INTERVIEW OF FRED COUPLES

DAVE SENKO:   Fred, 64 today.  Can you take us through your day.

FRED COUPLES:  Sure. The second hole I hit a sand wedge to a foot, made birdie. 

On No. 3, hit a 2‑iron to about 12 feet and made it for eagle. 

No. 7, I hit another good drive and a sand wedge three feet. 

No. 9, I got very lucky, I drove it to the right and I had an opening, and I hit it through the opening, but it still caught what I thought was a little bit, not of a branch, but of a little tree and it got through it and it went up on the green about four feet from the hole with an 8‑iron out of the right trees, and I made birdie there. 

And then on 10, I pulled a drive up against a tree, hacked it out left handed, pitched it on and 2‑putted for bogey. 

And then on 15, par‑5, I hit it in front of the green in two, chipped it to about seven or eight feet and made birdie. 

16, I hit a wedge, probably 20 feet and made birdie. 

18, made about a 15‑footer for birdie. 

Q.            You finally had to hit an iron longer than a 9‑iron today?

FRED COUPLES:  Yes, and I didn't hit a lot of great ones.  I did hit a beautiful one on the third, a 2‑iron.  Actually I hit 5 and 6‑irons to 5 and 6.  Those were playing pretty good.  I putted really, really well.  But the course, any golf course, when it blows 15 or 20 miles an hour is going to play difficult.  And this golf course was harder today than it was yesterday, and I think the scores dictate that.  Overall there are still some low scores. I know Tom Lehman is up there. Lu is up there. So it will be, depending on the weather tomorrow, I don't know how good or bad it is supposed to be, but it will be a shoot-out. You got to keep birdieing holes out here.

Q.            Did the rain soften the greens before you teed off today, the hour before?

FRED COUPLES:  Yes, a little bit, they were soft. It just was damp. It never really, even though the wind was blowing I'm sure that dried it up a little bit. It just was a damp, cool day.

Q.            You had like the best round of the day and hit 5 fairways, you were just able to knock it around and get in position?

FRED COUPLES:  Well, on No. 9 I got very lucky. That's a really hard driving hole. But I did not hit a great drive. It just kept cutting. You know, it was hard to hit the fairways.  I hit them, to be honest with you, the one on 10, I was aiming to the left trying to push it and let the wind go, and actually the wind was more down.  That was really terrible.  That fairway is wide and there is rough left and rough right, and I hit it up against the only tree over there. 

You know, I drove it just in the rough several times.  I didn't hit it very good; maybe on the sixth hole I drove it well to the right.  But it was hard.  It's cold.  You are trying to draw them into the wind. 

Then I just started hitting them hard to be honest with you. I was driving it so good yesterday.  I said I'm not going to get cute out here, but I didn't hit many fairways. A couple of them were with irons. 

Q.            It wasn't a thing where you were spraying it everywhere?

FRED COUPLES:  I wasn't in the rough. I wasn't blasting them all over the golf course. But, yes, I was three or four steps in the rough several times.

Q.            What were your options on 9?  It looked like you hooked it over for a while. 

FRED COUPLES:  That was a pretty good gap. What I was trying to do is hit a really good shot, not just get it through there and go way left. 

So I kept thinking about the wind, and not to make sure I got it through that gap and ripped it over the green.  Because to be honest, I knew I could get it to the hole.  I did nick something up there.  But I was just trying to figure out, take my time, and hit a really good shot.  Not like I had to play left, way left on the green, because the wind was helping me and it came out perfect.

Q.            Did you have to fade it around the tree on 6? You missed the fairway about 20 yards to the right?

FRED COUPLES:  Yes, I did. But the wind was helping too. So I just had to get it through those palms and let the wind ride it a little bit and it turned out perfect.

Q.            Fred, you know you have been out enough all of these years, you see the thing when Tiger leaves a green and people like move to get ahead. I noticed today and yesterday they were doing this the same like when you were finished putting they would take off and they would move.  Did you notice it at all?

FRED COUPLES:  No, I didn't. Today was great. Yesterday was great because the weather was perfect and there were a lot of people out there.  Today, we had a great gallery and Ronnie Black is playing very, very well and I didn't notice any of that. I'm kind of checking them out. I'm sure they are trying to get to the next tee to watch us hit.

Q.            So you don't see it, you don't think about it at all?

FRED COUPLES:  No. I mean I know if I putt out they are going to leave. So a lot of times if I putt up close to the hole, I will mark it and maybe they will stick around to see if I'm going to make a 2‑footer or not. 

But today, I'm not saying I didn't notice them, but I noticed that the gallery would take off a little bit.  But it's not something that I thought about.

Q.            You and Tom were tied for 14th in Phoenix last week and there you are back together at the top of the leaderboard. Do you remember playing in any of the final groups with him?

FRED COUPLES:  No, I don't remember any final pairing. But I played a lot with him. It's been a while.  I haven't played with him on TOUR in a couple, two or three years. But he plays very well, and I can see on a day like today the way he penetrates the ball through the wind if he made a few putts he would do well, and he did.

Q.            He mentioned yesterday that he had some trouble reading the greens, probably because of the lack of experience.  You said today you putted really, really well.  Did you kind of pick some things up from reading the greens yesterday and apply them just on the greens in general?

FRED COUPLES:  No, I think he is correct. They are very small greens, and they are a little bit tricky. To be honest with you, in two days I probably misread a couple of putts. But most of it is speed. If I don't have a real birdie putt, I'm not interested in knocking a 30‑footer five feet by. They are in very good shape. They are just a little damp and a little waffly, and I putted well today. That will be a key tomorrow too. 

