From the Canadian Press last week:

DUBLIN, Ohio — At the age of 48, Fred Couples knows his days among the elite players in the world are dwindling. Not much longer will he be able to fight his balky back, not to mention a long list of players half his age.

Still, he’s driven to play in the biggest tournaments against the best players.

That’s why he’s willing to hang around an extra night in a hotel room after this week’s Memorial Tournament to play a 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier at two courses in Columbus.

The finality of it all – or at least the possibility of it being a swan song – also pushes him.

“I want to play because it’s probably going to be my last U.S. Open,” he said of the next major in two weeks at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

So he’ll get up at the break of dawn on Monday and drive to Brookside Golf and Country Club for his first 18 holes. After a quick lunch, he’ll stretch his back and play 18 more holes at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course.

At his age, and with his painful spinal problems, 36 holes can be torture.

“I don’t know the two courses,” he said Friday. “I have to make a lot of birdies because I’m sure I’ll make some mistakes in 36 holes. But I’ll give it a shot.”

Couples, who won the Memorial in 1998 and has finished second in two of his last three visits, shot a 71 Friday to finish 36 holes at 1-under 143. He’s still in contention.

But after 28 years on tour, he knows his limitations. He also knows that just walking, let alone playing well, at an extremely difficult Muirfield Village is enough of a trial.

“This course is enough to make you want to rest,” he said. “Then 36 holes Monday; it’s going to be tough.”

Unless he someday wins a Senior Open, thus getting an automatic spot in the U.S. Open, he recognizes that he might be asking too much of his body.

This may be his last shot at going through a gruelling 36 holes to have a chance at playing in another U.S. Open.

“I just don’t know,” he said softly. “If I get in this year, and don’t play well, and I’m not in next year, to do that again … I think my days are done.”

This performance might however be quite difficult to achieve, especially�on a sunday at the US OPEN. The pin locations will be very tricky, and players will have to take advantage of the few birdie opportunities they will get.

In the third round, Fred got off to a slow start for the third day in a row, but fought back with two birdies (including his first one on a par-5 this week) to get it back to even par after 10 holes. The man unfortunately made a bogey on the way home when he both missed the fairway and the green at the par-4 16th hole.

Tomorrow, Fred must shoot his best round in years to win the US OPEN. Also, a round of 70 (E) or 71 (+1) could secure a second top 10 in a row in a major, which would be huge in terms of Ryder Cup points. In fact, this rating system doubles the points when it is a major tournament.

So far this week, fans should be proud of Fred’s performance considering the fact that he thought of withdrawing due to the poor quality of his game. Without a doubt, the shot he holed from the rough on thursday saved his tournament, and probably the rest of his season. Couples has not been playing well since the Masters, and the missed cut at the Memorial was sure painful for both him and his fans. Banking another high finish in a major could be a�huge confidence boost heading into the British Open, the PGA Championship and hypotetically the Ryder Cup.

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Again this year, fans around the world saw�a golf course that has been modified to the extreme, with narrow fairways and high rough. As Fred fan and Forum member “Three putt” reports, Fred played a very solid round of golf on a course that is brutal.

“[I followed] Fred for 12 holes [and]�I thought I’d share my experience with you all. First, make no mistake about it this is Burma Road of golf. Whoever wins this tournament will have been through hell and back. Don’t get me wrong the course is beautiful but the set-up is beyond penal and tough to watch. The rough is absolutely brutal; the best they could do was grab a wedge, take a huge rip and hope to move it 30 yards back to the fairway. We’re talking 5 yards off the fairway and the balls buried and you’re hoping to get up and down from 130 for par. I mean�[Jose Maria Olazabal]�played great- I can’t remember a bad shot- he ripped the ball off the tee, hit solid irons and his usual short game and the course just ate him alive.

Now as for Fred. For those of you who question his heart or desire what I saw today was the heart and guts of a champion. A quick summary of the round: Freddy left his driver in the bag most of the day and struggled off the tee with his 3-wood (again it’s all relative at the Open since stuggling in most cases is within 5 yards of the fairway). [...] [He] hit laser irons and after the first 5-6 holes putted great. Given his struggles finding the short grass he could have easily mailed it in and walked off with a 80 but he gutted it out from tee to green and made some of the most incredible par saves on the course….

