Fred Couples

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Couples was born in Seattle, Washington, to Tom and Violet Couples. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Italy and changed the family name from 'Coppola' to 'Couples'. His mother was of Croatian descent. His father was a groundskeeper for the Seattle Parks Department. Couples developed his signature loose, rhythmic swing at Jefferson Park golf course. He attended O'Dea High School and graduated in 1977. He accepted a golf scholarship to the University of Houston, rooming with Blaine McCallister and Jim Nantz. As a 19-year-old amateur, he beat Don Bies in a playoff to win the 1978 Washington Open.

In Their Own Story

Couples is sometimes called "Mr. Skins" because of his dominance in the Skins Game. He has won the event five times (in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2004), accumulating over $3.5 million and 77 skins in 11 appearances. Because of his dominance at the Skins and other off-season events like the Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship, Couples is also known as the "King of the Silly Season", referring to the exotic made-for-TV events staged in the winter that are better known as the "silly season". Couples was frequently accused of "choking" in his early career, with mistakes in the 1989 Ryder Cup and the 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club often mentioned. Couples has nine top-10 finishes in the Open Championship, including tying for third in 1991 at Royal Birkdale, shooting a last round 64, and again tying for third in 2005 at St Andrews. In addition to his The Open Championship success Couples played well in many other international tournaments. He won two prestigious European Tour events, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Johnnie Walker Classic, in back-to-back weeks in 1995. He also finished runner-up in three European Tour events in his career: the 1989 BMW International Open, the 1994 Johnnie Walker Classic, and the 1997 Heineken Classic. He also finished runner-up on the Australasian Tour's 1988 Johnnie Walker Australian Classic, Japan Golf Tour's prestigious 1993 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, and the Asian Tour's 2005 SK Telecom Open. Since March 1994, back injuries have affected Couples's career. His swing features an extreme shoulder turn at the top, which, combined with the fact that he keeps his left foot flat on the ground throughout the backswing, puts a lot of pressure on his lower back. However, with an abbreviated schedule, Couples is still one of the best players on Tour. In 2003, at age 44, Couples finished 34th on the PGA Tour money list. That year he also won the Shell Houston Open, his first win in five years; Couples wept with joy after the win, but quickly explained the tears, saying: "I'm always emotional when nice things happen to nice people."

Reader's Guide

Couples's first PGA Tour victory came at the Kemper Open in 1983. In addition to that win, he won another fourteen PGA Tour titles, including two Players Championships (1984, 1996) and one major victory, the 1992 Masters Tournament. He was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992, and won the Vardon Trophy in those years. He has been named to the U.S. Ryder Cup team five times (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997). In 1992, he became the first American to reach number one in the Official World Golf Rankings. He has nine top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. Back injuries have affected his career since March 1994. He was named Presidents Cup captain for the 2009 U.S. team.

Did You Know?

• Couples is sometimes called 'Mr. Skins' because of his dominance in the Skins Game, winning it five times.
• He won the Dubai Desert Classic and the Johnnie Walker Classic in back-to-back weeks in 1995.
• In 2005, Couples sank a crucial putt in the Presidents Cup to secure a 1-up victory over Vijay Singh.
• Couples and Jason Dufner were the 36-hole co-leaders at the Masters in 2012.