Couples was born in Seattle, Washington, to Violet and Tom Coppola, who changed the family name to "Couples." His father was of Italian and his mother of Croatian descent. He first played golf on Seattle's public golf courses, including Jefferson Park, developing his signature loose, rhythmic swing in order to gain enough distance to keep up with the older kids. Couples attended O'Dea High School and later the University of Houston, where as a member of the Houston Cougars men's golf team he roomed with Blaine McCallister, another future PGA Tour player, and future CBS television broadcaster Jim Nantz. His first PGA Tour victory came at the 1983 Kemper Open. He has amassed 15 total PGA Tour victories, including the The Players Championship twice (in 1984 and 1996) and one major victory, The Masters Tournament in 1992.
Couples has been named the PGA Tour Player of the Year twice, in 1991 and 1992. He also won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average each of those years. He has been named to the United States Ryder Cup team five times (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997).
In 1992, Couples spent 16 weeks at the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings, after one of the hottest starts to a season by a PGA Tour player ever. Starting with the Nissan Los Angeles Open (where he defeated Davis Love III in a playoff), Fred won two tournaments and finished second in two others (plus broke the course record at the TPC at Sawgrass with a third-round 63 in The Players Championship) in the five weeks leading up to The Masters. At Augusta, Couples carried over his momentum, shooting in the 60s in each of the first three rounds to hold second place heading into Sunday. After a shaky start to his final round that allowed 49-year-old Raymond Floyd to claim the lead, Fred took it back with 18- and 20-foot birdie putts at the 8th and 9th holes, respectively, then saved par on a slick 6-footer at 10. At 12 (perhaps the scariest par-3 in the world), Couples barely cleared Rae's Creek in front of the green, but his ball stuck in the rough instead of rolling backwards into the hazard. Sensing that destiny was on his side, Couples held off Floyd the rest of the way, completing Augusta's treacherous back nine with eight pars and one birdie to win his first Major. The win pushed Couples past the $1 million mark in earnings on the season as well, by far the fastest any player had reached that plateau.
Couples is sometimes called "Mr. Skins" because of his dominance in the Skins Game. He has won the event five times, accumulating US$3,515,000 and 77 skins in 11 appearances. He won five of the Skins Games overall (1995, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004). Because of his dominance at the Skins and other off-season events like the Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship, Couples is also known as the "King of the Silly Season," referring to the exotic made-for-TV events staged in the winter that are better known as the "silly season". Couples was frequently accused of "choking" in his early career, with mistakes in the 1989 Ryder Cup and the 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek often mentioned. However, he became the first American player to reach the number one position in the official World Rankings in 1992 (other Americans had, of course, previously been the world's number one player, from Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones to Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus; but the "official" World Ranking points system was only instituted long after the peak of their careers and simultaneously with the rise in worldwide golf beyond the U.S., Great Britain and Ireland). His only major, at The Masters that year, came with a stroke of good fortune at the 12th hole. Hitting an 8-iron, Couples' tee shot landed on the rough at the edge of Rae's Creek; although his ball rolled back towards the water, it incredibly remained on the bank.
Couples is a frequent visitor to Great Britain, and has an excellent record in the Open Championship, where he has finished several times in the top ten. His best places are tied 3rd in 1991 at Royal Birkdale -shooting a last round 64, and tied 3rd in 2005 at St Andrews. He completed his first visit to St Andrews in 1984 on a spectacular high by holing his approach at 18 for an eagle on the final day.
Back problems have, at least in part, truncated Couples' career. His swing features an extreme shoulder turn at the top, which, combined with the fact that he keeps his left foot flat on the ground throughout the backswing, puts a lot of pressure on his lower back. However, with an abbreviated schedule and a little help from swing coach Butch Harmon, Couples is still one of the best players on Tour. In 2003, at age 44, Couples finished 34th on the PGA Tour money list. That year he also won the Shell Houston Open, his first win in five years; Couples wept with joy after the win, but quickly explained the tears: "I'm always emotional when nice things happen to nice people," he quipped.
In April 2006, Couples challenged at Augusta, making a Sunday run at what would have been his second green jacket before finally bowing out to eventual winner Phil Mickelson, with whom he was paired in the final round. Had Couples won, he would have been the oldest player ever to win the Masters at 46 years, 6 months, and 6 days old -- supplanting Jack Nicklaus, who, coincidentally, won his final Masters 20 years earlier and also at the age of 46. His competitiveness in the tournament was an encouraging sign for his career. "I didn't hit the ball like I was 46," Couples said.
Couples' part in the USA 1993 Dunhill Cup win included victory in all five of his matches, and his overall record reads: played 16, won 12, lost 4. In 2004, Couples won the Dunhill Links Championship Team Event at St Andrews, partnered by New Zealand amateur Craig Heatley.
In 2005 Couples sank a crucial putt in the Presidents Cup, securing an unlikely 1-shot victory over the International team's best player, Vijay Singh. This match proved to be pivotal in the contest. Couples has now played Singh three times in Presidents Cup match play, and has yet to lose.
Couples was sidelined for virtually the entire 2007 PGA Tour season because of health problems. However, he did compete in the 2007 Masters, making the cut for the 23rd consecutive time, tying the record held by Gary Player. Couples missed the cut in 2008.
Couples was named as Presidents Cup captain for the United States team on February 26th, 2008.
He currently resides in Palm Springs, California.
Major championship is shown in bold.
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
