SIDEBAR: Evergreen Couples shows he still has it

By Peter Auf der Heyde Apr 8, 2011, 22:13 GMT

Fred Couples of the US reacts to the gallery on the seventeenth hole during the second round at the Augusta National Golf Club during the 2011 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, USA 08 April 2011. The Masters tournament will be played through 10 April. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO

Augusta, Georgia - The first time Fred Couples played at the Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club Rory McIlroy had not even been born.

While the young Northern Irish professional finished Friday's second round three-under par to stand 10-under for the tournament, the 51-year-old Couples played himself back into contention with an excellent four-under 68 that saw him tied in sixth on five-under for the tournament.

As a winner of the Green Jacket in 1992, Couples has a life-time invitation to play at the most exclusive tournament in the world, which is the only one of the four majors to extend such an honour to previous champions.

But Couples did not need that criteria to participate, as he also qualified as one of the top-16 finishers from 2010.

'Everyone loves the course, I am the same. It is my favourite tournament,' he said.

'It is a good golf course for the way I hit the ball. There are not many of those around, but I score well.

'Even though I was not feeling that great coming into the tournament, I still feel like I can shoot some good scores on this course.

'Yesterday was 71, and if I would have shot a 71 or a 72 today that would have been great also, but instead I played a little better and shot 4-under.'

Traditionally many former champions take the opportunity of playing in the Masters when they are well past their prime and Couples said that he would look at that situation when it came.

'I don't know when the day that I am not competing but just being here will come. But when it does, then I'll have to figure out why I am still out here playing at Augusta.'

But like good wine, Couples seems to mature with age and on Friday played excellent golf - his round of 68 was better than three of the four rounds he played when he won the tournament in 1992.

It thus seems likely that he will be competing at the Masters for some time to come, rather than just playing because in 1992 he earned the right to do so.

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