Apparently Freddie Couples has been working on his endurance.
The 54-year-old Masters veteran has become well known for his age-defying fast starts at Augusta National since joining the over-50 set. But his finishes have tended to let him down.
In his last four Masters appearances, Couples scoring averages for the first two rounds were 69.25 and 70.25, respectively. But that average ballooned to 73.00 when it came to his Saturday rounds, knocking him down the leaderboard.
Couples bucked that trend in 2014, however. The 1992 Masters champion struggled briefly in the middle of his third round but rallied with three birdies on the back for a 73 to tie for 10th heading into Sunday’s final round.
“My average went down,” Couples said afterward. “I’m not smart enough to know what (it came down to), but it wasn’t bad. I actually played OK.”
He played well enough to put himself in contention for green jacket for the fifth consecutive year. He finished sixth in 2010, followed by 15th, 12th, and 13th the last three years.
A win Sunday and he would unseat Jack Nicklaus as oldest Masters champion ever.
“I’m playing pretty good golf and I have a shot tomorrow of shooting some silly round to maybe win,” Couples said. “It’s going to take a 65 or 66, but you never know.”
About the Author
