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 Fred Couples, shown here at the 2010 Toshiba Classic, has won three of his first four Champions Tour starts (PHOTO: Eddie Meeks). Couples made his senior debut in January’s Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and lost to Watson by a stroke. Since that runner-up finish, Couples has won his last three starts, most recently at the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic. The La Quinta resident is the first player ever to win three of his first four starts on the over-50 circuit, and the first player since Jay Haas in 2006 to win three events in a row. For Couples, the Cap Cana victory was the most dramatic of the three. Beginning Sunday’s final round two strokes behind leader Corey Pavin, who vaulted into first place thanks to a course-record 63 in the second round Saturday, he made 11 total birdies — including five in a row on two separate occasions — to shoot 62, shattering Pavin’s short-lived mark at Punta Espada Golf Club. “It was an unbelievable day,” Couples said. The 50-year-old Couples finished at 21-under par, two ahead of Pavin, who reached 19-under thanks to a 6-under 66 — not exactly a disappointing effort, but one that saw an unfortunate break. On the par-4 14th hole, Pavin’s approach ricocheted off of a greenside sprinkler head and bounded 60 yards past the green, leading to bogey. “I did a lot of things that were very good out there today, and one bad break does not make a tournament, but it doesn’t help any,” said Pavin, who will captain the United States Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales later this year. Not only has Couples began his career with wins in three of his first four starts, he’s posted a sub-70 total in each of his 12 rounds, one behind the record of 13 straight sub-70 rounds posted by Hale Irwin in 1999. For the year, Couples has a 65.7 stroke average and hasn’t posted a cumulative tournament total higher than 200 strokes. He’s made nine bogeys in 220 holes. Couples’s previous two victories came at the ACE Group Classic and the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club in Orange County. Murrieta resident Tom Pernice finished tied for fourth at Cap Cana with a 13-under-par total. Visit PGATour.com for a complete leaderboard from the Cap Cana Championship. ALSO SEE: Toshiba Classic: Final-round photos of Fred Couples Couples makes it look easy with Toshiba Classic win Toshiba Classic: Pavin posts first Champions Tour top 10 |
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