With a $87,333,333 check for that performance, Fred Couples is now 31st on the money list, which is only one rank shy of the magical Top 30. At this subject, pgatour.com has an interesting article that summarizes the situation pretty well in terms of what Couples needs if he wants his place at the Tour Championship.

Fred is playing again this week at the Las Vegas Invitational. The man played that event in 2002, but missed the cut with a cumulative of -2 after three rounds.

Playing just ahead of Tiger Woods, Fred still experienced some problems with the flat stick, but managed to get the job done after he took a 2-UP lead with three holes to play.

However, despite Couples’ lead going into the final stretch, the man needed all 18 holes to win, after he missed a 3-foot putt at the 17th hole that would have given him the win.

The shot of the day came at the very first hole, after a poor drive in the rough that landed behind a tree. Couples pulled an iron out of the bag and punched a shot that cut around the tree to land 10 feet away from the hole. He then missed the putt for birdie and a chance to grab an early lead…

Tomorrow, Fred tees off at 10:50 E.T. on the 10th hole. As usual, Fred will need some putts to drop if he wants to get far in that tournament.

Fred is playing this week at the WGC Match Play Championship, but it looks like he will not play his first match against Peter Lonard on wednesday, as the first round of matches was postponed to thursday today.

To consult the brackets of the tournament, follow this link:

http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/scoring/viewable/r470/

� CARLSBAD, Calif. — In an ironic twist, the sun was actually shining when the announcement was made. Quite literally, though, it was the calm before yet another storm in Southern California. So with the threat of another inch of rain overnight being dumped on an already saturated golf course, officials had nothing else to do but postpone the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. The 32 matches originally scheduled for Wednesday will now be played on Thursday for the second straight year. After two rounds on Friday, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played as scheduled on Saturday. The championship then will be contested over 36 holes at La Costa Resort & Spa on Sunday with an 18-hole consolation match that afternoon. “After looking at the golf course and checking the weather report, the committee has decided to cancel golf for tomorrow and give the golf course a chance to drain a little bit,” PGA TOUR Rules Official Mark Russell said. “(We will) allow the golf course superintendent here at La Costa to get his work done, and see if we can give them a little bit better golf course to play on Thursday.” This marks the second straight week the torrential rains have significantly altered the competition at a TOUR event. The Nissan Open had to be shortened to 36 holes last week and was eventually decided in a playoff Monday as Adam Scott defeated Chad Campbell on the first hole of sudden death. And according to Russell, Tyler Dennis, a TOUR rules official who was working with him in Los Angeles last week, said “Riviera looks like a kiddie pool compared to this.” � Water from recent storms flooded fairways during Tuesday’s practice round. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR) � � The weather forecast calls for an increasing chance of thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon and evening. Additional rain is expected Wednesday morning before the skies clear in the afternoon and remain partly cloudy the rest of the week. The relief will be extremely welcome for the weary residents of this weather-ravaged coast. Flooding and landslides have been a staple of the local news. One television report showed a pool that had dropped into someone else’s back yard. Entire homes have been swallowed by sinkholes. No wonder the front-page headline on the San Diego Union Tribune Tuesday was “DRENCHED.” “They’ve had so much rain in Southern California, and the rain they’ve gotten in the last couple of days, … it’s just been difficult,” Russell said. “But based on this weather forecast, it’s going to do nothing but get better.

�

“If we get a day of sunshine and breeze on it, it will get dramatically better, and we’re going to present a better golf course for the players, and the Accenture Match Play Championship is a World Golf Championship and we want the golf course to be as good as it can possibly be under these conditions.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have the leeway to do this.”

Russell said the greens at La Costa are in good condition but the bunkers and fairways are flooded in many cases. A creek that transverses the golf course has risen over its banks, and silt has settled in many fairways.

The excess water is being pumped out of some of the fairways, and lightweight mowers are being brought in with the hopes of being able to cut the grass once the storms make their way across the coast Wednesday.

A field that includes 64 of the top 65 golfers in the world, though, got down to business on Tuesday. La Costa actually was open for practice rounds and will remain open on Wednesday. Any decision on whether to use preferred lies will be made on Thursday prior to play.

Also, a new picture gallery has been added; Gallery 25 ! You will find pictures of Fred at the 2004 Skins Game, as well as pictures of�the 2005 season.

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After an ordinary round of 73 (+1) on thursday, Couples bounced back with a superb 67 (-5) on friday to make the cut. With a round of 70 (-2) during saturday’s round, Couples put himself in good position to finish in the top 10, but shot 77 (+5) in the final round and dropped several positions on the leaderboard.

His cumulative of -1 for the tournament was worth $48,000, enough to move Fred one spot un in the official money list. In other news, Couples maintained his 27th place in the World Rankings.

Couples playing again in Ireland this week

Already in Ireland for the WGC American Express Championship, Fred Couples will play the European Tour this week, as he will compete in the Dunhill Links Championship. Stay tuned for more coverage regarding that event.

Happy birthday Fred!

Fred turned 45 on october 3rd. Happy birthday Fred !

Nice article on Fred.

FREDDIE AND THE KIDS

Fred Couples can work an autograph line better than anyone.

After a 2-under 70, Couples walked over to the iron fence and started signing, looked down a 100-yard row of fans and realized his day was far from over. But instead of walking briskly past the crowd, he bantered with the kids, treating them like long-lost nephews.

One of them asked Couples for his visor.

“I’ll trade you for this one,” Couples replied as he signed the boy’s New York Yankees cap. “This is cool.”

A few yards away, he spotted another Yankees cap and asked how many New York fans grew up in Ireland.

“I like the White Sox,” an Irish boy said with a smile.

“They didn’t make the playoffs,” Couples replied.

Several kids asked him for balls, tees, a glove, anything he had on them. Couples stepped back, grinned and showed his empty pockets, hamming it up.

Another kid asked him to sign a ball.

“Whose is it?” Couples asked.

“It’s yours,” the boy said.

“Great caddie I’ve got,” Couples said under his breath.

The one that really stumped him was the boy who said he was “BEGGING” for his autograph. Couples took the program and noticed his name already at the bottom.

“I already signed this,” he said.

No matter. The boy wanted him to sign it again, and Couples obliged.

Couples will thus fly to Ireland to play an elite field of players starting on thursday. A good performance by Fred at that tournament could mean a possible

Couples started off very strong with an eagle on the par-5 second hole. Back in the top 20 at that moment, Fred hit some very solid shots on the front nine, but failed to convert for birdie on many occasions. Out with 34 (-1), Couples played the back side at even par, with 2 birdies and 2 bogeys.

Fred’s cumulative of -1 through three rounds is good for 21st place at the moment, ten shots shy of leader Stewart Cink but only 5 shots back of the second place. If the man can manage to shoot 65 (-5) on sunday, he could grab his third top 5 of the 2004 season.

Pictures

Thanks to Fred fan bigd for this picture !

Fred Couples gave a great interview following his third round 63 at the NEC Invitational. He covers all aspects including the Sunday round with Tiger, the Ryder Cup, Ben Crenshaw and his life.

Thrid Round Interview