August 14, 2026 • 31 mins
In the fourth hour, Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain are joined by Seattle-native and golf legend Fred Couples, who talks about the Boeing Classic this week, how he’s currently hitting the ball, future retirement, a PGA Tour stop in the Northwest, the future with LIV Golf, Tiger Woods’ situation, the frustrating Seattle Mariners, and equipment changes.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'll tell you what you think about our favorite Native sons.
Then we do a poll about the greatest Seattle athlete
ever and did this guy win it? By the way,
he is a former Oday Fighting Irish legend, nineteen ninety
two Masters Champion, Top twenties and Majors. I was forty
two top twenties and majors. But looking to add one
(00:21):
more and that's the Boeing Classics starting tomorrow. Fred Couples
joins us right now on the show Freddie, How are
you man?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey Softy, Hey Dick. You know I'm doing great. I'm
up here. I playing the Prolam today. I'm all excited
about that and I've heard the courses in absolutely perfect shape.
So it's another year of the Boweing. And you know,
for me personally, this is uh, you know, I tell
everyone Augusta is my favorite event in the world, and honestly,
(00:51):
the Boeing is probably one be and the reason being
is obviously luckily, you know, I played in the US
Senior Open at the Holly when I turned fifty, which
was incredible. And now I get you know, I think
this is the sixteenth year of the Boeing, and not
(01:11):
just I, but as you know. You guys know all
the players love it. We just love coming up here.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Well, let's talk about that, because you've come close. You've
been third place twice, what twenty fifteen, twenty nineteen. I
think we've asked you before. I think we all understand
what it would mean to you. But give us your
thoughts on what it would mean to Fred Couples to
walk out of here this weekend with a trophy.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah. Well, you know, I have a lot of in golf,
A lot of people just remember bad things. And I'll
have a pro am today, right, and I'll tell the
guy while I was a great bunker shot, Yeah, but
I think and I'm like, yeah, but you hit that
bunker shot like Stuart or you know, Stuart Sink or
some other tour player was very very good. So all
(01:55):
I remember is having a nice lead and shooting I
want to say seven, about four or five years ago.
And it still haunts me today. And you know, it
was just one of the weirdest rounds. It doesn't matter
if I was in Seattle or Chicago or Spain for
all that matter. When you're leading the tournament, you know
you're a little edgy. I went out and I birdied
(02:17):
the first pole and all hell broke loose and I
was just awful, absolutely awful. So I'm I'm trying to
make amends as they get older and just compete and
play well. And I have a great pairing tomorrow with
with Darren Clark and Stuart Sink, so you know, I'm
excited about that. The weather looks to be perfect, so
(02:37):
it'll be a big week.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
How you playing right now? I mean we saw you
last couple of years of Augustin and you look great.
I mean, you've been right there on the on the
cut line at the biggest tournament in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I actually feel okay. I have not played much since Augusta.
I I know this is the next that was early
April and this is the next term and I've played
in so that's a long time to go. And I
don't even know, I don't even know how many weeks
that is or whatever. But I started to practice about
twelve days ago, you know, to get ready for this,
(03:11):
you know, a hit and miss. I mean, I've gone
out and worked really hard for me at my age,
and I go, I'm hitting the ball really well. Then
the next day I'll they'll play it and it's kind
of mediocre, and you know, we're all kind of spoiled.
We want to play well. I'll be sixty seven in October.
(03:32):
I said to anyone that will listen to me, I
don't want to play golf, you know, mediocre where I
can't even compete. You know, it'd be a miracle to
win this week, no matter how much I played, even
if I was playing ten or twelve times, and I
felt like I was a little more polished because these
guys are just so good. The younger guys come out
(03:53):
and they and not all of them, but a lot
of them dominate. You know, you get the Zach Johnson's
and then you know Stuart thinks a little older, then
you get Steven Alker, and you get them all, I mean,
Darren Clark. Everybody wins and they get these little roles
and they feel really really good and comfortable, and then
you get other guys. You know that I always look
(04:14):
at I'm amazed that they haven't won a Champions Tour event,
and then you look and you go, yeah, but it
ain't that easy. So it's just one of those things.
And for me personally, I think I'll be very, very
excited for my tea time tomorrow and you know I'll
hit it off the first team and then just keep going.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah. Well, Fred Couples is with us on the air,
and you mentioned being sixty seven later this year. And look,
I'm not trying to run you off the golf course.
We want you to play as long as you want
to for God's sakes, right, But have you thought it
all about kind of post competition post golf. I mean,
you'll always play the game, obviously, but maybe you won't
compete as much as you're doing now. Have you thought
(04:52):
about maybe another career or another way to be involved
in golf when this whole thing kind of backs off
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
The answer to that would be no, I haven't thought
about it, and I don't plan on un wish. You
guys want to open up a restaurant and run it
and then yea with the winning thirty three and the third,
I'll do that. But no, I'm I'm I'm really. You know,
I have a stepson who's starting in college. Actually, Suzanne
(05:23):
and he drive up with his father and a friend.
They got three cars caravan with all this stuff to
go to University of Pacific. So I'll have some volleyball
for four years, we'll watch him play, and that to
me is a really, really, really fun And I know,
you w has always had a pretty good women's volleyball team,
and I've really in the last five or six years
(05:46):
enjoyed watching it. But for me, you know, I say
this all the time people, I'm a very quiet guy.
When I get around you know, my gumbas, I have
a blast, But it's very difficult for me to think
I could really you know, I enjoy building golf courses,
and I've gotten a couple more in line coming up,
(06:08):
so I won't certainly start trying to do one or
two a year, but that really is something that I
can spend a lot more time on and not just
totally rely on on on Brian Curley, who is the
main architect. But I like, I liked golf. I really do.
When I'm at home, I kind of get it. Pairing
(06:31):
every two or three times a week in the desert especially,
and I play with my life, you know, at least
one day a week and it's like twenty minutes of balls.
I go play and the next thing, you know, four
hours is over, and I feel like I've at least
accomplished something. I don't know what that is, but it's
certainly I'm not going to venture out and you know,
(06:52):
do much.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I don't know about you, Dave.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
That sounds like a good life at sixty seven. I mean,
I'll take it. I'll take it a fifty three. Where
do I sign? Where do I sign? Fred Couples joining
as well? You mentioned designing golf courses. How about up here,
you get a design one up here, maybe that we
could put a PGA Tour event.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
At you know, I hope so and I and let's
talk about that PGA Tour event. You know, I listened
to our commissioner speak and he listed several cities. And
you guys would know more than me. I know my
best friend up here, Johnny Back, and you know, he
thought he's more involved. But let's get a PGA tournament
(07:28):
up here. I mean, I honestly think that the Boweling
Classic is one of our best Champions Tour events for
a lot of reasons. One, we're playing in August normally,
the weather is absolutely stunning. The TPC Golf Course is really, really,
really a very very good golf course. It's hard to
walk for a lot of spectators because there's you know,
(07:51):
a little bit going on here and there, but they
all find their pockets. But if we could get a
PGA event up here and shy, I know we've had
a couple of them, but man, it would be a
home run. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Well, we talked about what course would be suitable, right,
I mean, this isn't you know, the late nineties anymore.
