Fred Couples considers Phil Mickelson the best bet for the Masters this year
The winning President’s Cup Captain is in the groove again after winning on the Champions Tour last week and is hoping to take his Champions Tour confidence to next month’s star-studded Masters.
Couples won the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on March 25, taking over Michael Allen by one stroke.
Winner of the 1992 Masters, his only major title in his otherwise grizzled career, Couples is well aware of where he stands at this moment in his career.
He said, "You have to hit an equal tee shot and very good second shot just to think about making pars (on the PGA Tour), that's what I try and do".
Considered as one of the veterans on the PGA Tour, Couples qualifies to be part of the field at this year’s Masters primarily through his victory in 1992 where he defeated Raymond Floyd by two strokes in the final round.
Those were the times when Tiger Woods hasn’t shown up on the international arena and the sports was well poised among several star players in the world.
Phil Mickelson, another close friend of Couples, remains his hot-favourite for the event and the veteran considers Augusta National as Mickelson’s favourite hunting ground.
He added, "Augusta National (is Mickelson's) playground. It is for me, too. If that's how you look at the place, you're always going to play well. I would consider Phil to be a favourite every year. You get the Rory McIlroy and Phils, that (can) shoot 66, 67".
Regardless of his recent win at Champions Tour, Couples is not ready to exaggerate his position in next month’s coveted event.
He knows well how Augusta National can play with the nerves of the players in the field. He said, "If I shoot four of them at the end of the week, I'm in a great spot".
Couples will be fighting a stiff battle against the rampaging Rory McIlroy and a resurging Tiger Woods, apart from Mickelson whom he considers the best bet in the event.
Couples will be playing at the Shell Houston Open this week at the scenic Redstone Country Club, hoping to reignite his PGA Tour form before heading into the first major event of the year.
Tags: