All of us in the Lough Family are big Freddie fans.
At the final round of the 2003 US Open at Olympia Fields, my dad, brother and I made our way back to the first tee mid morning to watch Freddie Couples tee off. Apparently, we aren’t good luck. He pulled it left out of bounds en route to a snowman on the first hole. He wasn’t happy. I don’t want to tarnish the laid-back, unflappable image highly regarded by Fred fans, but he had an R rated response to a spectator’s words of encouragement on the way to the second tee.
We still love him. And I’m looking forward to his second wind as a rookie on the Champions Tour.
I’ve read a couple supportive quotes from Couples about the Champions Tour, but I think he might go kicking and screaming. And why wouldn’t he? For a guy with so many back problems, he has a pretty good resume. In 2009, Couples banked over $1 million on the PGA TOUR, finishing third twice and in the top 10 three times. I’m sure he expects more, and his manic make-a-cut, miss-a-cut schedule demonstrates that. He hasn’t had a thunderous victory in a while, but he’s done alright late in his career.
Which brings me to the 2010 season on the Champions Tour. Call it the back injuries. Call it old(er) age. Whatever you call it, it’s time for Freddie to move on. He clearly still has extraordinary talent. I bet the rush of being in contention and the abbreviated event schedule (three rounds instead of four) will serve well for Fred.
At the AT&T National this year, I saw him miss a maybe two footer, something that caught even him off guard because he started to bend down to get his ball out of the cup. I suspect if he stays healthy, and he can keep his focus and strength for three full days, his back problems will be from hoisting trophies, not trying to keep up with the kiddos off the tee.
0 comments:
Post a Comment