AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fred Couples’ legion of fans can breathe easy.
The popular 1992 Masters Tournament champion missed the cut for the fifth time in the past six years, but he expects to be back in 2025 – and 2026.
“I’m planning on being healthy and making the cut and telling Fred [Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley] I’m coming back the next year, too,” said Couples, who has struggled with back problems since blowing it out on the range at Doral in 1994.
“It’s shot,” Couples said Friday.
But has soldiered on, and even made the Masters cut by two shots in 2023 after rounds of 71-74, setting the mark for oldest player (63) to make the cut.
Couples, the oldest player in the field this week at 64, vowed during a Tuesday interview that he wouldn’t tolerate shooting 80s in the tournament.
“The last thing I want to do is come out and embarrass myself by a bad score,” he said. “I know I can hit the ball. What is that? I don’t know if that’s a 73 or a 75, but I’m not shooting 80. There’s no way. I’m just not that kind of person. I wouldn’t do that. Can I shoot 80? Of course I can. But I’m not planning on it.”
But he did open up with 80 on Thursday, and that made some think he might retire from the Masters. It was only the second time in his 39 Masters starts that he shot in the 80s. The other time was his in the third round of his Masters debut in 1983, when he had 81.
He followed Thursday’s 80 with 76 to finish at 12-over 156.
Former Masters champions Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle called it quits at Augusta National after the 2023 Masters. Lyle was 65 and Mize 64. Couples isn’t ready to follow them despite his struggles this week.
“I can’t hit an iron,” Couples said. “My body won’t let me do it. I don’t want to say no fun because it’s Augusta, but swinging was a chore.”
He’s only missed one Masters because of his back ailment. He withdrew before the 2016 Masters. But he thought about doing it during Thursday’s first round.
“Yesterday there were several times I should have not played, but I thought I could help these guys that I was playing with a little bit even though they’re out-driving me by 50 yards with the wind, so I didn’t want to quit.”
He felt a little better on Friday, but after the round he needed help stepping down from a podium after his interview.