Right with the PGA Championship coming to Sahali. These guys
are hitting it long, they're hitting it far. The infrastructure
needed with VIP tense, TV trucks, all kinds of stuff.
Hospitality areas is way different, Fred than it was twenty
(08:24):
five years ago. Like when you think of Sahali now,
when you think of the home course now, for example,
I mean, heck, maybe even Pumpkin Ridge down in Oregon potentially,
do you see a suitable location as is right now?
Honestly that could host a PGA tour stop.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
You know what, that's the number one question. And you guys.
For me, you know, I'm lucky enough to be an
honorary member at Broadmoor and at Useless Bay, so I
play a little bit. But we talk about golf courses
and even yesterday we were talking about Seattle Country Club.
We were talking about Chambers Bay. We didn't get down,
(09:03):
we didn't get down into Oregon. But you know, you
hit it two minutes ago, how far they hit the ball.
And these tournaments that are locked in, you know, they
built some new teas and the members they don't care.
They never see them. They don't even have to play him.
But you know, three hundred and twenty hour drives is now,
you know, it's not a freak show. It's almost everybody.
(09:26):
And then you get roaring, and you get Jake Napp
and you get the longer hitters hitting at three point thirty,
you know, and they laugh at golf courses that you know,
they have five hundred and five yards Part four, that's
a whoopy do a guy hitting at three hundred and
thirty yards, you know, he's got a seven iron left
or an eight iron as far as they hit it.
(09:47):
So when you look at Augusta and now, let's just
go to Augusta National real quick. That's in April, and
it's not seventy five degrees and perfect every day. As
a matter of fact, sometimes it's cool and a little breezy,
and it's you know, it's it's wet, so the ball
doesn't go far.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Right.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Then if you play that in August, you know it'd
play a lot shorter, but it'd be a lot firmer
and be a lot tougher. So when you come to Seattle,
you know, you guys know you play. If you get
a nice March day, go out and play any of
these courses. Good luck. You know, four hundred and ten
yard hole is a monster. But now you go play
it today in August. You know, no matter who you are,
(10:25):
if you're a ten handicap or twenty or two, you
play the right peas and it becomes easier. So you
can't build the rough up. These guys know there's rough.
They all get driver on most of the holes. Unless
there's something out there that don't stop them, like two
ninety or three hundred, then they got to lay it up.
But you know, so Holly would be the first one
(10:45):
Chambers Bay out the US Open. I don't know what
they're scheduled, if there's anything coming, but the bottom line
is if in back the PGA Tour came up here
with their with their guys and look, they would find
a place and they they would get you know, twenty
to thirty thousand people a day at the right time
of the year. You know, you can get the chalets,
(11:07):
but I think it's getting more. You know, elevated events
stope and a lot of them are only fifty to
seventy players, so you know, there's a little more like
you can see a lot more and you don't need
as much in the chalet part of it, where you
have all these holes, you know, with these buildings set
(11:28):
up for people to drink and have lunch and do
all that because it's a little more fast paced. And
that's another key to golf is you know, the quicker
we can play, it saves everybody, the aggregation. I don't
know how they'll ever do that. It's not easy to do,
but let's let's let's work on getting the tournament up here.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Fred Couples joining us. You mentioned the elevated events. They're
kind of transitioning here in a couple of years to
the Championship Series and the Challenger Series. What do you
think about splitting the PGA and tour a PGA Tour
in two and also what do you think of the
promotion relegation. We've all heard of the cut sweat how
about the tour sweat that some of these guys are
going to go through at the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
That's the best question any of us older guys can answer,
because I think if we all look back, you know,
you pick the best players, right, and so they always
they're always right there, Tom Watson, Landy Watkins, Taylor, when
Tom Kite, they really stayed on a steady keel. You know,
they were top ten and fifteen and twenty their whole lives.
(12:31):
I don't think many of them struggled. You know, I
had a couple of years where I didn't play much.
I consider myself to be a great player on the
PGA Tour. I would think if I was thirty six
or thirty eight years old and still playing well enough,
it's gonna make these guys play almost every Elliday event
because you don't know what's going to happen later on
(12:54):
the year, and then you're gonna press and you're gonna go,
oh my god, I'm eightieth from the money list. Yeah,
not being the elevated events next year, so they're going
to get to get You're not. You're not gonna worry
about Rory and Scotty Shuffler they can skip a couple
that's part of life. But the fields are gonna be
extremely strong, and it's gonna be not and I don't
want to say cutthrow. It's just gonna be nerve wracking
(13:16):
in twenty twenty eight when it starts to go through
half the year and you're gonna see guys jockeying for positions.
But then you have one good week, you know, and
you might make a million two, you know, for a
fourth place finish, and that to me is just amazing money.
I don't I don't know how they're going to do it,
but I think you guys, that question is is really
(13:38):
going to be relevant in a couple of years when
when it starts, the tournaments will be phenomenal. I'm glad
we're getting sponsors that want to pony up that kind
of money and golf will be in a better spot
because even when I was younger, I used to always say,
in a selfish way, you know, boy, the tour relies
on on every top player to do stuff. You know,
(14:00):
you come and play as a thirty year old in
bowling classic. Let's say it was on the PGA Tour
and they want you to you know, mingle and do stuff.
But yet you're trying to beat one hundred and forty
three guys in the tournament and they're only paying attention
to the you know, the one guys that might want
to spend an hour with boweling people to make the tournament,
(14:20):
you know, sign up for three more years, right, Well,
well now it's just going to be bang, bang bang.
That's all golf. The whole thing is golf, which I
personally really like.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah. Well, Fred Couples is with US ninety two Masters Champion,
second place PGA Tour nineteen ninety third at the US Open,
third at the Open twice. I got you at one
oh nine tomorrow at TPC on the first d with
Stuart Sink Darren Clark. You mentioned your partners tomorrow, and
I'm wondering. I mean, look, you know, I can imagine
on the tour how there's guys that look and see
(14:51):
their tea times and pairings and see they're playing with
a guy like a Patrick Cantley and go, damn it,
are you kidding me? That son of a bitch? Again,
Is there is there anybody that you could ever see
on the t sheet with you that would get you
to have that reaction honestly, even like just ribbing the
guy for a little bit, or maybe the opposite, maybe
there's a guy you love playing with.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Boy, you guys are trying to stir this stuff. I
will say that the guys that I love to play with.
I think if Owen Brown and I were on I
get paired with Owen Brown, and I know some people
may not know Owen Brown, but a lot of them do.
