Fred Couples pulls away on the back-nine to claim Champions Tour win
It was shaping up to be a battle between the two most recent U.S. team captains.
Corey Pavin, who served as captain in the Ryder Cup earlier this month, held a two-stroke lead over Fred Couples, who captained the 2009 President’s Cup, through 10 holes in the final
round of the Administaff Small Business Classic. But the battle fizzled, with Couples going one way while Pavin went the other.
Couples, 50, won the Champions Tour event in dominant fashion with a seven-stroke victory over Marc Wiebe, earning $255,000 for the victory. Couples went 16-under-par on the weekend at
the Woodlands Country Club course to finish at 17-under for the event. It was the fourth win of the year for the Champions Tour rookie.
“I don’t know if I putted like that on the PGA Tour, ever,” said Couples, who had only 24 putts in the final round. “I used to putt well and once you hit your mid-40s, every putt is important.”
Pavin’s two-stroke lead over Couples through 10 holes quickly evaporated when Couples posted two consecutive birdies on holes 11 and 12. While Couples went eagle, birdie on holes 13 and
14, Pavin, winless so far in his rookie season, carded two bogeys on the same holes to drop five shots behind with four holes to play.
All in all, Couples posted a 29 on the decisive back-nine while Pavin could only manage a disappointing 40. Couples had seven birdies, two eagles, and one bogey for a final round score
of 63.
“That was something,” said the 1992 Masters champion. “I played well yesterday and I felt I’d play well today. I assumed one of us (in lead threesome) would win. To be honest, I hit the
ball well and made a lot of putts and it all added up to a 63.”
Meanwhile Pavin, known amongst his colleagues as the “Bulldog” for his aggressive play, will continue to chase his first Champions Tour win.
“Fred played great, it was a pretty amazing nine holes,” he said. “It was tough to keep up with him. I wasn’t playing well anyway. I was out in front of the ball today. I struggled all
day and it never turned around. Things weren’t clicking, I’ll try again next week. I haven’t played much golf lately, only the second event since Oregon. I hope to compete the next two weeks. It would be nice to get a win.”
Wiebe finished alone in second-place with a final round 71, Dan Forsman and Brad Bryant finished one shot higher with a pair of 66s, while Pavin and John Cook both tied for fourth at eight-under
for the event.
Bernhard Langer, with five wins on the year, sits atop the Charles Schwab Cup standings, with Couples 535 points behind the German in second place. The top-30 in the standings qualify
for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship, beginning Thursday 4 November. Pavin currently sits in the 22nd position.
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