Topic: Fred Couples

Frederick Steven Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament.

Couples was born in Seattle, Washington, to Tom and Violet (Sobich) Couples. Fred's paternal grandparents had immigrated from Italy, and changed the family name from "Coppola" to "Couples" to make it sound less ethnic. His mother is of Croatian descent. His father was a groundskeeper for the Seattle Parks Department and the family, which included brother Tom, Jr., and sister Cindy, lived in a modest house on Beacon Hill. Nearby was the city's Jefferson Park golf course, where Fred developed his signature loose, rhythmic swing in order to gain enough distance to keep up with the older kids. Couples attended O'Dea High School in Seattle and 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 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).