Making the most of modern medicine, Fred Couples captured his first-ever senior major title Sunday, beating John Cook on their third playoff hole in the Senior Players Championship at Westchester CC.
Only six-weeks removed from blood-augmenting treatment in Dusseldorf, Germany that relieved chronic back pain, Couples tapped-in a birdie putt on the third playoff hole for his fifth career senior triumph, and first of this year.
Cook and Peter Senior trailed Couples by one stroke entering play Sunday, but Cook had grabbed the lead when play was halted because of thunderstorms at 11:52 a.m. Cook had gone 2-under before the 1:53 delay, while Couples stood even on the day through seven. Senior joined Couples in second place with one birdie through those seven holes.
When play resumed at 1:45 p.m. after a stoppage of 1:53, Couples and Senior immediately completed their suspended eighth holes with bogeys, while Cook made a sandy par from a trap for a two-shot lead. The leading threesome all parred No. 9 and birdied No. 10. Cook gave back a stroke to Couples and Senior with a 3-putt bogey on No. 11, and fell back with a bogey to share the lead with Senior on the 12th, where Couples also bogeyed.
Cook regained the sole lead with a birdie on No. 13, and Couples joined Senior at one back with a birdie on No. 14. Senior bogeyed 15 to drop two behind Cook.
On the par-3 16th Couples gave out a groan as he launched his 3-iron wildly right to the grandstand, yet scrambled for par and a share of the lead when Cook 3-putted for bogey. They finished regulation that way, with Senior one back and taking third place.
Cook made a 6-footer to save the first playoff hole, while Couples 3-putt from 40-feet on the second playoff hole, No. 18 again, allowed Cook to remain alive.
On their third playoff hole, No. 17, Couples hoisted his second shot from the rough to within a foot, and Cook couldn’t make his 20-footer, leaving Couples a tap-in for victory.
Cook has failed to win a major in 62 tries on the regular tour and 20 more on the senior circuit. He had won 11 times on the PGA Tour and eight on the Champions Tour, including three previously this year, his last victory came in July in Montreal. He won for the first time on the Champions Tour in his second start, 19 days after turning 50, in October, 2007.