I would agree with Tom.  When you look at a putt, you have to look at it and watch the other guy's too. It helps if they are anywhere near you, just to get a feel for them. Because some break toward the ocean and some don't. There is no easy rhyme or reason. I've only played the course three times.

Q.            How did the back hold up?

FRED COUPLES:  Good, it feels good.

Q.            You didn't have any shots today, you mentioned the shot yesterday there was a ball below your feet where you felt it tighten up, no shots like that today?

FRED COUPLES:  Not so much. I got through ‑‑ nothing today.  I actually felt better today than I did yesterday.

Q.            Is it not too disastrous to miss the greens here the way the rough is around the green?

FRED COUPLES:  No, it's not. You are correct, there is not a whole lot of thick rough, but there is some delicate little shots. Yesterday, I didn't miss too many by a lot, but I missed one where I had to come up over the bunker.  I didn't want to get too cute, but I hit a fairly good pitch. 

The shorter shots you got to fly from me to you, those are easier than they could be, and the greens are kind of soft so you can carry it within a certain area and not let it get away from you. 

And the rough off the tees, it's just right there to make it not simple, but it's not difficult. There is not a whole lot of rough out in. That's kind of why I'm electing to hit driver on maybe two or three other holes just to blast it way down there. If I do hit a good drive, it's a good feeling. If I pull it in the rough I still have a sand wedge left.  I'm pretty sure I can get that on the green most of the time.

Q.            So 64 is a really good score?

FRED COUPLES:  I played a great round, I really did. I hit it solid. I didn't hit every green.  But the best thing is when I had a putt to make birdie, I made most of them and that's why I shot ‑‑ I was 3‑under after 3.  And 5‑under after 9 and then closed out to pull ahead a little bit which will certainly help tomorrow.

Q.            Fred, your third tournament of the year, third time you are in contention, the favorite, when is the last time you remember you were always the favorite?

FRED COUPLES:  When you were about 3. 

(Laughter). You know, I had a pretty good little four- or five-year span where I played well every week, but not nothing like I have a shot tomorrow winning again and we will see what happens. 

I think that's why I'm going to enjoy playing out here. 

I feel like everyone has a time, and when you are at 50, and you are a good player, which I think I am, you should be a competitor out here. 

When I am 53 or 54, that will be a little bit different story, or 51, I don't really know. Maybe next week or tomorrow.  That's how it is.  It comes in stretches. 

I'm the youngest guy on this Tour, and I feel like because I played in the PGA TOUR last year, that I should be able to come out here and compete and learn the courses and play. That's a hard thing, too.  That's a tough thing for young guys on the PGA TOUR. 

They go play Riviera.  I say that because we are an hour from there. I've played 130 rounds of golf there or more. Some other guy plays one on a Tuesday practice round. I should have an advantage no matter how good he is. 

But as he gets older, he is going to start putting the whooping on you, and you get to know the courses. So for me, this is a good course. You got to learn it.  If I keep putting well it's going to make it a lot easier.

Q.            It seems like the game has got a lot more fun for you. Do you think next year you are going to try to sneak in more tournaments on the PGA TOUR, other Majors on the PGA TOUR?

FRED COUPLES:  No, next year my days will be done on the PGA except for Augusta and probably Riviera. But I think I'm done with that stuff.

Q.            Have you thought about Hale Irwin's all‑time winning record on this Tour?

FRED COUPLES:  No, I won't be able to play that long. I really won't be. I would like to, but I don't think I can. He and Gil Morgan, even Trevino, Jay Haas, these guys play well, they play a lot.  Hale Irwin's record out here ‑‑ I was looking at it, it's mind boggling, He is in the Top‑10 every single week, and he wins years ago three or four or five, six times.  That's a pretty good record.  I'm not qualified for that.

Q.            You are 50 under on the Champions Tour, 8 rounds, that's pretty good?

FRED COUPLES:  Yes, you know, I mean it's been good. I'm putting well. I keep saying that which is not abnormal. But, you know, I'm that many under because I'm holing a lot of putts, and I hope I rise that total up more tomorrow because playing with these guys, I'm going to need to.  But it should be fun.  I'm hoping to play well and enjoy it. This is a great tournament. There is a lot of people out there, even on a mediocre day, and I think for all of us we like playing in front of people and this is a great tournament.

Q.            Now with Tiger on the PGA and the field here today it seems like the Champions Tour has got a better feel right now?

FRED COUPLES:  I have heard that since I was 40, 42, 45, now 50, and I had a friend come watch yesterday, and he made that comment, he says I'm watching, there is yourself, Lanny Wadkins, Lee Trevino, Bernard Langer, Curtis Strange, there are all of these names, he has seen so many times.  They all don't play incredible golf, but most of them do and he loved it.  He didn't go to Hawaii, and he didn't go all the way to Florida, but he made that comment.  That is true. There is a lot of great quality golf out here. Lee Trevino shot 72 yesterday. Gary Player is shooting mid‑70's. He is a very old man and still plays very well?

Q.            He still does one-handed push‑ups?

FRED COUPLES:  He is in better shape than I ever will be. That's the thing about this Tour. I've known it all along because I see how good these guys play. And Jay Haas will tell me how good Dana Quigley is and Mike Goodes. These are guys that I don't know them well, but you come and you watch them for three minutes on the range and you figure out why they are so good, they hit the ball extremely solid, and they hit the ball well, and they are excited to be out here.