He's a great Champions player. My average is probably sixty
seven when I get paired with him. There's just something
(15:34):
about it. But my buddies are obviously Jay Hawes and
Davis Love, who's been injured a lot. Jay's getting a
little older so he doesn't play. But there is a
point to that. You know, when you get a pair,
and you usually get them Tuesday or Wednesday. For us,
we don't start till Friday. But you know, if you're
(15:55):
on the PGA tour and you get someone you don't
really like, you know, you kind of on it until
Thursday and then people aren't play and then it's your
own deal. But I never it's always easier to say
that people I like to play with some people laugh.
I used to love to play when I was late
twenties early thirties with Nick Faldough. He was so good
(16:17):
and the way he manipulated a golf course was amazing.
Then you go to the next guy that I love
to play with was Greg Norman. Because of the way
you play golf, I mean, he would be today, he
would be even better than he was thirty years ago,
just because of how they play golf now. They hit
driver every goal. He was probably one of the best
(16:38):
drivers I ever saw, besides being great. But I can't
knock on anyone because you know, when I go play,
I mean, I gotta tell you, Darren Clark and Stewart Sink,
I couldn't ask for a better pairing. They're great buddies
and we'll have a great time. But your point is
very relevant. You know. Joe Locava my lifetime caddy for
(17:00):
Patrick Cantlay, and we talk all the time about how
passed playing, you know, about what he can do. Uh
And Joe says he's trying his best, and it's just,
you know, I start counting. The other day he was
playing well in Detroit and it was twelve or thirteen
seconds on every swing, So he's kind of got it. Down,
(17:20):
like when Djokovic used to bounce the ball like twelve
times in third right right, and and if you if
you love any of these guys, you pay attention, it's
twelve times every single time. I'm like, dank dank, dank, dank,
dink d and d and think and then throw it
up and serve it. That's a little bit of the same.
And you know we're being critical. He's not really a
(17:44):
field player, so that's kind of how you do it.
There are seven. I just watched another kid that I
bo Hostler. Did you watch him play much in Greensboro?
He was a slow He was slow too, but that's
just you can't really change that. It's very different, and
it's easier for a faster player to play with people
(18:05):
that aren't slow. It's very difficult for fast players to
stand and look at this and every now and then
there might be a little snide comment, you know, and
then it gets blown out of a portion. But my guy,
Joe Lkava, I don't pick on that much because I
pay attention to that. But I wish you would play
a touch faster. Someday maybe you will.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Fred I got to ask you live golf apparently has
got funding for twenty twenty seven. Now, well, I'll believe
it when I see it, when I actually see him
t up in twenty twenty seven. But is that a
good thing for golf? Do you want to see the
Live Tour compete with the PGA and continue?
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Well, you guys know, last time when I was up
here getting an award, I didn't even know what I
was saying because I was talking about Brooks Kepkap and
so Brooks came back to our tour, which made me
very happy. I love Brooks. I think I think the
best thing for me to say and being critical, is
(19:04):
I hope they do get backing. I really would like
these guys to continue to do what they're doing, because
you know, they're boy what what we're Maybe maybe we've
had to change on the PGA tour. Not me, but
maybe the tour has because of Live and now our
purses are up. But it's going to be tough to sustain.
(19:25):
You know, the Saudi Arabians are the wealthiest people in
the world. I don't know who this new person or
company is coming in, but you know you got Brighton
d Schambeau's contracts up. I mean some of these basketball
players are signing four years for two hundred and fifty million.
I don't know if you and I and Dick would
(19:45):
want to have on this tour and say, oh we
got Bryson, we got you know, he wants three hundred
million for five years. That eats up a lot of
things in golf. So I don't know how it's going
to make it. I'm past worrying about them. But you
know I've heard Bryce and talk about, well, wow, for
the fans, wouldn't it be nice for me to be
able to play a little on the FGA tour. Well no,
(20:08):
because wouldn't it be nice for Scottie Scheffler if they
had a termament in Dallas and he said I want
to go play and to live this week and then
they're going to say no. So it's very weird to
me how this is all transpiring. And I think what
I do like is the PGA Tour is just going really,
really strong. I hope it can handle this starting in
twenty twenty eight. But as far as live, you know,
(20:31):
I think they all love it. They tell me they
love it when you listen to them. They're making a
lot of money. But I just don't know how it's
going to make I just don't know why anyone would
put that kind of money into it.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah. Well, Fred Couples is with us, and Fred, as
we've spoken before, you're you're an ambassador for this game, right,
I mean, especially in these parts of the world, everybody
is always curious to know what Fred thinks about this,
what Fred thinks about that, for God's sake. So we
know you're close with Tiger. We haven't heard from him
in a while since he went overseas to kind of
(21:04):
get everything figured out. Can you share any updates on
how your buddy Tiger's doing and the last time you
heard from him?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, well, the last time I heard from him was
when he when when Commission to Roll Up gave his speech.
I'm going to say it was six or eight weeks ago,
and Bager came on to introduce him and I'm like,
oh my god, look at this. And so I texted
him after and he got right back to me. You know,
he always says thanks bro, love you and nice to
(21:32):
be home or something like that. Yeah, And so so
I know I know when you know, I don't need
to text him anymore and say how you feeling are
you golfing? But before that, you know, was shoot almost
every day or every other day. And his buddy really
close to his son and lives near him as Justin Thomas.
(21:52):
And Justin said, you know, I'm not even getting much
of him, and he's doing well, I hear from friends.
But he'll he'll be ready. And you know, everyone asked me,
you know you're gonna play the Champions Tour. I know
he's going to play the US Senior Open because you know,
he wants to win that to put on top of
all of his other United States wins with the Junior
(22:14):
and the Amateur and obviously the regular US Open. So
I know he'll play there. I hope he played, you know,
a couple of times. He's got a great new golf
company and I think, you know, I think he's got
a brand that so he's going to have to play
a little bit. Yeah, I can only speculate that. I
would think he'll play a little bit on the Champions Tour.
(22:35):
I just don't know how much he can play on
the regular tour. You know, he can get a cart, which,
as you know, you don't be very stubborn. I don't
want a cart but for him to play, you know,
nowadays he may need a cart and he would be
It would be unreal. Could you imagine him coming to
the Great Northwest and playing well. I won't ask him no,
(22:59):
but I Mike no. Here's a real quick story, real fast.
So Joe's canting for him. He's not playing much. Joe says,
I don't know. The guy's not playing for four weeks,
you know, and I want him to play well, you
you know, can So I call him and I say, Tiger,
you know, there's a termin Tampa. It's an unbelievable course.
