Single minded Couples

IT HUNG on the bank, stubbornly defying gravity. The huge gallery behind the ropes at Amen Corner groaned, gasped and then held its breath, expecting any moment to see the ball trundle down the remaining 12 inches into Rae's Creek. But the gods had ordained that Fred Couples would be spared the almost mandatory grief that accompanies a wayward tee shot to the most famous short hole in golf.

What we had overlooked in this crucial moment of the 1992 US Masters was that the bank fronting the 12th green had not seen a mower that morning. Saturday's hostile weather meant that at 8.15 a.m. on the Sunday, defending champion Ian Woosnam, and five others, including Couples, would become dew sweepers, completing the final holes of their third round. The normal grass cutting between rounds did not take place.

It was one of those remarkable little pieces of luck that seem to happen to potential winners at a critical stage in their surge to victory. Couples admitted later that he had never been more nervous than when sanding on the 12th tee that day. Having survived this notorious destroyer of golfing dreams, ultimate victory would be his.

Now, four years on, we were recalling those breathtaking moments and wondering about this year's tournament. What, I wondered, was the precise combination of talents that went to produce a Masters winner. On the assumption that access were freely available, there seemed little point in asking such a question of a player of the status of Jack Nicklaus, given that it was his golfing destiny to achieve such goals.

In this context, Couples was an ordinary man. When competing for major championships, he had experienced what it was like to be faced with the stark and certain understanding that the water was too deep. It happened when he led the 1990 USPGA Championship in the final round at Shoal Creek, only to toss away the title through a series of missed short putts.

Meeting this likable man, it is difficult to put aside preconceptions about Simple Fred, an image incidentally which he himself did much to promote by suggesting that he preferred not to answer the telephone "because there might be someone on the other end". Amusing as it may be, it remains an accurate reflection of his determination to avoid the turmoil of day to day living.

His victory at Augusta in 1992 did wonders for American morale, given that it followed four successive European triumphs by Sandy Lyle in 1988, Nick Faldo in 1989 and 1990 and Ian Woosnam in 1991. Couples was top of the world in every sense. For 10 months prior to the event, he had played the kind of golf, carded the kind of scores and performed the sort of feats last associated with vintage Nicklaus five victories and 19 top six finishes in 24 starts. He was number one in the world rankings and would set a record by compiling $1 million in prize money in his first 14 tournaments of the 1992 season.

Almost inevitably, it made the business of playing tournament golf more difficult to handle. For instance, the volume of autograph requests meant that he had to allow an extra half hour just to get from the club house to the practice ground. But there was a much higher price the on course pressure coincided with a highly publicised break up of his marriage. That latter consequence forced him to admit later on "It took a lot away from winning the Masters."

That is now very much behind him. He chose the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill last September as an appropriate occasion to announce his engagement to Tawnya Dodd, the new love of his life. The relationship clearly helped his mental state insofar as he captured top prize of $550,000 by winning the Johnnie Walker World Championship last December for a second time, beating Loren Roberts and Vijay Singh in a play off.

With a broken marriage behind him, money clearly matters. When collecting the winner's cheque in Jamaica he said "The million dollars I won here before this year has gone, so maybe I can hang on to this for a while." He need not have worried. Further rewards came at Sawgrass last weekend when he received a handsome cheque for $630,000 after capturing the Players' Championship for a second time, having previously won it in 1984.

When we began talking of Augusta, for which he must now be considered one of the favourites, he straightaway debunked what he perceived as an ongoing myth. "I've never understood all this talk about the Masters suiting the European players," he said. "What's it supposed to mean? Sure, there may be some advantage to them in the fact that the tournament is played at the same venue each year. But I prefer to think that they've won because they happen to be great golfers.

"Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal were all great players when they won the Masters. Otherwise they would not have been able to handle the speed of the greens which they could rarely if ever have experienced in Europe. And most of them are still great players. For instance, Faldo is one of the best chippers in the game Langer has the best short game of them all and Lyle hits the ball a mile. On form, Woosnam is also a top player who knows how to win."

OW we were beginning to get to the meat of things. I put it directly to Couples. Would he pick me a Bionic Master a player who would incorporate all of the crucial talents that went to make up a potential conqueror of Augusta National? An Augusta Caesar. He smiled at the idea which clearly appealed to him.

"Certain things have to happen if you're going to win at Augusta," he said. "For me, I putted great when I won in 1992." Then alluding to the memorable stroke of good fortune at the famous 12th, he grinned and added "Sure, luck is important."

He went on "It's natural to emphasise chipping and putting at Augusta, for the simple reason that if those areas of your game aren't sharp, the nerves are gonna be under a lot of pressure. For instance, your confidence needs to be really high when a 25 foot downhill putt goes four feet past the hole. Perhaps that explains why we haven't had the sort of winners in the over 40 age bracket that we've seen in the US Open.

