Couples rips ‘nutbag’ Mickelson
Fred Couples, PGA Tour loyalist, thinks Phil Mickelson is a bit nutty.
Couples spoke this past week to Randy Youngman of The Orange County Register about a range of topics concerning the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which has been lambasted throughout its two-year existence.
The 63-year-old Couples called Mickelson a “nutbag,” but clarified that he considers the lefty one of the 10 greatest golfers ever and “still” likes him.
Nevertheless, Couples said he feels Mickelson was wildly overpaid by LIV Golf, considering his current abilities.
“If you’re willing to give Phil Mickelson $200 million at age 53 to shoot 74 and 75, God bless you,” Couples said.
Couples and Mickelson are longtime friends and was teammates on the United States’ Ryder Cup team in 1995 and 1997, but Couples was highly critical of Mickelson’s decision to join LIV Golf last year.
“I don’t have a problem with LIV. What my problem has been when I tweet every now and then, is what these guys say when they go to the LIV Tour,” Couples said.
Couples mentioned Cam Smith — not by name, but as the 2022 British Open and Players Championship winner — and admonished him for having said, “Now I can have birthdays and go to the weddings of my mates.”
“I find that comical because my favorite to ever play has five kids, 40 grandkids and he has never missed anything — and that was Jack Nicklaus,” Couples said.
Couples, who won the 1992 Masters, also expressed annoyance with “all these other clowns, like Sergio [Garcia],” who criticized a PGA Tour ruling before defecting to LIV Golf in 2022.
“Just go to the LIV tour, but stop blasting something I’ve been a part of for 42 years,” Couples said.
“That’s my problem with [LIV golfers]. They’re all bashing the PGA Tour, and that affects me a little bit.”
LIV Golf has landed a TV deal with The CW, a broadcast network known for entertainment programming as opposed to live sports, which drew a veiled shot from Couples.
“It was [watching] the CW a couple weeks ago, or whatever that channel everybody is laughing about,” he said derisively.
“I turned it on three times. It was so bad, I couldn’t even watch anyone that I liked.
“They don’t show ’em. … Who won the last one? I don’t even know.”
Charles Howell won the $4 million champion’s purse at LIV Golf’s first event of 2023 with a 15-under last month in Mayakoba, Mexico. The second event began Friday in Tucson, Ariz.
The Cowboys are re-signing quarterback Cooper Rush as Dak Prescott’s backup on a two-year contract. Rush, who signed the deal worth up to $6 million, led Dallas to a 4-1 record when Prescott was out with a broken thumb last season.
The Patriots agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million with free agent tight end Mike Gesicki, ESPN reported, after five seasons with the Dolphins.
Bengals left tackle Jonah Williams has requested a trade after the team agreed to terms with Orlando Brown Jr., NFL Network reported.
The Eagles and quarterback Marcus Mariota have agreed on a one-year, $5 million contract, according to multiple reports.
The Buccaneers officially released running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate.
The Bills released wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie in a salary cap-saving move following a season in which the sixth-year player struggled in an expanded role.
In Jackson, Miss., the state Department of Human Services said this week that a judge should ignore a request from Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre to be removed from a civil lawsuit that seeks to recover misspent welfare money in Mississippi’s largest-ever public corruption case.
Kramer Hickok