(23:21):
And then I said this. I don't know why because
I played well there, And I said, you don't really
need to hit driver. So he text back, Oh, so
I can't hit a driver. You don't begin to drive
the ball. Wow. I went, oh my god, what have
I done? So he he no, he didn't text me
for three or four days. So then I get on
the phone with Joe and I'm yelling at him you
(23:41):
and he goes, he's just screwing with you, okay, And
Joe didn't know whether he was or was He went there,
if you remember, and he lost by a shot, and
then he won the Masters. So I felt pretty good
about that, so maybe I will throw them a little. Hey,
you know, I'm I'm one hundred years old and I'm
playing the bowling. How about coming up? We run our house,
We stay together and we have a good time, and
(24:03):
you can have thirty thousand people following you to today.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Well, Fred Couples with us and Fred do us a favor?
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Will you?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
We got a few more things we want to grill
you about. All right, so would you mind? Would you
mind hanging on for one more segment?
Speaker 2 (24:14):
You got it?
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Love it. We'll come back and continue more with Fred
Couples getting ready for the Boeing Classic next on ninety
three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
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Speaker 1 (24:44):
All right, we are back. Second segment here is promise
with Fred Couples getting ready for the Boeing Classic tomorrow.
Tickets twenty bucks Kids get in for free, and Dick,
I love this because this just saves us from talking
about the disaster that has become our favorite baseball team. Man,
question about it.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Fred were just ten months removed from an unbelievable run
in October of last year. Can you believe what you're
seeing with this baseball team this year?
Speaker 2 (25:09):
I love baseball. I love watching it. Last year was
pins and needles and it was just amazing. And I
did see where Castillo pitched very well last night obviously,
but again, it's just one of those things where you know,
if you're not the Dodgers or I mean, help me out,
who you know other teams that do it every single
(25:31):
year and we just you know, I'm sure when you
when you get three or four, five games up about
five hundred and now we're struggling. Now you're looking at it,
You're going, here comes Houston, which you know, here we
go and they're losing all these games. Three to two,
four to two, three to one. It's just a bummer.
You know. Last night, I'm finished golf and it's five
(25:54):
to five, and I go to my walker and I
come back and it's seven to five, and I'm like,
what the hell, Well know, they keep going run, But anyway,
I will flip it to that. I saw the rings, Okay,
I saw the Seahawks ring. Can they can they sit
in their car when they're wearing that? I don't know
how they get in the front door. That's the biggest,
(26:18):
most incredible thing I've ever seen, and well deserved, and
I just am amazed by that. So maybe the ms
you know, we turn it around next year. I don't tell.
I mean, is this year over? Can we can we
play it out of six fifty clip the rest of
the way and do anything?
Speaker 1 (26:34):
I don't I mean, how many how many strokes down
at the turn do you need to be on day
three to think that you're done in a tournament?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I don't know. You tell me. I want to be
even to think I have a chance. I can't be
down at all anymore. But you know it's hey, look
we're all still in ms Fand I played golf yesterday.
I had my Seahawk hat on, and people were like, wow,
see I said, yeah, I said, I'm not a front runner.
(27:02):
I wear this hat all the time up here in Seattle.
And then when i'm so's you know, I have a
Mariner hat and I do have a Broadmore hat and
he's the most Bay hat and the home club Newport hat.
But you know, I just I'm a Seattle guy. And
for people, I'll finish with this. I'm sure we got
to go, but I don't do a whole lot. I'm
very quiet. I really enjoy this stuff, but I would
(27:28):
rather talk about the Mariners, the Seahawks, the Boeing Tournament,
Tiger Woods, and not even mention my name. That I
feel very comfortable. I play golf. I've played it really well.
You know. My mom and dad taught me extremely well.
They're the most humble people. We're the most humble people
in the world, you know. We we came from nothing.
(27:49):
My mom really job, but my father was more of
an athlete than I'll ever be. And I just I
just love sports. It's something that keeps me going. And
you know, maybe maybe when I finally quit this game
of golf, and I don't really really worry about it,
you know, I might tramp up and watch a series
with the Mariners, or I might you know, I used
(28:10):
to have season tickets for the Seahawks. I'd fly up here,
spend the day with Bracken. We'd go to the game,
I'd got to dinner and fly on the next day.
I had more fun doing that, And again I wish
I still had seats, so maybe I'll get some back. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Well, if you need seats, we know people who can
take care of you, all right, So just just give
your buddies a call. But hey, hey, Fred, before you go,
I do want to ask you one more. Fred couples
with US. Boeing Classics starts tomorrow. Twenty bucks to get
in kids, get him free. You want to jump online
find out more Boeingclassic dot com. Fred's going. I think
what one o nine tomorrow on the first tee uh
(28:46):
at at st I'll call me, So get up there
and check out Freddie on the first t last time
we spoke, you talked about kind of the changes you've
made to your equipment. And I'm you know, Dick and
I are both in our early fifties. I'm getting stiff
as a board every day. My wife always tells me
to stretch. I don't do it, man, and I still
wake up. You know, stiff is a board, and I
got a hard time turning. So I've made the move
(29:07):
to some you know, Fairway Woods. I got a nine wood.
I love my nine wood. By the way, I'm curious
at your age. Now, what's the longest iron in your bag?
And why do you still play those yellow balls?
Speaker 2 (29:19):
By the way, Well because bridge Stone about ten years.
But you know we can continue this contract. Would you
mind using the yellow ball? And I said, no problem.
And I started at Akron at the World Series, and
it was the most nervous that I've been in a long,
long long time on the first T team this up.
(29:40):
It just looked so different, right, and I smoked it.
I smoked it. It was only a three when I
smoked it down the middle, and then it's been history
from them. But I'm right now. I'm looking at my
bag and I have a little stretch. I will say
today when I'm done at five o'clock in my pro am,
I have fifteen clubs in my bag and I have
(30:00):
got to get rid of either one of my hybrids
or an extra wedge, and we'll figure that out. But
you can't play with fifteen clubs. So right now I
have a seven eight nine wedge. I have a fifty
at fifty four and a sixty and have a driver.
And for people listening that I have this Mini Driver
(30:23):
that I absolutely love, and I think people that maybe
struggle driving might try a mini driver if they got
to spare five hundred dollars voting in the trunk of
their car. And then you know, I have a five wood,
but these rescue are hybrids. I call them rescues are hybrids.
They're the same length as my iron. So my three
hybrid is the same as my three iron, like your
(30:45):
nine wood is probably a pretty long club, right, So
I went the other way and I got some pretty
good help, and I have as soon as I put
them in my bag, I hit my sixth Hybrid almost
the exact same distance as my sixth. Now, if it
gets really windy out here today, and you know I've
got to hit some lower five and six tirns, it
(31:08):
becomes harder, but you know, it's been three years. I
can get through it. But I absolutely love this bag
and I will finish with this. If I was fifty
years old and I have these clubs in my bag,
I think I would have been a better player on
the Champions Tour. They're so easy to it, but they're
not for everybody. And I have all I'm looking at
(31:29):
this all head covers over there. They're all my whole
bags full of headcovers.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Fred Couples. Awesome to hear your voice. Thanks again for
doing this. Best of luck this weekend, my man. Welcome
back home and we'll talk soon, all right, Thanks
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Ready, okay, Thanks Softy, Thanks Dick,
I'll tell you what you think about our favorite Native sons.
