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“[Ads by Yahoo!] Start Your Career In <b>Golf</b>” plus 1 more

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Golf Clinic at Castle Creek

On Wednesday, February 3rd, 30 students from the class hosted a clin...

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Playing some of the best <b>golf</b> of his career, Fred Couples hopes his back can hold up

Posted: 10 Apr 2010 06:48 PM PDT

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fred Couples was standing in the shadow of the Masters scorer's trailer, stretching his back from left to right like a windshield wiper. Augusta National Golf Club can be brutal on 50-year-old bodies, and his is more finicky than most.

"Once I warm up, it doesn't feel like it's going to break in half," Couples said of his back Saturday after a third-round 68 left him five shots behind the leader, Lee Westwood, in the 74th Masters. "I do ride a cart every now and then, and this place is a beast to walk."

Couples is right in contention at the Masters, even if he doesn't always look comfortable. After many of his swings — or an especially long walk — Couples will stretch his back and continue on the journey, the painful price of a career gouging golf balls out of the turf.

On a chilly Friday, Couples ballooned to a 3-over-par 75, falling out of contention with a closing trio of bogeys. On a warmer Saturday, he said he felt good from the opening hole, which he birdied. "I've just got one more day," Couples said. "I think I can get through it and, hopefully, play well. I need to come out and play really well tomorrow. I feel like I can come out under the pressure and hit it well. I think I can still play this golf course."

Two weeks ago, at the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic, Couples said he was playing the best golf of his career, including during his rise to No. 1 on the PGA Tour. He's won three tournaments in four starts with the 50-and-over crowd, his lone defeat coming in a thrilling season-opening duel in Hawaii against Tom Watson.

Couples brought that sharpness and confidence to Augusta National, the course he loves like no other. In 1992, he won his lone major here, but he has also let several other opportunities slip away. In 1998, playing in the final group with Mark O'Meara, Couples watched O'Meara make birdie on the 72nd hole to defeat him by a shot. Four years ago, he played his way into the final pairing again but a balky putter saw him fall to Phil Mickelson. For most of 2010, that putter has been hot, including setting a course record 62 in his final round at Cap Cana. At Augusta, it has alternated between warm and lukewarm.

"I made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole one day, and that's really been it," Couples said. "I know the greens. [I'm] not putting them very well, but I'm not putting poorly."

Other than 60-year-old Watson — who shot 73 Saturday to stand in a tie for 14th at two-under-par — Couples understands the mysteries of Augusta National better than any competitor on the property. Two weeks ago, he said he could still win the Masters, and he will need 18 holes of his best golf to accomplish it. "I have a shot," Couples said. "I'm way behind, but if I can post a score, we'll see what happens. I just love this place. This is my favorite spot to play."

After one last five-mile walk, he might love it even more.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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