"Sure, Nicklaus was 46 when he won in 1986, but with Jack, anything was possible. I see him as an exception to prove the rule. Ben Crenshaw would be another exception. How many other players have been able to maintain such a terrific putting stroke into their forties?

Despite all the talk we hear of long, high hitting, I don't think length is particularly important around Augusta. Sure, it's desirable, but not critical. It's also a course where level par is not a particularly difficult score. But you know you have to make birdies to have a chance of winning and when you start taking risks, you may find that par is very difficult indeed."

Couples then got down to specifics. "You've asked me to name the top player for each aspect of the game," he said. "I'll do it from the green backwards. In picking these players I am looking at guys who have either won there, or who have played it often enough not to be intimidated by the special challenge of the place."

Putting "Ben Crenshaw. I love that putting stroke. It was made for Augusta's greens, as he proved by winning the Masters twice. I don't see any serious challenger."

Chipping and pitching "Bernhard Langer.

He has the best short game in the world no argument about that. Everybody talks about Seve's famous parachute shots and other aspects of his short game, but I think Bernhard is more consistent, certainly nowadays. We don't really know about Jose Maria (Olazabal) because of his foot problems, but even at his best, I would not have considered him as good as Langer."

Short irons "Seve. He is still the master at manoeuvring the ball from distances of around 140 yards in. He shapes his shots really well and can land the ball soft, which is important on sloping greens.

Medium irons "Nick Price. I reckon that was the key to Nick's course record at Augusta in 1983. Whatever the venue, his mid iron play is always exciting to watch. It seems that the contact is never less than solid."

Long irons "Nick Faldo. I am a great admirer of Faldo's ball striking, but especially with the long irons. This is very important at the par fives on Augusta's back nine and also at certain par fours, depending on the conditions.

Fairway woods "These shots are unimportant to people like me, except possibly at the long eighth, where I can give the three wood a blast. Some players have a liking for four or five woods railers which can be very useful at Augusta. The best player I have seen with these particular clubs is Tom Watson. In fact his general ball striking seems to be improving with the passing years."

Driving "Greg Norman. I would be happy to play Norman's drive anytime, but especially at Augusta where long, straight hitting is a real bonus." But what of Couples's own driving? "Yeah," he replied. "I wouldn't mind playing my own drives, but if I was to look to anyone else, it would certainly be Norman.

Taking an overview of his selections, he went on "I could name Corey Pavin for the short game, but his major victory has been in the US Open and we're talking here specifically about Augusta. It would also be possible to name Faldo or Norman for almost any category, they're that good."

And what of temperament? "Well, you're looking at Faldo there, too," he said. "No matter how careful you are, it always seems that you're going to do some stupid things over the four days of the Masters. And that's particularly true of the last round. In contention, you're going to be nervous over every shot, but you know the other guys are feeling the same way and the trick is to control your nerves. Faldo's good at that. It would be hard to find a better competitor around Augusta."

Couples was introduced to golf by his father, who worked in the Parks and Recreation Department of Seattle. A natural aptitude for the game was soon apparent, leading to a USPGA Tour card through the players' school of 1980. From then on, he appeared to make steady progress, with regular tournament victories. Yet, for all that, serious doubts persisted about his temperament on the big occasion like the swan, a visible serenity could hide frantic thrashing beneath the surface.

We saw his frailty in the famous Ryder Cup match against Christy O'Connor Jnr at The Belfry in 1989. And again in the USPGA Championship at Shoal Creek. Everything seemed to change, however, when he returned to the Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island in 1991 and prospered under the guiding hand of Raymond Floyd.

A particularly poignant moment at Augusta in 1992 was the sight of the veteran Floyd, beaten once more into second place, with a congratulatory arm around his protege. Now, when Couples talks of a relaxed approach to the game, he is more readily believed. "I try to stay loose. I don't mind if the guy I'm with shoots 10 under or 10 over I'm out there to have fun."

Couples will be taking the drive down Magnolia Lane this week, in the honoured role of a former champion. A special place will be set aside for him in the Champions' locker room. No doubt, his comments will be sought as an authoritative source on how to win at Augusta. During practice, students of the golf swing may notice a change in the Couples style from last year.

While retaining one of the most delightfully fluid swings in the game, he has squared up his stance so as to reduce the strain on a suspect back. As a consequence, the swing plane is more up and down, though lacking none of its remarkable power, as Colin Montgomerie was prompted to remark when they played together in Dubai recently.

Eventually, after what seems to be an inordinately lengthy preamble to the great event, it will be time for him to go to the first tee for his opening drive on Thursday. While contemplating the carry of 255 yards over the cavernous bunker dominating the right half of the fairway, perhaps the thought will come to him that he would prefer if Norman were hitting the drive.

But for all our imaginings, he will know that golf is essentially a solitary game.