Seattle native Fred Couples feels sharp, eager to make up for 2019 Boeing Classic collapse

SNOQUALMIE – The strategy was to butter Fred Couples a little before mentioning the breakdown. Throw a few softballs, then ask about August 2019 when he lost a commanding lead in the tournament he wants to win the most.

But the Seattle native made it easy for us on Thursday afternoon. He rushed into it for no reason.

“I think about it all the time. I don’t think about it every day, but I think about it five times a week, almost every day, ”said Couples from the driving range at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge. “It was such a bad golf.”

Couples, 61, went into the third and final lap of the youngest Boeing Classic with a five-stroke lead. He scored 65 in the first round and 63 in the second and looked like he was finally going to win that elusive PGA Tour Champions event. But then the golf gods got drunk and decided to fuck him. In the end he shot 76 and landed six shots behind the winner Brandt Jobe.

Couples admit it – he got nervous. Not to the point where it couldn’t function, but the accumulation of flown greens and bunker-bound approach shots was highly unusual.

Fortunately, the former Masters winner had a family in town who helped him quell his anger. But given that he said he would rather win the Boeing than any other Champions Tour event – including the Senior Majors – you can imagine the frustration brewing inside his stomach.

“You want to hide,” said Couples. “I think I felt down at 16 and 17 and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yes, it’s not fun. “

The good news for Freddy fans? His game is on point. He’s finished in the top seven in seven of his last eight events, including tied second and tied third in June.

Couples said the pandemic actually sharpened his game because there was nothing for him to do but golf. Before COVID-19 hit, he played about twice a week when not competing, but started playing five times a week out of sheer boredom.

So he likes where he is right now. He doesn’t make any predictions, but if he ends up winning the Boeing, which starts on Friday and ends on Sunday, he wouldn’t be surprised.

“My game is pretty good. I’m not the type to say that, but you asked, but my game should be pretty good (Friday), ”said Couples. “Does that mean I put every putt and shoot 68? No, but I don’t think I’ll go and embarrass myself. I’ll do pretty well and hit the ball sharply because I’ve played a lot. “

How long he’ll play is another question. 61 is also at the top of the Champions Tour. Yes, there are players like 63-year-old Bernhard Langer, who is second on the PGA Tour Champions money list. But Couples knows that gravity tugs at their window.

“I think my next win, I’ll never say that, might be my last. And that’s a goal – I want to win again. It’s just hard to prepare, ”said Couples. I think it’s been four weeks now and I’ve been playing almost every day. I took time off yesterday to do a few things up here, but I want to be ready for the tournament and I feel like I’m fine. “

When asked if he would have any traditions when he returned to the Pacific Northwest, Couples said no. You won’t find him when he drives to downtown Seattle for a favorite eatery. You’re more likely to find him at the food station closest to the class. Still, it is clear how much this tournament means to him – just as it is clear how much he means to golf fans in the Northwest.

The Couples Gallery went by the thousands on the last day of Boeing 2019. The O’Dea High School graduate is popular everywhere, but when he returns to PNW – where he taught himself how to play on the local tracks – it’s like Tiger Woods lite.

The club at Snoqualmie Ridge will rock when Couples is in the running on Sunday. And when he picks up a trophy at the end, you might hear the cheers from across Lake Washington.

The man has been waiting two years to try this thing again. We’ll see if he can post the fewest shots – because maybe there aren’t many shots left.

Matt Calkins:
mcalkins@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @matt_calkins. Matt Calkins joined the Seattle Times in August 2015 after three years with the San Diego Union Tribune as a sports columnist. Matt isn’t afraid to take a stand or go off the beaten track. His mother reads the comments, so take it easy on him.