Happy 65th birthday to Fred Couples! 🎉
The man nicknamed "Boom Boom" is one of the game's most popular players and is revered for his picturesque golf swing.
The Seattle native rose to stardom at the University of Houston where he roomed with five-time TOUR champion Blaine McCallister and renowned CBS Sports broadcaster and three-time Emmy winner, Jim Nantz. Couples played for the Houston Cougars men’s golf team from 1977-1980, earning All-American honors his last two years.
Turning professional in 1980, Couples had his first PGA TOUR victory in 1983 at the Kemper Open. He dominated in the early 1990s, elevating himself to the No. 1 ranked professional player in the world in 1992 and won PGA TOUR Player of the Year back-to-back in 1991 and 1992.
For the first time in his career in November 2005, Couples recorded back-to-back victories on the DP World Tour, becoming the first to do so since Charles Coody in 1973.
Making his first PGA TOUR Champions appearance at the 2010 Mitsubishi Electric Championship, Couples finished runner-up to eight-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, Tom Watson. That same season, he became the first player in Champions Tour history to win three of his first four career events (ACE Group Classic, Toshiba Classic and the Cap Cana Championship).
Between the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and DP World Tour, Couples has amassed 32 wins and 106 top-3 finishes.
Couples has made 105 appearances at major championships including 39 appearances at The Masters where his only major victory came in 1992. In 2023, he made history at Augusta National when he became the oldest to ever make the tournament cut at age 63. That week he also moved into second all-time in total cuts made behind legend Jack Nicklaus.
The World Golf Hall of Fame member’s 23 consecutive cuts (1983-2007) at The Masters is tied for second overall with nine-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, Gary Player, and behind 15-time major champion and 82-time TOUR winner, Tiger Woods.
Also a fixture for the United States in team competitions, playing on five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup teams. He captained the winning U.S. Presidents Cup teams in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
Couples has made an everlasting mark in the world of golf and continues to be respected among all players of the game.
“Freddie is a great guy, a fun guy to be around. He obviously gives this ‘cool’ persona, and it looks like everything is always ‘chill,’ but man, he’s got a massive fire that burns,” eight-time TOUR winner Billy Horschel said. 