Couples, 63, sets mark by making another cut

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fred Couples had played mediocre golf by his standards the past four years, and the 1992 Masters champion hadn’t played the weekend since 2018. Well, Couples got to finish his second round on Saturday.

Then keep playing.

The 63-year-old fan favorite had to finish his second round, which was suspended Friday because of the weather, and ended up 1 over for the championship. That was good enough to make the cut, which came at 3 over, and for Couples to break the mark for oldest player at the Masters set by Bernhard Langer during the 2020 tournament.

“That was my objective, and I did it,” Couples said, before adding: “It’s not like, ‘Ha, ha, ha. Now I can screw around and play 36 holes for fun.’ I’m going to try and compete. Play a good pairing with some younger guys and watch them play.”

Couples has made 31 cuts at the Masters, trailing only the 37 that Jack Nicklaus made during his career. At one point, he made 23 straight to tie the record set by Gary Player, and which was equaled by Tiger Woods later Saturday. “I feel like here I can compete with myself to make the cut,” said Couples, who had fallen to 4 over with nine holes to play in his third round when play was suspended. “I can’t compete with Viktor Hovland or Jon Rahm or anybody, but I can compete with myself, and that’s really why I come. That’s what I like to do is make the cut here.”

Tree trouble handled

Augusta National crews made quick work disposing of the three towering pine trees that fell near the 17 th tee late Friday afternoon during the second round, forcing postponement of play.

All that remained from the uprooted trees Saturday morning, some 18 hours later, was three 10-by-10-foot roped-off areas and some small wood chips from where workers cut up the trees before hauling them away and filling the holes with dirt. Two of the areas were covered with green gravel and another with pine straw.

After second round play resumed,

Sergio Garcia strained his head peering over patrons after hitting his tee shot on 17 hoping to catch a glimpse of where the trees once stood.

“I was standing on the right side, which is near 17, right by the back right bunker on 16 lining up my putt,” 1987 champion Larry Mize said. “Then all of a sudden, I heard it, and I looked around, and I saw the trees.

“I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, people, get out of there,’ ” Mize said. “Thank goodness no one was hurt.”

Several workers were still discussing what had happened, with one calling it a “miracle” that no one was injured.

Despite what happened, dozens of spectators walked past, paying little attention to the dozens of pines — many around 16 to 24 inches in diameters and at least 50 feet high — still standing. Some simply passed through on their way to other destinations, while others watched players tee off at 17 or the action on the nearby 16th green.

Purse gets bump

The Masters announced its total purse this year will be $18 million, an increase from $15 million a year ago, and the winner will get $3,240,000. That’s more than the entire Masters purse of $3.2 million 25 years ago.

None of the majors has matched the PGA Tour’s $20 million purse for elevated events, and The Players Championship has a $25 million purse. The next major is the PGA Championship, and PGA of America officials have been waiting to see what the Masters would do with its purse. The PGA Championship also was at $15 million last year.

The US Open purse last year was $17.5 million. The British Open purse was $14 million.

Meanwhile, the individual purses for Saudi-backed LIV Golf events are $20 million.

LIV is strong

Twelve of the 18 players from the LIV Golf circuit made the cut, led by four-time major winner Brooks

Koepka, who was leading at 13 under when the third round was suspended.

Three-time champion Phil Mickelson and Joaquin Niemann were at 4 under and tied for eighth, while Patrick Reed was at 2 under and Cameron Smith at 1 under. That means five were among the top 23 and ties when play was halted.

The others making the cut were 2020 champion Dustin Johnson, 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel, Talor Gooch, Abraham Ancer, Mito Pereira, Harold Varner III, and Thomas Pieters. “For sure,” Smith said, “I’d love to see one of us guys get up to the top of the leaderboard and really give it a nice shot.”

Mize and Lyle bow out

Two former champions bid farewell to the Masters as competitors when

Sandy Lyle and Mize completed their second rounds in the cold, driving rain. Lyle was on the 18th hole and Mize another hole back when play was suspended Friday, and both decided they would rather come out to hit a few more shots than withdraw.

“Sandy’s a good friend, a great champion, and to finish off with him is pretty cool,” Mize said. “Yeah, I liked that.”

The 65-year-old Lyle won his green jacket in 1988, the year after the 64year-old Mize chipped in for birdie in a playoff with Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman to become the first Augusta native to win the Masters.

Knowing they would have just a few shots left as competitors, how did Lyle choose to spend Friday night?

“A lot of tequila,” the Scotsman said, “and a bit of whiskey tasting at about 1 o’clock this morning.”