Fred Couples and Tiger Woods were photographed together during a practice round at the 2024 Masters, a familiar sight that carried a different edge this time. Couples said Monday he had already texted Woods after the car accident and arrest, then stepped back, saying it would not make much sense to get involved any further.
The 66-year-old Couples knows something about playing through pain. He has battled debilitating back problems for nearly half his life, and two years ago at Augusta he warmed up with only his driver and 3-wood because short irons caused acute discomfort. In the first round that week, he wanted to quit but stayed in the field because he did not want to throw his playing partners out of sync.
That history is part of why his comments about Woods landed with such weight. Woods had his most recent of seven known back procedures in October to treat a collapsed disc and compromised spinal canal, then was arrested on March 27 on suspicion of DUI. Police said Woods told them he had taken prescription pain medication earlier in the day, and they found opioid pills in his pocket. On March 31, Woods said in a statement that he was stepping away from the game to seek treatment and focus on his health, adding that he was working toward lasting recovery. A Florida judge approved his request to travel overseas for comprehensive inpatient treatment on April 1.
Read Also: Anthony Kim Highlights First Masters Since 1994 Without Woods, Mickelson
Couples and Woods have been tied together for years, from the 1997 Ryder Cup to Masters practice rounds, dinners and text messages. Joe LaCava, Couples's former caddie, spent 12 years on Woods's bag, and in 2022 Woods called Couples “my dad on Tour.” That relationship is why Couples said he could still imagine saying one simple thing if he saw Woods now: “I’d tell him I love him.”
The tension in the story is that the golf world keeps talking about Woods as a champion, even as the more urgent issue is treatment and recovery. Bubba Watson said Monday that he “always” pulls for Woods and, more bluntly, that he is rooting for him “as a human being,” not for his golf. Jason Day made the same point from another angle, saying Woods is not immune to addiction just because he can hit a golf ball well and that pain after procedures can create a downfall with painkillers.
Read Also: Bubba Watson not in Masters field as Jason Day calls Tiger Woods' crash 'selfish'
Couples said that if Woods is “in Switzerland,” then he must be at a place that can help him, and that is what matters most. He said he is paying attention. So is everyone else who has watched Woods try to manage his body, his game and now a far more serious fight.
