Sports

Couples Masters cut streak halted at 23

• Fred Couples is unable to make a Masters cut, missing his 24th consective weekend by one stroke.

Scott Chancey

AUGUSTA — Fred Couples had made 23 consecutive cuts at the Masters. That streak had to end sometime.

After he missed a couple close putts, the 1992 Masters champion failed to play into the weekend at Augusta National Golf Club for the first time, finishing with a 4-over-par 148. The cut was 3 over.

“It’s been a long time,” Couples said. “It’s been fun.”

Couples bogeyed the par-4 fifth and 11th holes, and tried to rally down the stretch, birdieing the 13th and 15th.

He even had a chance for eagle at the 13th.

“Well, it was a 40-footer, and it looked pretty good,” Couples said, “but it rolled down there and that was the first birdie I made for the day. I just didn’t make enough birdies. … you’re not going to shoot good scores if you’re not making a few birdies out there because there’s a lot of hard holes and you’re going to make bogeys.”

The trend Couples set at the Masters could have affected his play.

“I think I set my sights a little high (Thursday) and I went out and I struggled and I tried to hit better shots than I could, and I went from 2-over and 3-over to 4-over, and you’re kind of done,” he said.

That, in effect, left Couples as disappointed as he was in not making the cut.

“The reason I have the streak is because I won in ’92 (past winners are invited back to play in every Masters), which was the big honor, and to make the cuts, to be quite honest with you, I don’t consider it that great of a deal,” Couples said “I’m kind of disappointed in that. But I’m really disappointed with the way I played.”

MUCH BETTER

Augusta National is more forgiving this year, and it shows with the scores.

Nineteen players are under par after two rounds after last year’s winner, Zach Johnson, won  with a 1-over-289 while in windy and dry conditions.

What gives?

“I don’t really know how to answer that question,” said Trevor Immelman, who leads with an 8-under 136. “You know, you just know what’s in front of you. You know it’s going to be tough, and you just go out there and play.

I’ve never been one to think about  a score. When the breeze starts picking up – we’ve been fortunate with the weather, but when that breeze starts kicking up, it becomes awfully difficult out there.”

Augusta National, since last year’s Masters, made changes to four holes (Nos. 1, 7, 9 and 11). One of the most significant changes was at the seventh, where the green where six feet were added to the left of the green, allowing the possibility of two-to-three pin placements.

Steve Flesch, who had Friday’s best round, a 5-under 67, had mixed emotions about Friday’s round on the course.

“Not as fast as I would like it to be,” he said. “I need a little more roll out there on the fairways. I like to hit some more mid-irons and shorter irons into the par 4’s, but that’s just how it’s going to be. It’s still a little damp, I don’t see the ball running in the fairways all week and I’m sure the greens will get firmer and faster. But it’s as tough as ever.”

HOMETOWN STRUGGLES

So much for an Augusta native becoming the first to win the Masters since Larry Mize did it in 1987. Augusta native Charles Howell III finished 4 over, and Augusta State product Vaughn Taylor was 7 over.

Howell’s 2-under 70 could not offset the 78 he scored Thursday. That was far from the results Howell was expecting.

“I had some really good practice rounds coming in and I started hitting the ball a lot better the last few weeks and I was looking forward to it,” Howell said. “If a few more putts had gone in, it would have been a little easier, but it’s getting there.”

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