Fred Couples praises resurging Tiger Woods – Golf News
While making his first start on the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, since his last appearance in 1996, the United States’ veteran golfer, Fred Couples, said that Tiger Woods’ presence will still be felt at the Emirates Golf Club even if he is far away,
participating in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, in Arizona.
He was talking to the media after the first round of the Dubai Classic finished on Thursday, about the s*x scandal and the injuries that Woods suffered in the last two years.
Couples, who always backed Woods in his tough times, said that the former number one has recovered from the “biggest blunder in the world”.
“For him not to be able to hit balls for four or five hours a day because of his knee was a huge problem. He is one of the hardest workers. When you’re the No. 1 player, you want to stay there, and you can’t just rest,” he expressed.
Couples selected Woods through the captain’s pick in the 2011 Presidents Cup when he was ranked below top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
That was the time when Couples faced huge criticism as there were many other better options available to him.
However, he put complete faith in Woods and asked him to appear in the tournament.
He added, “I made it perfectly clear to him when I chose him, asking, ‘What’s your game plan?’ He said, ‘I’ll be ready.’ I don’t know how you can have the No. 1 player in the world for 12 years look at you and say that, and then say, ‘You know, I’ll think
about it’”.
He believes that a legend is always a legend. If someone is ranked out of the top 50, then it is not a good justification to tag him as a poor player.
When Woods clinched the winning point for the United States Team in the singles match on day four of the Presidents Cup, he proved that he was the right choice made by his captain.
Recently, he was seen in good form, registering top-three place finishes in the last three tournaments that he played.
Couples said that he would have loved to play against the resurging Woods at the Emirates Golf Club if he could have agreed to make his appearance this year too.
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