Then we do a poll about the greatest Seattle athlete
ever and did this guy win it? By the way,
he is a former Oday Fighting Irish legend, nineteen ninety
two Masters Champion, Top twenties and Majors. I was forty
two top twenties and majors. But looking to add one
(00:21):
more and that's the Boeing Classics starting tomorrow. Fred Couples
joins us right now on the show Freddie, How are
you man?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey Softy, Hey Dick. You know I'm doing great. I'm
up here. I playing the Prolam today. I'm all excited
about that and I've heard the courses in absolutely perfect shape.
So it's another year of the Boweing. And you know,
for me personally, this is uh, you know, I tell
everyone Augusta is my favorite event in the world, and honestly,
(00:51):
the Boeing is probably one be and the reason being
is obviously luckily, you know, I played in the US
Senior Open at the Holly when I turned fifty, which
was incredible. And now I get you know, I think
this is the sixteenth year of the Boeing, and not
(01:11):
just I, but as you know. You guys know all
the players love it. We just love coming up here.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Well, let's talk about that, because you've come close. You've
been third place twice, what twenty fifteen, twenty nineteen. I
think we've asked you before. I think we all understand
what it would mean to you. But give us your
thoughts on what it would mean to Fred Couples to
walk out of here this weekend with a trophy.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Yeah. Well, you know, I have a lot of in golf,
A lot of people just remember bad things. And I'll
have a pro am today, right, and I'll tell the
guy while I was a great bunker shot, Yeah, but
I think and I'm like, yeah, but you hit that
bunker shot like Stuart or you know, Stuart Sink or
some other tour player was very very good. So all
(01:55):
I remember is having a nice lead and shooting I
want to say seven, about four or five years ago.
And it still haunts me today. And you know, it
was just one of the weirdest rounds. It doesn't matter
if I was in Seattle or Chicago or Spain for
all that matter. When you're leading the tournament, you know
you're a little edgy. I went out and I birdied
(02:17):
the first pole and all hell broke loose and I
was just awful, absolutely awful. So I'm I'm trying to
make amends as they get older and just compete and
play well. And I have a great pairing tomorrow with
with Darren Clark and Stuart Sink, so you know, I'm
excited about that. The weather looks to be perfect, so
(02:37):
it'll be a big week.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
How you playing right now? I mean we saw you
last couple of years of Augustin and you look great.
I mean, you've been right there on the on the
cut line at the biggest tournament in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I actually feel okay. I have not played much since Augusta.
I I know this is the next that was early
April and this is the next term and I've played
in so that's a long time to go. And I
don't even know, I don't even know how many weeks
that is or whatever. But I started to practice about
twelve days ago, you know, to get ready for this,
(03:11):
you know, a hit and miss. I mean, I've gone
out and worked really hard for me at my age,
and I go, I'm hitting the ball really well. Then
the next day I'll they'll play it and it's kind
of mediocre, and you know, we're all kind of spoiled.
We want to play well. I'll be sixty seven in October.
(03:32):
I said to anyone that will listen to me, I
don't want to play golf, you know, mediocre where I
can't even compete. You know, it'd be a miracle to
win this week, no matter how much I played, even
if I was playing ten or twelve times, and I
felt like I was a little more polished because these
guys are just so good. The younger guys come out
(03:53):
and they and not all of them, but a lot
of them dominate. You know, you get the Zach Johnson's
and then you know Stuart thinks a little older, then
you get Steven Alker, and you get them all, I mean,
Darren Clark. Everybody wins and they get these little roles
and they feel really really good and comfortable, and then
you get other guys. You know that I always look
(04:14):
at I'm amazed that they haven't won a Champions Tour event,
and then you look and you go, yeah, but it
ain't that easy. So it's just one of those things.
And for me personally, I think I'll be very, very
excited for my tea time tomorrow and you know I'll
hit it off the first team and then just keep going.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah. Well, Fred Couples is with us on the air,
and you mentioned being sixty seven later this year. And look,
I'm not trying to run you off the golf course.
We want you to play as long as you want
to for God's sakes, right, But have you thought it
all about kind of post competition post golf. I mean,
you'll always play the game, obviously, but maybe you won't
compete as much as you're doing now. Have you thought
(04:52):
about maybe another career or another way to be involved
in golf when this whole thing kind of backs off
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
The answer to that would be no, I haven't thought
about it, and I don't plan on un wish. You
guys want to open up a restaurant and run it
and then yea with the winning thirty three and the third,
I'll do that. But no, I'm I'm I'm really. You know,
I have a stepson who's starting in college. Actually, Suzanne
(05:23):
and he drive up with his father and a friend.
They got three cars caravan with all this stuff to
go to University of Pacific. So I'll have some volleyball
for four years, we'll watch him play, and that to
me is a really, really, really fun And I know,
you w has always had a pretty good women's volleyball team,
and I've really in the last five or six years
(05:46):
enjoyed watching it. But for me, you know, I say
this all the time people, I'm a very quiet guy.
When I get around you know, my gumbas, I have
a blast, But it's very difficult for me to think
I could really you know, I enjoy building golf courses,
and I've gotten a couple more in line coming up,
(06:08):
so I won't certainly start trying to do one or
two a year, but that really is something that I
can spend a lot more time on and not just
totally rely on on on Brian Curley, who is the
main architect. But I like, I liked golf. I really do.
When I'm at home, I kind of get it. Pairing
(06:31):
every two or three times a week in the desert especially,
and I play with my life, you know, at least
one day a week and it's like twenty minutes of balls.
I go play and the next thing, you know, four
hours is over, and I feel like I've at least
accomplished something. I don't know what that is, but it's
certainly I'm not going to venture out and you know,
(06:52):
do much.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I don't know about you, Dave.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
That sounds like a good life at sixty seven. I mean,
I'll take it. I'll take it a fifty three. Where
do I sign? Where do I sign? Fred Couples joining
as well? You mentioned designing golf courses. How about up here,
you get a design one up here, maybe that we
could put a PGA Tour event.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
At you know, I hope so and I and let's
talk about that PGA Tour event. You know, I listened
to our commissioner speak and he listed several cities. And
you guys would know more than me. I know my
best friend up here, Johnny Back, and you know, he
thought he's more involved. But let's get a PGA tournament
(07:28):
up here. I mean, I honestly think that the Boweling
Classic is one of our best Champions Tour events for
a lot of reasons. One, we're playing in August normally,
the weather is absolutely stunning. The TPC Golf Course is really, really,
really a very very good golf course. It's hard to
walk for a lot of spectators because there's you know,
(07:51):
a little bit going on here and there, but they
all find their pockets. But if we could get a
PGA event up here and shy, I know we've had
a couple of them, but man, it would be a
home run. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Well, we talked about what course would be suitable, right,
I mean, this isn't you know, the late nineties anymore.