Hole by hole (I missed the first 5 holes but got a recap):

1) Drive in rough, hack out, green, three putt (double)
2) Bombed the driver, iron to 10 feet, missed birdie putt
3) Green, two putt par
4) 3-wood to rough, hack out, green, two putt bogie
5)3-wood to rough, hack out, stiffs his approach, misses 7 footer for birdie, two putt par
6) iron off tee, rough, hack out, green, two putt bogie
7) inside 10 feet, missed birdie putt, par
8) which by the way is an impossible hole- tough tee location, long and dog leg right… 3- wood through fairway, hack out of the rough 30 yards, holes out from fairway. Unbelievable shot that turns the whole round around.
9) absolutely ridiculous- 515 yards. Bombs 3-wood to middle of fairway, stiffs approach to 12 feet, just misses birdie putt, tap in par.
10) short sides himself into green-side bunker with pin maybe 10 feet off fringe. Great shot out of sand to 10 feet, drains putt for incredible par save
p11) 3 wood to right rough, hacks out to 100 yards, stiffs wedge to 8 feet, drains another great par save
12) 620 yard monster. 3 wood to left rough, punches out maybe 100 yards, has an impossible third- uphill lie to a tucked green 250 or so away- hits bomb just short of green in rough, pitches 10 feet past, makes very slippery down hill putt for third straight par save.
13) slightly pushes tee-shot, on the green but short and right of hole, solid two putt par.
14) driver to middle of fairway, iron to 12 feet, just misses sliding birdie putt. solid par.
15) 3 wood to left rough puts Freddy in tough spot with creek maybe 60 yards in front. has two opitons pitch out or try and carry over creek. goes back and forth finally decides to take a rip at it. hits it clean and carries creek. hits good pitch out of rough but no way to stop ball from releasing past hole. misses tough put coming back. tap in bogie.
16) bombs driver to middle of fairway, hits laser to 6 feet, drains putt- birdie.
17) loses drive right into tree line, hits unbelieveable shot out of rough, under trees, through the green to back rough, great flop to 5 feet. makes putt for another big par save.
18) finally finds first cut w/ 3 wood, iron over flag to middle of the green, two putt par. “

The turning point of today’s round came at the very difficult par-4 8th hole. Plus four through seven holes, Couples had missed another fairway, and had to punch out for his second shot. Then, about 130 yards away from the hole, the man holed out�his approach for a spectaculer birdie, that completely changed the allure of the round. From then on, Couples started gaining momentum and played an�near perfect round,�going through�the back side at even par.

You can see a short clip of Fred’s amazing shot by clicking the following link:

http://www.usopen.com/…noon_highlights.html

It is quite difficult to estimate what could be the winning score on such a setup. While some people say that +4 could be the number, others still think that the desire of the USGA to make Even par the winning�cumulative will occur again this year. One thing is sure; Fred cannot drop many more shots if he wants to stay in contention. As the week will progress, the course is going to play more and more difficult, and a round of 70 (E) is probably going to be worth gold. On friday, fred must shoot 70 (E) or 71 (+1) to stay in the thick of things. Still playing with Jose Maria Olazabal and Mike Weir, Couples will tee off in the afternoon.

Since the dramatic finish at the Masters earlier in april, it looks like Fred Couples lost some of his touch. In fact, the man made only 2 cuts in 4 tournaments, one of them being the Memorial, event�where hopes were set up pretty high. Depspite that fact, Fred enters the second major of the year strong of his top 15 earned last year; his best US OPEN performance in many years.

Although it’s a different course (Winged Foot), conditions will still give a huge advantage to�good ball strikers. If Fred can manage to regain his Masters shape, there is no doubt that he could sneak in the top 15 for a second consecutive year. After all the missed opportunities since april, a good finish would help Fred a lot in his quest of earning a Ryder Cup spot.

