Making the most of modern medicine, Fred Couples went from over-and-out to the rejuvenated winner of his first senior major in the space of six weeks.
Couples’ victory yesterday over hard-luck John Cook on their third playoff hole at the Senior Players Championship at Westchester Country Club signaled a triumph of overseas science and the revival of his career.
“Winning this quickly? No,” Couples said of his expectations following the German blood-enhancement treatment that erased the chronic back pain threatening to end his career.
A long weather delay and left hip pained him yesterday, not his long-ailing back.
“I wouldn’t say I was playing awesome golf before the rain delay, but after, I just didn’t feel good,” Couples said. “I laid down and put my feet up. I was trying to hold on.
“My hip is killing me. I don’t know why.”
He may have pulled a muscle after stopping, then resuming play. He didn’t conceal his concern.
“I feel really nice, especially since I found out I’m going to the TPC,” Couples said. “I feel great about winning my first senior major.
“I just hope when I wake up I feel better than I do right now.”
Couples turned in a steady tournament, opening three back at 3-under, then holding the lead after the second and third rounds before outlasting Cook yesterday.
“This is a course I can handle, and I survived,” Couples said. “It was a little edgy out there today with the wind blowing. I thought, ‘Couldn’t it just be a little easier?’ ”
It hasn’t been easy for a long time for Couples. He said his trip to Dusseldorf for the Orthokine treatment was his last resort at erasing his back pain. Blood was taken from his arm and the white cells were assaulted by tiny glass balls to overproduce regenerative proteins, which are then separated from the blood and injected into the affected areas.
The PGA Tour gave Couples its blessing for the treatment, which is not approved in the U.S. Couples tacitly advertised it when he tapped in a 2-foot birdie on the third playoff hole for his fifth career senior triumph, and first of this year.
“You’re always surprised when you come back,” Couples said. “It was a huge help playing a course I’ve played 100 rounds on.
“You play to win tournaments. It was a fun day, and to win, it’s a good feeling.”
Cook, who has never won a major on the regular tour or senior circuit in 82 tries, led at the 11:52 a.m. weather stoppage at 12-under par. Couples, Cook and Peter Senior, who finished third, rode a merry-go-round from there. Cook held his last one-shot lead with three holes remaining before three-putting No. 16, while Couples scrambled for his par-3.
“Then we both knew what we needed to do. The first birdie was going to win,” Cook said. “It’s tough. I had my chances on the regular tour a couple of times. These are our signature tournaments and I’ve had my chances. I let two go. I don’t know if I let this one go.”
Cook has failed to win a major in 62 tries on the regular tour and 20 more on the senior trail. He won 11 times on the PGA Tour and eight on the Champions Tour, including three this year. But the missing major haunts him.
“I won’t deny that I’m disappointed,” Cook said. “I just didn’t get the job done.”
Finally, on his third playoff chance of his second career chance, Couples did.
