Fred Couples

Couples's first PGA Tour victory came at the Kemper Open in 1983 at Congressional Country Club in suburban Washington, D.C.[13] Playing in the final group with Scott Simpson and Chen Tze-chung, the three finished over one hour after the previous group on the course. In spite of rounds of 77, 76, and 77, Couples, Simpson, and Chen finished tied for first along with Gil Morgan and Barry Jaeckel who had finished their rounds several hours earlier. Jaeckel, who spent time in a bar waiting for regulation play to conclude, was eliminated on the first playoff hole after hitting a wild tee shot.[14] On the second hole, Couples scored a birdie to take home the title.[13][15]

In addition to his Kemper Open win, Couples won another fourteen PGA Tour titles. Among them were two Players Championships (1984, 1996) and one major victory, the 1992 Masters Tournament.

Couples was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year twice, in 1991 and 1992. He also won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in each of those years. He has been named to the United States Ryder Cup team five times, in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997.

In 1992, Couples became the first American player to reach the number one position in the Official World Golf Rankings (since the World Ranking points system debuted in April 1986). He spent 16 weeks at number 1, after one of the hottest ever starts to a season by a PGA Tour player. Beginning with the Nissan Los Angeles Open, where he defeated Davis Love III in a playoff, Couples won two tournaments and finished second in two others in the five weeks leading up to The Masters. At Augusta, Couples carried over his momentum, shooting in the 60s in each of the first three rounds to hold second place heading into Sunday. After a shaky start to his final round that allowed 49-year-old Raymond Floyd to claim the lead, Couples took it back with 18- and 20-foot birdie putts at the 8th and 9th holes, respectively, then saved par on a slick 6-footer at 10. At 12 (perhaps the scariest par-3 in the world), Couples barely cleared Rae's Creek in front of the green. Although his ball rolled back towards the water, it incredibly remained on the bank and he saved par. Sensing that destiny was on his side, Couples held off Floyd the rest of the way, completing Augusta's treacherous back nine with eight pars and one birdie to win his first Major. The win pushed Couples past the $1 million mark in earnings on the season as well, by far the fastest any player had reached that plateau.

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,[16] back injuries have affected Couples's career.[17] 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."

In April 2006, Couples challenged at Augusta, making a Sunday run at what would have been his second green jacket before finally losing to eventual winner Phil Mickelson, with whom he was paired in the final round. Had Couples won, he would have been the oldest player ever to win the Masters at age 46 years, 188 days—supplanting Jack Nicklaus, who, coincidentally, won his final Masters 20 years earlier and also at the age of 46. His competitiveness in the tournament was an encouraging sign for his career. "I didn't hit the ball like I was 46," Couples said.

Couples's part in the USA 1993 Dunhill Cup win included victory in all five of his matches, and his overall record reads: played 16, won 12, lost 4. In 2004, Couples won the Dunhill Links Championship Team Event at St Andrews, partnered by New Zealand amateur Craig Heatley.

In 2005 Couples sank a crucial putt in the Presidents Cup, securing an unlikely 1-up victory over the International team's best player, Vijay Singh. This match proved to be pivotal in the contest. Couples has now played Singh three times in Presidents Cup match play, and has yet to lose.

Couples at the 2009 Telus World Skins Game in Lévis, Quebec

Couples was sidelined for virtually the entire 2007 season because of health problems. However, he did compete in the 2007 Masters, making the cut for the 23rd consecutive time, tying the record held by Gary Player. Couples missed the cut in 2008 and 2009.

In 2009, Couples limited his play but performed impressively at the Northern Trust Open. If it wasn't for Phil Mickelson shooting a 62 on that Saturday, Couples may have won instead of finishing third. He nearly won the Shell Houston Open but bogeyed the last three holes and finished third behind Paul Casey. He also played well at the HP Byron Nelson Championship (T8) and the AT&T National (T11) tournaments. He hurt his back practicing for the RBC Canadian Open and had to withdraw. But he rested and recovered and made the cut for the PGA Championship (T36) and performed successfully in the Wyndham Championship (T5) which put him past the $1 million mark on the money list for the 7th time in his career.

Couples was named as Presidents Cup captain for the 2009 United States team on February 26, 2008, and led the U.S. team to a decisive victory nineteen months later.