Right with the PGA Championship coming to Sahali. These guys
are hitting it long, they're hitting it far. The infrastructure
needed with VIP tense, TV trucks, all kinds of stuff.
Hospitality areas is way different, Fred than it was twenty
(08:24):
five years ago. Like when you think of Sahali now,
when you think of the home course now, for example,
I mean, heck, maybe even Pumpkin Ridge down in Oregon potentially,
do you see a suitable location as is right now?
Honestly that could host a PGA tour stop.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
You know what, that's the number one question. And you guys.
For me, you know, I'm lucky enough to be an
honorary member at Broadmoor and at Useless Bay, so I
play a little bit. But we talk about golf courses
and even yesterday we were talking about Seattle Country Club.
We were talking about Chambers Bay. We didn't get down,
(09:03):
we didn't get down into Oregon. But you know, you
hit it two minutes ago, how far they hit the ball.
And these tournaments that are locked in, you know, they
built some new teas and the members they don't care.
They never see them. They don't even have to play him.
But you know, three hundred and twenty hour drives is now,
you know, it's not a freak show. It's almost everybody.
(09:26):
And then you get roaring, and you get Jake Napp
and you get the longer hitters hitting at three point thirty,
you know, and they laugh at golf courses that you know,
they have five hundred and five yards Part four, that's
a whoopy do a guy hitting at three hundred and
thirty yards, you know, he's got a seven iron left
or an eight iron as far as they hit it.
(09:47):
So when you look at Augusta and now, let's just
go to Augusta National real quick. That's in April, and
it's not seventy five degrees and perfect every day. As
a matter of fact, sometimes it's cool and a little breezy,
and it's you know, it's it's wet, so the ball
doesn't go far.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Right.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Then if you play that in August, you know it'd
play a lot shorter, but it'd be a lot firmer
and be a lot tougher. So when you come to Seattle,
you know, you guys know you play. If you get
a nice March day, go out and play any of
these courses. Good luck. You know, four hundred and ten
yard hole is a monster. But now you go play
it today in August. You know, no matter who you are,
(10:25):
if you're a ten handicap or twenty or two, you
play the right peas and it becomes easier. So you
can't build the rough up. These guys know there's rough.
They all get driver on most of the holes. Unless
there's something out there that don't stop them, like two
ninety or three hundred, then they got to lay it up.
But you know, so Holly would be the first one
(10:45):
Chambers Bay out the US Open. I don't know what
they're scheduled, if there's anything coming, but the bottom line
is if in back the PGA Tour came up here
with their with their guys and look, they would find
a place and they they would get you know, twenty
to thirty thousand people a day at the right time
of the year. You know, you can get the chalets,
(11:07):
but I think it's getting more. You know, elevated events
stope and a lot of them are only fifty to
seventy players, so you know, there's a little more like
you can see a lot more and you don't need
as much in the chalet part of it, where you
have all these holes, you know, with these buildings set
(11:28):
up for people to drink and have lunch and do
all that because it's a little more fast paced. And
that's another key to golf is you know, the quicker
we can play, it saves everybody, the aggregation. I don't
know how they'll ever do that. It's not easy to do,
but let's let's let's work on getting the tournament up here.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Fred Couples joining us. You mentioned the elevated events. They're
kind of transitioning here in a couple of years to
the Championship Series and the Challenger Series. What do you
think about splitting the PGA and tour a PGA Tour
in two and also what do you think of the
promotion relegation. We've all heard of the cut sweat how
about the tour sweat that some of these guys are
going to go through at the end of the year.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
That's the best question any of us older guys can answer,
because I think if we all look back, you know,
you pick the best players, right, and so they always
they're always right there, Tom Watson, Landy Watkins, Taylor, when
Tom Kite, they really stayed on a steady keel. You know,
they were top ten and fifteen and twenty their whole lives.
(12:31):
I don't think many of them struggled. You know, I
had a couple of years where I didn't play much.
I consider myself to be a great player on the
PGA Tour. I would think if I was thirty six
or thirty eight years old and still playing well enough,
it's gonna make these guys play almost every Elliday event
because you don't know what's going to happen later on
(12:54):
the year, and then you're gonna press and you're gonna go,
oh my god, I'm eightieth from the money list. Yeah,
not being the elevated events next year, so they're going
to get to get You're not. You're not gonna worry
about Rory and Scotty Shuffler they can skip a couple
that's part of life. But the fields are gonna be
extremely strong, and it's gonna be not and I don't
want to say cutthrow. It's just gonna be nerve wracking
(13:16):
in twenty twenty eight when it starts to go through
half the year and you're gonna see guys jockeying for positions.
But then you have one good week, you know, and
you might make a million two, you know, for a
fourth place finish, and that to me is just amazing money.
I don't I don't know how they're going to do it,
but I think you guys, that question is is really
(13:38):
going to be relevant in a couple of years when
when it starts, the tournaments will be phenomenal. I'm glad
we're getting sponsors that want to pony up that kind
of money and golf will be in a better spot
because even when I was younger, I used to always say,
in a selfish way, you know, boy, the tour relies
on on every top player to do stuff. You know,
(14:00):
you come and play as a thirty year old in
bowling classic. Let's say it was on the PGA Tour
and they want you to you know, mingle and do stuff.
But yet you're trying to beat one hundred and forty
three guys in the tournament and they're only paying attention
to the you know, the one guys that might want
to spend an hour with boweling people to make the tournament,
(14:20):
you know, sign up for three more years, right, Well,
well now it's just going to be bang, bang bang.
That's all golf. The whole thing is golf, which I
personally really like.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Yeah. Well, Fred Couples is with US ninety two Masters Champion,
second place PGA Tour nineteen ninety third at the US Open,
third at the Open twice. I got you at one
oh nine tomorrow at TPC on the first d with
Stuart Sink Darren Clark. You mentioned your partners tomorrow, and
I'm wondering. I mean, look, you know, I can imagine
on the tour how there's guys that look and see
(14:51):
their tea times and pairings and see they're playing with
a guy like a Patrick Cantley and go, damn it,
are you kidding me? That son of a bitch? Again,
Is there is there anybody that you could ever see
on the t sheet with you that would get you
to have that reaction honestly, even like just ribbing the
guy for a little bit, or maybe the opposite, maybe
there's a guy you love playing with.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Boy, you guys are trying to stir this stuff. I
will say that the guys that I love to play with.
I think if Owen Brown and I were on I
get paired with Owen Brown, and I know some people
may not know Owen Brown, but a lot of them do.