This week, the big story will probably be the rough on the�course. As usual, the USGA tried to modifiy the golf course in order to have a winning score around even par. While for some people�it can be interesting to see the best players struggle, it is an incredible nonsense�to others. Indeed, Fred Couples and Davis Love III were playing a practice round on wednesday afternoon, and neither of them had hit a green from the rough through 14 holes.

Friday: 8:36 AM

Partners: Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain), Mike Weir (Canada).

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For the second time this week, Couples played the first nine under par, as he made the turn with 34 (-1). Then on the back side, after a birdie at the par-5 10th hole, Couples found trouble again at the par-4 12th, hole that he bogeyed every single day this week. Fred however managed to finish his round at even par, which was an excellent score.

Following Fred’s round, the field came back to him, and he slowly moved up the leaderboard from the 25th to the 15th place. Couples cashed $88,120 US for his performance, and earned precious Presidents Cup points. With Jack Niclaus in control of Team USA, could Fred be a captain’s pick this year?

Fans will be pleased to see that Fred is playing again this week at the Barclays Classic. Stay tuned for coverage!

Starting on the back side, Couples found trouble once again at 11th and 12th, carding two bogeys. Making the turn with 36 (+1), Fred then bogeyed the first hole for the second straight day, and dropped two more shots before the end of the round, en route to a second nine 38 (+3) and a performance of 74 (+4).

Middle of the pack with two more rounds to go on a course that will get tougher and tougher, Couples cannot be considered as out of the tournement yet. The man will however need to shoot two stellar rounds if he wants to put himself in serious contention. While sevral fans still think that Fred has a 66 (-4) in him, any round of par or better will be excellent for him.

Many golf experts are saying that the winning score at Pinehurst No.2 could be over par, but assuming that it happens, it will probably not be five over par, which is Fred’s cumulative so far at the US OPEN.

Starting on the front side, Couples did not card a single par until the 8th hole. In fact, the man began the day with two bogeys, and then bounced back with an impressive streak of three birdies in a row. Into red figures at that moment, Fred then bogeyed the par-3 6th hole and the par-4 7th hole, to drop back to +1 for the day and an eventual first nine of 36 (+1).

On the back side, Couples managed to shoot even par, with two birdies, two bogeys and five pars.

Four shots off the leaders, Fred is still in the thick of things. However, the man will have to be more efficient on the greens, especially when it comes down to par saves within 10 feet. As many fans mentionned, the Pinehurst no.2 course really suits Fred’s ball flight well, and this year might be one of Fred’s best shot at the US OPEN title.

Tomorrow, Fred will try to take advantage of an early tee time to get back to even par for the tournament. The course is expected to get tougher as the week will advance, and under par scores will probably become quite rare.

Even if Fred does not usually play his best golf on US OPEN courses, TV analyst Johnny Miller lists him as one of the players who could get away with the title this week.

The line is one of the more poignant about a game that isancient and royal. In American golf, we were told in Sports Illustrated, “the sun sets on Pebble Beach and rises on Pinehurst.” So similar those two courses, both cherished and historic, both available to the public, if in Pebble’s situation at fees, now more than $400 a round, which make them nearly unavailable.

So similar and so different, one on the coast, one in the woods, but together places that have stood the test of time and graphite-shafted drivers.

Pebble was the first non-private course at which a U.S. Open was played, in 1972, and our championship, America’s championship, has been held there four times in all, the winners as esteemed as so brief a list could contain — Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tom Kite and Tiger Woods.

Pinehurst, in the sand hills of North Carolina, maybe an hour’s drive south of Raleigh, joined the rota in 1999, when the late Payne Stewart won on that dramatic 18-foot putt on the 72nd hole.

Now Pinehurst, specifically Pinehurst No.2, the most famous of the eight courses in the complex, is the site for the 105th U.S. Open, which begins Thursday, the quickest return to a course for the Open since the event was played at Cleveland’s Canterbury in 1940 and 1946.

Johnny Miller knows Pinehurst No. 2. He won something there in 1974 called the World Open, beating Nicklaus, Bob Murphy and Frank Beard in a playoff. Miller knows U.S. Opens. He won in 1973 at Oakmont and had seven other top-10 finishes, including a tie for eighth at his home course, San Francisco’s Olympic Club, in 1966 when he still was an amateur.