Couples and Jason Dufner were the 36-hole co-leaders at the Masters in 2012; at age 52, he was looking to become the oldest to win a major. He dropped back with 75 in the third round and finished tied for twelfth.

At the 2023 Masters, Couples became the oldest player to make the cut at a Masters Tournament at the age of 63 years, six months and five days, finishing 1-over-par after the second round. He has made 31 cuts at the Masters, the third most all time.[18][19]

He is one of the few professional golfers who never plays with a glove.[20]

Couples made his debut on the Champions Tour at the opening event of the 2010 season, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.[21] He nearly won the tournament, finishing second to Tom Watson. Despite the loss, Couples stated, "I had a wonderful time. I think I was 21 under par and didn't win a tournament. That hasn't happened too many times." Had he won, he would have become the 16th player to win his Champions Tour debut. He won his next three starts, The ACE Group Classic, the Toshiba Classic and the Cap Cana Championship, becoming the first player in Champions Tour history to win three of his first four career events. Couples made another run at the 2010 Masters Tournament but finished 6th. It was his 26th top ten finish in a major tournament.

He finished second in the 2010 Senior PGA Championship. Later in the same year he finished runner-up to Bernhard Langer in the U.S. Senior Open. Couples had a one-shot lead after 55 holes, but disaster struck on the par 5 2nd hole. He decided to lay up rather than going for the green. His lay-up shot was effective, but his 3rd shot landed in the water. After dropping 4, his 5th shot was driven over the green. He finished the hole with a triple bogey; his one-shot lead became a 3 shot deficit. He played solidly for the rest of the round, but could not catch up to Langer.

Couples earned a 4th win at the Administaff Small Business Classic. On Sunday, he was grouped with Corey Pavin and Mark Wiebe and soared past them and the rest of the field shooting a 9 under 63, with 29 on the back nine. Couples won the Champions Tour Rookie of the Year award in 2010.

Couples was sidelined once again for most of the 2011 season because of his stubborn back problems. But after receiving treatment in Germany, he was able to come back. He won his first major tournament on the senior circuit by defeating John Cook, on the third hole of a sudden death play-off, capturing the Senior Players Championship.

In July 2012, Couples won his second senior major championship when he won The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry. He came from a stroke back to win by two over Gary Hallberg. He made a 25-foot putt for birdie on the last hole to hold off Hallberg, for a round of three under 68 on Sunday. This was his eighth victory in total on the Champions Tour.

In 2016, Couples was forced to forgo the Masters Tournament for the first time since 1994, citing ongoing back problems, which have plagued him throughout his career.[22]

Couples co-designs golf courses with his design partner, Gene D. Bates. This venture, beginning in 1992 has resulted in the formation of Couples Bates Golf Design firm (Now Bates Golf Design Group), and over 20 award-winning championship golf courses worldwide.[23]

Couples currently takes the supplement Anatabloc and is a brand ambassador for the anti-inflammatory neutraceutical containing anatabine. He wears the brand logo on his left arm of his golf shirts.

Couples has lent his name to two video games: Fred Couples Golf for the Game Gear, and Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples for the 32X, both published by Sega in 1994.

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 5, 1983	Kemper Open	71-71-68-77=287	−1	Playoff	Chen Tze-chung, Barry Jaeckel, Gil Morgan, Scott Simpson
2	Apr 1, 1984	Tournament Players Championship	71-64-71-71=277	−11	1 stroke	Lee Trevino
3	May 10, 1987	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	65-67-64-70=266	−14	Playoff	Mark Calcavecchia
4	Feb 25, 1990	Nissan Los Angeles Open	68-67-62-69=266	−18	3 strokes	Gil Morgan
5	Jun 30, 1991	Federal Express St. Jude Classic	68-67-66-68=269	−15	3 strokes	Rick Fehr
6	Sep 22, 1991	B.C. Open	66-67-68-68=269	−15	3 strokes	Peter Jacobsen
7	Mar 1, 1992	Nissan Los Angeles Open (2)	68-67-64-70=269	−15	Playoff	Davis Love III
8	Mar 22, 1992	Nestle Invitational	67-69-63-70=269	−19	9 strokes	Gene Sauers
9	Apr 12, 1992	Masters Tournament	69-67-69-70=275	−13	2 strokes	Raymond Floyd
10	Mar 14, 1993	Honda Classic	64-73-70=207*	−9	Playoff	Robert Gamez
11	Aug 7, 1994	Buick Open	72-65-65-68=270	−18	2 strokes	Corey Pavin
12	Mar 31, 1996	The Players Championship (2)	66-72-68-64=270	−18	4 strokes	Colin Montgomerie, Tommy Tolles
13	Jan 18, 1998	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	64-70-66-66-66=332	−28	Playoff	Bruce Lietzke
14	May 31, 1998	Memorial Tournament	68-67-67-69=271	−17	4 strokes	Andrew Magee
15	Apr 27, 2003	Shell Houston Open	65-68-67-67=267	−21	4 strokes	Stuart Appleby, Mark Calcavecchia, Hank Kuehne