He's a great Champions player. My average is probably sixty
seven when I get paired with him. There's just something
(15:34):
about it. But my buddies are obviously Jay Hawes and
Davis Love, who's been injured a lot. Jay's getting a
little older so he doesn't play. But there is a
point to that. You know, when you get a pair,
and you usually get them Tuesday or Wednesday. For us,
we don't start till Friday. But you know, if you're
(15:55):
on the PGA tour and you get someone you don't
really like, you know, you kind of on it until
Thursday and then people aren't play and then it's your
own deal. But I never it's always easier to say
that people I like to play with some people laugh.
I used to love to play when I was late
twenties early thirties with Nick Faldough. He was so good
(16:17):
and the way he manipulated a golf course was amazing.
Then you go to the next guy that I love
to play with was Greg Norman. Because of the way
you play golf, I mean, he would be today, he
would be even better than he was thirty years ago,
just because of how they play golf now. They hit
driver every goal. He was probably one of the best
(16:38):
drivers I ever saw, besides being great. But I can't
knock on anyone because you know, when I go play,
I mean, I gotta tell you, Darren Clark and Stewart Sink,
I couldn't ask for a better pairing. They're great buddies
and we'll have a great time. But your point is
very relevant. You know. Joe Locava my lifetime caddy for
(17:00):
Patrick Cantlay, and we talk all the time about how
passed playing, you know, about what he can do. Uh
And Joe says he's trying his best, and it's just,
you know, I start counting. The other day he was
playing well in Detroit and it was twelve or thirteen
seconds on every swing, So he's kind of got it. Down,
(17:20):
like when Djokovic used to bounce the ball like twelve
times in third right right, and and if you if
you love any of these guys, you pay attention, it's
twelve times every single time. I'm like, dank dank, dank, dank,
dink d and d and think and then throw it
up and serve it. That's a little bit of the same.
And you know we're being critical. He's not really a
(17:44):
field player, so that's kind of how you do it.
There are seven. I just watched another kid that I
bo Hostler. Did you watch him play much in Greensboro?
He was a slow He was slow too, but that's
just you can't really change that. It's very different, and
it's easier for a faster player to play with people
(18:05):
that aren't slow. It's very difficult for fast players to
stand and look at this and every now and then
there might be a little snide comment, you know, and
then it gets blown out of a portion. But my guy,
Joe Lkava, I don't pick on that much because I
pay attention to that. But I wish you would play
a touch faster. Someday maybe you will.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Fred I got to ask you live golf apparently has
got funding for twenty twenty seven. Now, well, I'll believe
it when I see it, when I actually see him
t up in twenty twenty seven. But is that a
good thing for golf? Do you want to see the
Live Tour compete with the PGA and continue?
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Well, you guys know, last time when I was up
here getting an award, I didn't even know what I
was saying because I was talking about Brooks Kepkap and
so Brooks came back to our tour, which made me
very happy. I love Brooks. I think I think the
best thing for me to say and being critical, is
(19:04):
I hope they do get backing. I really would like
these guys to continue to do what they're doing, because
you know, they're boy what what we're Maybe maybe we've
had to change on the PGA tour. Not me, but
maybe the tour has because of Live and now our
purses are up. But it's going to be tough to sustain.
(19:25):
You know, the Saudi Arabians are the wealthiest people in
the world. I don't know who this new person or
company is coming in, but you know you got Brighton
d Schambeau's contracts up. I mean some of these basketball
players are signing four years for two hundred and fifty million.
I don't know if you and I and Dick would
(19:45):
want to have on this tour and say, oh we
got Bryson, we got you know, he wants three hundred
million for five years. That eats up a lot of
things in golf. So I don't know how it's going
to make it. I'm past worrying about them. But you
know I've heard Bryce and talk about, well, wow, for
the fans, wouldn't it be nice for me to be
able to play a little on the FGA tour. Well no,
(20:08):
because wouldn't it be nice for Scottie Scheffler if they
had a termament in Dallas and he said I want
to go play and to live this week and then
they're going to say no. So it's very weird to
me how this is all transpiring. And I think what
I do like is the PGA Tour is just going really,
really strong. I hope it can handle this starting in
twenty twenty eight. But as far as live, you know,
(20:31):
I think they all love it. They tell me they
love it when you listen to them. They're making a
lot of money. But I just don't know how it's
going to make I just don't know why anyone would
put that kind of money into it.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah. Well, Fred Couples is with us, and Fred, as
we've spoken before, you're you're an ambassador for this game, right,
I mean, especially in these parts of the world, everybody
is always curious to know what Fred thinks about this,
what Fred thinks about that, for God's sake. So we
know you're close with Tiger. We haven't heard from him
in a while since he went overseas to kind of
(21:04):
get everything figured out. Can you share any updates on
how your buddy Tiger's doing and the last time you
heard from him?
Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, well, the last time I heard from him was
when he when when Commission to Roll Up gave his speech.
I'm going to say it was six or eight weeks ago,
and Bager came on to introduce him and I'm like,
oh my god, look at this. And so I texted
him after and he got right back to me. You know,
he always says thanks bro, love you and nice to
(21:32):
be home or something like that. Yeah, And so so
I know I know when you know, I don't need
to text him anymore and say how you feeling are
you golfing? But before that, you know, was shoot almost
every day or every other day. And his buddy really
close to his son and lives near him as Justin Thomas.
(21:52):
And Justin said, you know, I'm not even getting much
of him, and he's doing well, I hear from friends.
But he'll he'll be ready. And you know, everyone asked me,
you know you're gonna play the Champions Tour. I know
he's going to play the US Senior Open because you know,
he wants to win that to put on top of
all of his other United States wins with the Junior
(22:14):
and the Amateur and obviously the regular US Open. So
I know he'll play there. I hope he played, you know,
a couple of times. He's got a great new golf
company and I think, you know, I think he's got
a brand that so he's going to have to play
a little bit. Yeah, I can only speculate that. I
would think he'll play a little bit on the Champions Tour.
(22:35):
I just don't know how much he can play on
the regular tour. You know, he can get a cart, which,
as you know, you don't be very stubborn. I don't
want a cart but for him to play, you know,
nowadays he may need a cart and he would be
It would be unreal. Could you imagine him coming to
the Great Northwest and playing well. I won't ask him no,
(22:59):
but I Mike no. Here's a real quick story, real fast.
So Joe's canting for him. He's not playing much. Joe says,
I don't know. The guy's not playing for four weeks,
you know, and I want him to play well, you
you know, can So I call him and I say, Tiger,
you know, there's a termin Tampa. It's an unbelievable course.
(23:21):
And then I said this. I don't know why because
I played well there, And I said, you don't really
need to hit driver. So he text back, Oh, so
I can't hit a driver. You don't begin to drive
the ball. Wow. I went, oh my god, what have
I done? So he he no, he didn't text me
for three or four days. So then I get on
the phone with Joe and I'm yelling at him you
(23:41):
and he goes, he's just screwing with you, okay, And
Joe didn't know whether he was or was He went there,
if you remember, and he lost by a shot, and
then he won the Masters. So I felt pretty good
about that, so maybe I will throw them a little. Hey,
you know, I'm I'm one hundred years old and I'm
playing the bowling. How about coming up? We run our house,
We stay together and we have a good time, and
(24:03):
you can have thirty thousand people following you to today.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Well, Fred Couples with us and Fred do us a favor?
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Will you?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
We got a few more things we want to grill
you about. All right, so would you mind? Would you
mind hanging on for one more segment?
Speaker 2 (24:14):
You got it?
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Love it. We'll come back and continue more with Fred
Couples getting ready for the Boeing Classic next on ninety
three to three KJRFM.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
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Speaker 1 (24:44):
All right, we are back. Second segment here is promise
with Fred Couples getting ready for the Boeing Classic tomorrow.
Tickets twenty bucks Kids get in for free, and Dick,
I love this because this just saves us from talking
about the disaster that has become our favorite baseball team. Man,
question about it.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Fred were just ten months removed from an unbelievable run
in October of last year. Can you believe what you're
seeing with this baseball team this year?
Speaker 2 (25:09):
I love baseball. I love watching it. Last year was
pins and needles and it was just amazing. And I
did see where Castillo pitched very well last night obviously,
but again, it's just one of those things where you know,
if you're not the Dodgers or I mean, help me out,
who you know other teams that do it every single
(25:31):
year and we just you know, I'm sure when you
when you get three or four, five games up about
five hundred and now we're struggling. Now you're looking at it,
You're going, here comes Houston, which you know, here we
go and they're losing all these games. Three to two,
four to two, three to one. It's just a bummer.
You know. Last night, I'm finished golf and it's five
(25:54):
to five, and I go to my walker and I
come back and it's seven to five, and I'm like,
what the hell, Well know, they keep going run, But anyway,
I will flip it to that. I saw the rings, Okay,
I saw the Seahawks ring. Can they can they sit
in their car when they're wearing that? I don't know
how they get in the front door. That's the biggest,
(26:18):
most incredible thing I've ever seen, and well deserved, and
I just am amazed by that. So maybe the ms
you know, we turn it around next year. I don't tell.
I mean, is this year over? Can we can we
play it out of six fifty clip the rest of
the way and do anything?
Speaker 1 (26:34):
I don't I mean, how many how many strokes down
at the turn do you need to be on day
three to think that you're done in a tournament?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I don't know. You tell me. I want to be
even to think I have a chance. I can't be
down at all anymore. But you know it's hey, look
we're all still in ms Fand I played golf yesterday.
I had my Seahawk hat on, and people were like, wow,
see I said, yeah, I said, I'm not a front runner.
(27:02):
I wear this hat all the time up here in Seattle.
And then when i'm so's you know, I have a
Mariner hat and I do have a Broadmore hat and
he's the most Bay hat and the home club Newport hat.
But you know, I just I'm a Seattle guy. And
for people, I'll finish with this. I'm sure we got
to go, but I don't do a whole lot. I'm
very quiet. I really enjoy this stuff, but I would
(27:28):
rather talk about the Mariners, the Seahawks, the Boeing Tournament,
Tiger Woods, and not even mention my name. That I
feel very comfortable. I play golf. I've played it really well.
You know. My mom and dad taught me extremely well.
They're the most humble people. We're the most humble people
in the world, you know. We we came from nothing.
(27:49):
My mom really job, but my father was more of
an athlete than I'll ever be. And I just I
just love sports. It's something that keeps me going. And
you know, maybe maybe when I finally quit this game
of golf, and I don't really really worry about it,
you know, I might tramp up and watch a series
with the Mariners, or I might you know, I used
(28:10):
to have season tickets for the Seahawks. I'd fly up here,
spend the day with Bracken. We'd go to the game,
I'd got to dinner and fly on the next day.
I had more fun doing that, And again I wish
I still had seats, so maybe I'll get some back. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Well, if you need seats, we know people who can
take care of you, all right, So just just give
your buddies a call. But hey, hey, Fred, before you go,
I do want to ask you one more. Fred couples
with US. Boeing Classics starts tomorrow. Twenty bucks to get
in kids, get him free. You want to jump online
find out more Boeingclassic dot com. Fred's going. I think
what one o nine tomorrow on the first tee uh
(28:46):
at at st I'll call me, So get up there
and check out Freddie on the first t last time
we spoke, you talked about kind of the changes you've
made to your equipment. And I'm you know, Dick and
I are both in our early fifties. I'm getting stiff
as a board every day. My wife always tells me
to stretch. I don't do it, man, and I still
wake up. You know, stiff is a board, and I
got a hard time turning. So I've made the move
(29:07):
to some you know, Fairway Woods. I got a nine wood.
I love my nine wood. By the way, I'm curious
at your age. Now, what's the longest iron in your bag?
And why do you still play those yellow balls?
Speaker 2 (29:19):
By the way, Well because bridge Stone about ten years.
But you know we can continue this contract. Would you
mind using the yellow ball? And I said, no problem.
And I started at Akron at the World Series, and
it was the most nervous that I've been in a long,
long long time on the first T team this up.
(29:40):
It just looked so different, right, and I smoked it.
I smoked it. It was only a three when I
smoked it down the middle, and then it's been history
from them. But I'm right now. I'm looking at my
bag and I have a little stretch. I will say
today when I'm done at five o'clock in my pro am,
I have fifteen clubs in my bag and I have
(30:00):
got to get rid of either one of my hybrids
or an extra wedge, and we'll figure that out. But
you can't play with fifteen clubs. So right now I
have a seven eight nine wedge. I have a fifty
at fifty four and a sixty and have a driver.
And for people listening that I have this Mini Driver
(30:23):
that I absolutely love, and I think people that maybe
struggle driving might try a mini driver if they got
to spare five hundred dollars voting in the trunk of
their car. And then you know, I have a five wood,
but these rescue are hybrids. I call them rescues are hybrids.
They're the same length as my iron. So my three
hybrid is the same as my three iron, like your
(30:45):
nine wood is probably a pretty long club, right, So
I went the other way and I got some pretty
good help, and I have as soon as I put
them in my bag, I hit my sixth Hybrid almost
the exact same distance as my sixth. Now, if it
gets really windy out here today, and you know I've
got to hit some lower five and six tirns, it
(31:08):
becomes harder, but you know, it's been three years. I
can get through it. But I absolutely love this bag
and I will finish with this. If I was fifty
years old and I have these clubs in my bag,
I think I would have been a better player on
the Champions Tour. They're so easy to it, but they're
not for everybody. And I have all I'm looking at
(31:29):
this all head covers over there. They're all my whole
bags full of headcovers.
Speaker 1 (31:35):
Fred Couples. Awesome to hear your voice. Thanks again for
doing this. Best of luck this weekend, my man. Welcome
back home and we'll talk soon, all right, Thanks
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Ready, okay, Thanks Softy, Thanks Dick,
Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain News
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