Fred Couples voted for the World Golf Hall of Fame under PGA Tour category
The former world number one Fred Couples has been voted for the World Golf Hall of Fame under PGA Tour category. The announcement was made on Wednesday, September 19, 2012.
The induction ceremony will be held on May 6, 2013, at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.
After hearing his name being added to the Hall of Fame, the former Masters champion looked really pleased and stated that it was one of the biggest days of his life.
Couples is no doubt one of the best players the US soil has ever produced. He won a total of 15 PGA Tour events during his career.
In 1992, he became the first ever American player to reach the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings.
At that time, he was at the peak of his form as he started the 1992 PGA Tour season with a victory in the Nissan Los Angeles Open. Two weeks later, he bagged another title when he won the Nestle Invitational.
In April 1992, he joined the league of major winners, by defeating Raymond Floyd with a two-stroke margin at the Masters Tournament.
He also represented the US team in five Ryder Cups and captained the winning US Presidents Cup team, in 2009 and 2011.
While making the announcement, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem stated that Couples has been a fan favourite for decades, not only because of his on course performances, but also the off-course activities around the world.
"Fred Couples is one of those unique players whose talent and accomplishments are Hall-of-Fame calibre, as are his personality and popularity," Finchem said.
Couples is now set to participate in this week’s Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club.
"What a great day for me. I guess I won a popularity vote here," he said with a grin. "For me, it's truly an honour. I hope a lot of people - I don't want to say respect my game - but understand that to be in the Hall of Fame you've got to be a very, very
good player”.
"I don't consider myself to be a great player, but I think I've been a very good player. I've played great at times,” he added.
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