*Note: The 1993 Honda Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather.

PGA Tour playoff record (5–4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1983	Kemper Open	Chen Tze-chung, Barry Jaeckel, Gil Morgan, Scott Simpson	Won with birdie on second extra hole Jaeckel eliminated by par on first hole
2	1986	Western Open	David Frost, Tom Kite, Nick Price	Kite won with birdie on first extra hole
3	1987	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	Mark Calcavecchia	Won with par on third extra hole
4	1988	Phoenix Open	Sandy Lyle	Lost to bogey on third extra hole
5	1992	Nissan Los Angeles Open	Davis Love III	Won with birdie on second extra hole
6	1992	Honda Classic	Corey Pavin	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
7	1993	Honda Classic	Robert Gamez	Won with par on second extra hole
8	1994	Mercedes Championships	Phil Mickelson	Lost to par on second extra hole
9	1998	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	Bruce Lietzke	Won with birdie on first extra hole

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	1978	Washington Open (as an amateur)	211			Don Bies
2	Dec 11, 1983	JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Jan Stephenson)	66-67-62-69=264	−24	5 strokes	Jane Geddes and Lon Hinkle
3	1988	Northwest Open	206
4	1990	Northwest Open (2)	210
5	Nov 18, 1990	RMCC Invitational (with Raymond Floyd)	64-57-61=182	−34	5 strokes	Peter Jacobsen and Arnold Palmer
6	Dec 9, 1990	Sazale Classic (with Mike Donald)	65-60-63-66=254	−34	4 strokes	Curt Byrum and Tom Byrum
7	Dec 22, 1991	Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship	71-72-72-66=281	−3	4 strokes	Bernhard Langer
8	Nov 8, 1992	World Cup (with Davis Love III)	134-139-140-135=548	−28	1 stroke	Sweden − Anders Forsbrand and Per-Ulrik Johansson
9	Jul 25, 1993	Telus Skins Game	$210,000		$160,000	Raymond Floyd
10	Nov 7, 1993	Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International	69-68-67-70=274	−16	4 strokes	Blaine McCallister
11	Nov 14, 1993	World Cup of Golf (2) (with Davis Love III)	137-140-141-138=556	−20	5 strokes	Zimbabwe − Mark McNulty and Nick Price
12	Jul 24, 1994	Telus Skins Game (2)	$240,000		$220,000	Lee Trevino
13	Nov 6, 1994	Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International (2)	66-71-72-70=279	−13	1 stroke	Bob Gilder
14	Nov 13, 1994	World Cup of Golf (3) (with Davis Love III)	132-129-137-138=536	−40	14 strokes	Zimbabwe − Tony Johnstone and Mark McNulty
15	Nov 13, 1994	World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy	65-63-68-69=265	−23	5 strokes	Costantino Rocca
16	Nov 20, 1994	Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (2) (with Brad Faxon)	68-64-58=190	−26	2 strokes	Mark O'Meara and Curtis Strange
17	Nov 12, 1995	World Cup of Golf (4) (with Davis Love III)	133-136-138-136=543	−33	14 strokes	Australia − Robert Allenby and Brett Ogle
18	Nov 26, 1995	Skins Game	$270,000		$30,000	Corey Pavin
19	Dec 17, 1995	Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship (2)	70-67-71-71=279	−5	Playoff	Loren Roberts, Vijay Singh
20	Jun 30, 1996	Telus Skins Game (3)	$165,000		−	Nick Faldo
21	Dec 1, 1996	Skins Game (2)	$280,000		$60,000	Tom Watson
22	Feb 9, 1997	Australian Skins Game	$102,000		$78,000	Larry Mize, Peter Senior
23	Jul 28, 1998	Telus Skins Game (4)	$220,000		$140,000	Mark O'Meara
24	Nov 14, 1999	Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (3) (with David Duval)	61-62-61=184	−32	6 strokes	Scott Hoch and Scott McCarron
25	Nov 28, 1999	Skins Game (3)	$635,000		$390,000	Mark O'Meara
26	Dec 12, 1999	Diners Club Matches (with Mark Calcavecchia)	1 up			Steve Elkington and Jeff Maggert
27	Aug 8, 2000	Telus Skins Game (5)	$135,000		$35,000	Sergio García
28	Dec 9, 2001	Hyundai Team Matches (2) (with Mark Calcavecchia)	1 up			Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldorf
29	Jul 2, 2002	Tylenol Par-3 Shootout	$410,000		$350,000	Phil Mickelson
30	Nov 30, 2003	The ConAgra Foods Skins Game (4)	$605,000		$380,000	Annika Sörenstam
31	Jun 29, 2004	Tylenol Par-3 Shootout (2)	$270,000		$140,000	Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino
32	Nov 28, 2004	Merrill Lynch Skins Game (5)	$640,000		$30,000	Tiger Woods
33	Jul 27, 2006	ING Par-3 Shootout (3)	$300,000		$190,000	Chris DiMarco, Craig Stadler