Where we know Miller, now 58, is from TV, as an opinionated and insightful announcer for NBC, which will be televising the Open; as an opinionated and insightful author, the paperback version of his book “I Call the Shots” having been released; and as a course architect, whose newest project, Eagle Vines, opened this weekend across from the Napa Airport.

Six years ago at Pinehurst, Phil Mickelson was second, a shot behind Stewart, and Woods and Vijay Singh tied for third, another shot behind. Six years later you’d pick any of them.

“Those three guys have to be feeling darn good about their chances,” Miller said. “Vijay, Tiger and Phil, and then you add (Retief) Goosen, who won two Opens, and Ernie Els, who also won two Opens, and you have a Fab Five as good as you’re going to get.”

There’s an axiom, popularized in the 1950s by Dr. Cary Middlecoff, that you don’t win an Open, an Open wins you. The Open won Middlecoff in 1956. And it has won so many of the greats, from Bobby Jones through Ben Hogan through Nicklaus through Tiger to Goosen, one of the reasons they deserve to be called great.

Yet for a while, the U. S. Open was being taken by players the late Jim Murray referred to as ribbon clerks, such as Orville Moody, Lou Graham and Scott Simpson, men of skill but little fame.

Until they took the Open. Then they became infamous. “How dare this guy win the U.S. Open?” With difficulty, with resolve.

“It’s all about iron play,” Miller reminded of what is demanded in the Open, not that anybody who’s watched players chop out of the rough needs reminding. Pinehurst, however, is a bit different.

The rough is shorter. The greens are higher, as in elevated, with bowls, and slippery sides that can bring a frustrated individual to swat at a moving ball as it trickles down the slippery sides, something of which John Daly was guilty in 1999.

“You need to be a high-ball hitter, high, and a straight or fade hitter,” Miller said. “Look at the great iron players. Look at Vijay, who is the best ball striker in the world right now. I would pick Vijay.”

A rare situation, three of the top five golfers in the world rankings coming back to an Open course on which each had a chance to win on the final nine.

“Those three, plus Goosen, Els, Freddie Couples and, even though he’s played bad most of the year, Davis Love, because for some reason he always plays well in the Carolinas,” Miller said.

“Tiger? If he drives well, he will win. It’s all about his driving.”

At any Open, it’s about playing golf well. Sunrise. Sunset.

Art Spander has earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He can be reached at

In 1995, the last time the U.S. Open was contested at Shinnecock Hills Golf Course, Fred was in the midst of one of his worst seasons on tour. He missed the cut at Shinnecock – his third missed cut in a row. His best finish that year coming into the U.S. Open was a tie for tenth at the Masters – finishing well back of winner Ben Crenshaw. Fred’s best finish at the U.S. Open was in 1991 when it was contested at Hazeltine. He finished three shots behind Scott Simpson and eventual winner Payne Stewart. However, coming into that tournament Fred’s best finish in the weeks leading up to the tournament was a tie for tenth at the Buick Classic. He continued his hot streak from the U.S. Open going forward – winning the next week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and posting top fives at the Western Open and the British Open. He is in the midst of a very hot streak now – could this be the week that he gets hot enough?

Even though Fred said last week that he’s sick of talking about it, it’s all in the back. A trip to Korea earlier this year, which many people questioned why he would take such a long flight given his back troubles, coupled with a very sore back led him to try acupuncture for the first time. Call it voodoo, magic or medical therapy – it worked. He finished fifth in Korea and then came back to the U.S. striking the ball as good as he did during his hot streak in 1998. His tie for second at the Memorial was his best finish since his win last year in April at the Houston Open. He followed it up last week with a fourth place finish at the Buick Classic – only a Saturday 74, in which he fought with a lot of pain in his back, separated him from the trophy.

The next three majors are all going to have a similar appearance to them – links style. But that’s really where the comparisons end. Shinnecock, despite its appearance, will play much like any other U.S. Open course – it just won’t have many trees. Royal Troon is this year’s host for the British – next to St. Andrews, this course probably sets up best for Fred than any other on the Open rota. He’s finished in the top ten both times he played in the Open at Troon – playing in the