Couch's amazing weekend turnaround in New Orleans
IN: News | US PGA | Zurich Classic of New Orleans (2006) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 01 May 2006
In what was one of the more intriguing and gripping finishes on the PGA Tour in 2006, 33-year-old Chris Couch holed a miraculous pitch from the side of the green at the 72nd hole to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans by one shot from Charles Howell and Fred Funk.
With five Nationwide Tour titles to his name and a host of junior amateur and collegiate success earlier in his golfing life, much has been expected of Couch for a long time at the highest level of professional golf but it has, until today, not materialised.
2006 was the third year that Couch had made it to the PGA Tour having debuted in 1999 via the Q School, then again in 2004 and 2006 via the Nationwide Tour. In his first event in 1999 as a cardholder he finished 7th at the Sony Open and his future on golf's biggest stage appeared assured. Such are the vagaries of professional golf however, that things quickly turned sour and it would take another four years for him to be back playing on the PGA Tour.
Whatever it was that Couch ate for dinner on Friday night and if it was possible to bottle it and sell it, fortunes would be made. On Friday Couch just made the cut at 4 under. Two late birdies saw him make the weekend for only the third time in ten starts in 2006. The next twenty seven holes however would produce fifteen birdies, in fact in round three he would move from equal last place, amongst those who qualified, to first place in a matter of seventeen holes.
Today he started exactly where he left off with a front nine of 30 and had created such a lead that surely even someone with his limited experience on the PGA Tour could not lose this one. Three shots ahead of Charles Howell at that stage, Couch added further birdies at the 12th and 16th but Howell and Fred Funk were not about to let Couch's first PGA Tour victory come easily.
Howell added three consecutive birdies of his own through the middle of his back nine and, as they stood on the 17th tee, Couch was two ahead of Howell and Funk. Funk had become a factor with seven birdies in nine holes from the 7th and just for good measure another at the last from 25 feet. Funk had moved to 18 under and with two dangerous holes to finish, Couch still had a lot of work to do if he was to complete this most unlikely of victories.
At the par three 17th, Couch pulled his tee shot and from an uphill lie in the greenside bunker he caught his second a little thin and it finished off the back of the green in fluffy grass. Howell's tee shot finished 15 feet from the hole and when Couch recovered to 12 feet, Howell conceivably had his putt for the lead. Howell missed and Couch somehow managed to hole his putt for bogey and the difference was just one between Couch and both Funk and Howell.
Couch hit a solid drive along the left half of the fairway at the last but it just caught the left rough. From a lie which could have either flown or not, he smashed a wedge that jumped a little and finished in the back bunker. His ball had come to rest near the back lip of the bunker and from a restricted stance and lie he could only just get the ball out. Now it appeared all he could do was hope to somehow get up and down for bogey and join Howell and Funk in a playoff. To the relief of Couch and those who had seen him struggling at this most crucial of times, he hit the perfect little pitch which landed on the green and ran some twelve or so yards directly into the hole for par. Howell still had a difficult birdie attempt which he was unable to covert and the title was Couch's.
It was a brilliant moment that makes the PGA Tour what it is. So many players capable of winning and here was one seizing his moment to redefine his career.
The significant talent and potential that Couch had promised for so long was now realised and it might just be the making of one of the more powerful hitters on the USPGA Tour.
Like Couch, Howell has also struggled in 2006 but back on a golf course where had played well previously, he found a way to get back on track. Funk is approaching 50 and has indicated that his first event on the Champions Tour will be the US Seniors Open. Any golfer, but especially one with just over a month to go in his forties, capable of producing 11 birdies in the final round of a PGA Tour event is essentially a license to print money on the Champions Tour when he gets there.
Stuart Appleby followed up last week's great win with another impressive week when finishing in a share of fourth following a last round of 64. He was joined in fourth place by Brett Wetterich and long time tournament leader, Joe Durant.
Of the other Australians, Aaron Baddeley continued his recent good form with a last round 64 for 11th, John Senden had his best finish for several weeks when 15th, Stephen Leaney's last round of 71 saw him lose 25 places on a day of low scoring to finish 31st, and New Zealander Craig Perks, after making his first cut of the year, made a mess of the weekend when recording rounds of 80 and 76.
The PGA Tour now heads to Charlotte in North Carolina for the Wachovia Championship.