Other playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1991	Fred Meyer Challenge (with Raymond Floyd)	Paul Azinger and Ben Crenshaw, Mark Calcavecchia and Bob Gilder	Azinger/Crenshaw won with birdie on second extra hole Calcavecchia/Gilder eliminated by par on first hole
2	1995	Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship	Loren Roberts, Vijay Singh	Won with birdie on second extra hole
3	1996	Ernst Championship	Phil Mickelson	Lost to eagle on first extra hole

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Feb 14, 2010	The ACE Group Classic	68-67-64=199	−17	1 stroke	Tommy Armour III
2	Mar 7, 2010	Toshiba Classic	66-64-65=195	−18	4 strokes	Ronnie Black
3	Mar 28, 2010	Cap Cana Championship	67-66-62=195	−21	2 strokes	Corey Pavin
4	Oct 24, 2010	Administaff Small Business Classic	71-65-63=199	−17	7 strokes	Mark Wiebe
5	Aug 20, 2011	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	68-66-68-71=273	−11	Playoff	John Cook
6	Oct 16, 2011	AT&T Championship	65-62-66=193	−23	7 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia
7	Mar 25, 2012	Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic	63-70-69=202	−14	1 stroke	Michael Allen
8	Jul 29, 2012	The Senior Open Championship	72-68-64-67=271	−9	2 strokes	Gary Hallberg
9	Nov 3, 2013	Charles Schwab Cup Championship	65-65-68-69=267	−17	6 strokes	Bernhard Langer, Mark O'Meara, Peter Senior
10	Mar 16, 2014	Toshiba Classic (2)	65-67-66=198	−15	1 stroke	Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Steve Pate
11	Aug 31, 2014	Shaw Charity Classic	68-66-61=195	−15	Playoff	Billy Andrade
12	Feb 19, 2017	Chubb Classic (2)	68-65-67=200	−16	3 strokes	Miguel Ángel Jiménez
13	Jun 25, 2017	American Family Insurance Championship	67-68-66=201	−15	2 strokes	Scott Verplank
14	Oct 16, 2022	SAS Championship	68-68-60=196	−20	6 strokes	Steven Alker

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (2–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2010	Senior PGA Championship	David Frost, Tom Lehman	Lehman won with par on first extra hole
2	2011	Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship	John Cook	Won with birdie on third extra hole
3	2014	Shaw Charity Classic	Billy Andrade	Won with birdie on first extra hole
4	2020	Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai	Ernie Els, Miguel Ángel Jiménez	Jiménez won with birdie on second extra hole Couples eliminated by par on first hole

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

• Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (twice)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Results not in chronological order before 2021.

DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic