Cabrera. That's really our goal. When I was 50, 51 I actually thought I could do really well, and did a lot of times.

Today is a hell of a round. I am exhausted. I'll tell you what. But these clubs -- 10 I hit a beautiful shot.

11 I was trying to get it over that knob and the wind caught it and hit -- if it hit up here would've kicked down close to the front. It hit the thing and trickled back. I had 70 yards for my third shot.

That was really the only soft play I made. I had to go up over a couple pines and took a 5-rescue out. Probably should have tried to do a little more there, but I chose not to. But hit a lot of good shots. I drove it really well.

Q. What is in the bag this week?

FRED COUPLES: You want me to go through really quick? Putter, driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-rescue, 7-, 8-, 9-wedg. I got a lot of head covers.

Q. I didn't see all your shots, but the par putt on 16 has to be one the greatest putts I've ever seen.

FRED COUPLES: Yeah, I didn't want to go way up. I should have because I thought it would come back five or six feet but uphill. I thought, we've seen it a lot. It was not a very hard shot. If I fatted it would've rolled up and I hit it with some spin.

But it stayed three and a half, four feet above the hole. I didn't want that at all.

I just stood there and thought, wow. But when I golf shots over it, I made a nice putt on 7, too. Same kind of downhill, fast. The greens are getting firm and faster than they were Tuesday and Wednesday, which they were supposed to be anyway.

Q. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.

FRED COUPLES: Well, you know, when I get a pairing that I like I feel more comfortable. This is hard to come and play here with these bombers. I know Harris very well and T Pendrith is a superstar. He was fun. He's a hockey nut. I'm a hockey nut.

We did not talk about much hockey today but we did the previous couple times on the range. I think I could play with anyone, but feeling comfortable for me, it makes it even better because I know Harris English very well.

Q. Did you play a practice round yesterday with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele?

FRED COUPLES: I did, and, Joe Highsmith.

Q. (Indiscernible.)

FRED COUPLES: Yes.

Q. How would you describe Patrick and Xander...

FRED COUPLES: They were in great shape. I don't know what time Patrick -- I see Xander is maybe even. They're playing very, very well. I played with Brooks; he's playing very, very well. I mean, they're all playing -- it's a different game.

When I was 30 I played really, really well. I could play golf. I mean, the stuff these guys do is, you know it's nuts.

But, I don't think they were better than me. I think they swing better than most people used to because there is so much mechanics involved. Cantlay and X Man, by the end of week I think they'll both be up there fighting for something.

Q. How much does this place inspire you?

FRED COUPLES: I mean, I think about it all the time. You know, if I could have won it one more time it would be the greatest upset in the world of golf, but I didn't.

But that was really my goal. But still, 65, still get to come back. It's a fight. It really is a fight.

That's not an easy course. You know, I'm sitting there again on No. 1 and I'm just posing over the shot and then you can see it and then they go a and you can see that ball roll down there. I'm going, okay, here we go. What am I going to make from here? I holed it.

Q. How far was that putt?

FRED COUPLES: Probably not that far. The pin is 12 -- maybe 45 or 50. But it was just -- it was potluck. I mean, it was a pure shot; trickled in.

Again, I just love the place. I love coming here. Everyone I bring here loves it. No one complains. No one makes a smart ass comment. They all love it as much as I do, and that's why they keep coming back.

I have said on the 18 tee, get a good look at this course because you ain't coming back. That's not because I bring a new wave in. I just don't want people who don't love it here. It's paradise.

Q. (Regarding Bernhard.)

FRED COUPLES: I saw his score with two to play, he was 1-over.

Q. I know.

FRED COUPLES: What did he shoot?

Q. What would be your...

FRED COUPLES: 2-over is a damn good score. What's mine?

Q. Your challenge.

FRED COUPLES: That's a great question. I can't answer that. I really can't. It will be when I know that I can't tee off on No. 1 and do really good things and shoot a nice score.

I don't see any reason for me to go around and bogey 1 and par 2 and 3 and bogey 5. Then it adds up to a 77. If I can bogey 1 and birdie 2 and birdie 3 and double bogey a hole by doing something, it just depends how I'm playing.

It's not how old I am because I'll tell you, I hit a few drives today that were pretty good. Made the holes play easier for me. Not for anyone else, for my he.

So I can get it around. I'm not even going to guess. Might be next year, might be 70.

Q. With all the talk of when you're going to stop playing here, how validating was it today to put up the score and prove to everyone that you can still come out here and shoot under par?

FRED COUPLES: I mean, yeah, it's a great round. I think I shot 71 the year I made the cut and I hit two unbelievable shots on 18 that didn't trickle down and I three-putted. I was 2-under and I was so mad. Today I'm happy as a clam.

But, I don't know. I'm 65. I don't feel 70. I don't feel 50. Again, I don't feel like tomorrow -- you know, could blow, rain be difficult. I don't feel like I'm going to go out there and forget how to play.

That doesn't mean I'm not going to shoot 77. It's a hard course. I just don't hit it far enough to make it easier. I can't knock it on a Par-5 anymore. I used to do play them 2-, 3-under. Hell, now play them 1-over today and felt like I played them pretty damn well.

Except for 13. I really clipped a shot. Hit it in the bank and went in the water. But I made a great six.

Okay.