FRED COUPLES says Scotland may have seen the last of him as a dodgy back has forced him to retire from competing outside the United States.

The former Masters champion, 48, has been a popular figure at the Barclays Scottish Open.

On his last trip two years ago he even stayed around all week to soak up the atmosphere – despite having pulled out before the tournament when his back flared up.

But Couples now won’t travel across the Atlantic for any more tournaments with the only possible exception being The Open.

He said: “My travelling days are pretty much done. I would love to come back to places like Loch Lomond but it’s just too much now.

“If I qualify for The Open I might go across but that would be the limit.

“It’s a shame because the last time I was at Loch Lomond I had a ball. I never played because of my back but itwas the best weather ever. I loved it.

“I haven’t been on a transatlantic flight since then. In the past I enjoyed going to events in Germany and Asia.

But it’s just too much strain on my back now.”

The important caveat there is the qualifying for the Open, which is good news.

This is Fred’s second time playing in the PODS Championship – his one other time appearing was in the first edition played in 2000 where he tied for 14th. Tomorrow’s tee time will be pushed back from his 1:00 PM start by at least 1/2 hour and more rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.

Doug Ferguson of the AP writes at length about Fred in his latest offering, including talk about his back.

“I feel good,” Couples said. “I played the four (tournaments), and then I went to see this guy in Waco. He said I looked better than he thought. Obviously, my goal is to play. The best I probably played was at Phoenix, and I missed the cut. And the other tournaments, I did pretty well. So I feel like I’m on track, and my goal is to really be ready for Augusta.”

The “guy in Waco” is John Patterson, a Texas back specialist whose clientele includes Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady.

Fred also talked briefly about the cut streak at the Masters.

“If the leaders are up here and the cuts are down here, I want to make sure I’m moving way up the ladder,” Couples said. “If I don’t, it will be very disappointing because I’m not there to play well. If I don’t play well and miss the cut, the streak is over, and I’ll be watching TV Saturday and Sunday. But it’s a nice thing. It’s not anything worldly.

“I’m not going to go down as the guy who made however many cuts in a row it is. I’m planning on playing well.”

Fred will tee off on Sunday at 12:45 PM in the sixth to last threesome. His playing partners are Carlos Franco and Charles Howell III.

An update on Fred’s health can be found in this article from San Diego Union Tribune.

“I’m tired right now,” Couples said after he signed his scorecard. “So I’m going to go back and rest, but I feel good. I’m enthused. I get to play tomorrow, I don’t know about Sunday because I hear it’s going to be nasty, but it was fun today.”

Couples said the credit for his improved back goes to the alignment work he’s put in with Dr. John Patterson of Waco, Texas, who has worked with athletes such as Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and tour player Brad Elder. Couples first visited Patterson three months ago after being frustrated with the various treatments he was getting.

“As long as I don’t do anything, I should stay aligned,” Couples said. “But it’s day to day. Once it goes out again, I’m out for a while. It’s just part of the deal.”

Fred’s back is obviously doing well for now – good enough that he’s entered next week’s FBR Open.

Couples, one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, has been coping with a faulty back the last 13 years, but this was the first time he wondered if his career might be over.

“I thought it wouldn’t be the end of the world,” he said. “Playing golf is great, and I’ve done it for 26 years. But the last three years have been horrible.”

…

He called last week while driving back from Waco, Texas, where he has been seeing John Patterson, a back specialist whose clientele includes Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz and Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady.

“I wasn’t horrible, just a little crooked,” Couples said. “He loosened me up and I’m heading back to practice and start playing. You want to talk about the Skins Games? I hope with two weeks of good practice, I won’t embarrass myself. But I haven’t play any golf.”

…

There has been progress, however small. He played a corporate outing at The Olympic Club in August. He played a member-guest at Gozzer Ranch in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, five nine-hole matches over three days, and finished second behind Andrew Magee.

“This might be my last hurrah,” Couples said. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll set it down and try to not worry about it.”

Fred, who was supposed to play the Honda Classic in early march, will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time. While most optimistic fans say he could be back in march, it is more probable to advance that Couples will do everything he can to be able to play his favorite tournament: Masters.

After missing the cut in at the FBR Open last week, Couples seems to have quite a bit of difficulty recovering from a calf injury. So far in 2007, the man withdrew from two tournaments and missed the cut at his only official start.

Fred is still scheduled to play in next week’s Nissan Open, but this commitment could change over the weekend. Stay tuned.

This decision is probably precautionary, since it is very probable that Fred will compete in five of the next six tournaments on the PGA Tour.

Despite the injury, Couples should start in the Buick Invitational, next week.

By John Hawkins

Senior Writer @ golfdigest.com

Published on October 18th, 2006

The seemingly ultra-charmed life of Fred Couples hit a few rocky patches in 2006. A divorce from his second wife, Thais, has taken an obvious emotional toll on one of golf’s most affable superstars. There were those embarrassing short misses down the stretch in the final round of the Masters, casting a pall over Couples’ thrilling duel with Phil Mickelson, and just two top-10 finishes in 17 starts.

Currently 106th on the money list, his regular season over, Freddie will finish outside the top 100 for the third time in six years. The scariest news, however, came last month, when Couples was diagnosed with a blood clot in his arm after spending three days in a Columbus, Ga., hospital. Although the ailment shouldn’t have any negative effect on his golf career, no blood clot can be taken lightly. Couples will submit to weekly blood tests for as long as doctors see fit.

The problem began after the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in late August. Couples became severely ill that evening, withdrew from the tournament, then flew to Georgia to meet with back specialist Tom Boers, who has helped keep Freddie’s career going for more than a decade. While visiting with Boers, Couples only began to feel worse, at which point Boers advised him to check into a local hospital. Extensive tests were run over the next three days, but it wasn’t until the middle of September that the blood clot was discovered.

Couples honored a commitment to attend a clinic for the Tiger Woods Learning Center earlier this month but limited his activities to heralding Woods during the exhibition, chatting with the amateurs on various holes and hitting an occasional golf shot. He made his first start since being hospitalized last week in Las Vegas, where his year took yet another wrong turn.

Having made the cut on the number at 5 under, Couples was on the 16th tee late Saturday after thunderstorms delayed the start of the third round. With darkness fast approaching, Couples and Woody Austin began walking in — the group ahead of them was in the 16th fairway, another on the green, and both men figured tour officials would suspend play before they could hit their tee shots.

Although the horn blew about five minutes later, Steve Flesch, the third member of the group, had summoned an official to ask if he could play the hole alone. This obviously alerted those in charge to the fact that Couples and Austin had ended their rounds without notifying anyone, which resulted in both players being disqualified. Although the Silly Season beckons — Couples will tee it up in next month’s Shark Shootout and has his annual reservations at the Skins Game and Target World Challenge — the Vegas fiasco serves as a fitting end to a frustrating year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=hawkins_john&id=2630931

Couples fell sick with a viral illness during last weekend’s World Golf Championship in Akron, Ohio, and his doctor has advised him not to travel, Singapore Open organizers said in a statement Thursday.

Couples, who won the Masters in 1992, was to be one of the headliners at the tournament Sept. 7-10 at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club, which is co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours.

Other top participants at the $3 million Singapore Open include defending champion Adam Scott of Australia, three-time major winner Ernie Els, U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell, England’s Lee Westwood and Shingo Katayama of Japan.