Fred Couples

Couples met his first wife, Deborah, while they were students at the University of Houston in 1979. The pair married in 1981, but the relationship ended in divorce in 1993; Deborah later died in May 2001 in an incident ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles coroner's office.

In 1998, Couples married his second wife, Thais Baker. The union was childless, and Baker passed away from breast cancer on February 17, 2009. Couples later married his longtime partner, Suzanne Hannemann, on February 22, 2022. He resides in Newport Beach, California.

Outside of golf, Couples is an avid sports fan and an active supporter of the Seattle Seahawks 12th Man fan base, raising the official 12th Man flag before a Monday Night Football game in Seattle in December 2013. He has also maintained a long friendship with basketball legend Michael Jordan, whom he selected as an assistant coach for the 2011 Presidents Cup.

Frederick Steven Couples was born in Seattle, Washington, to Tom and Violet Couples. His paternal grandparents had immigrated to the United States from Italy and altered their family surname from Coppola to Couples. His father worked as a groundskeeper for the Seattle Parks Department, and the family grew up near Beacon Hill and the Jefferson Park golf course.

Couples taught himself the game at Jefferson Park without taking lessons or hiring a swing coach, developing a distinct, rhythmic swing to generate enough distance to compete with older children. After graduating from Seattle's O'Dea High School in 1977, he accepted a golf scholarship to the University of Houston. While playing for the Houston Cougars, he shared a dorm room with future PGA Tour competitor Blaine McCallister and future CBS television broadcaster Jim Nantz. In 1978, while still a 19-year-old amateur, he won the Washington Open by defeating tour veteran Don Bies in a playoff.

Couples turned professional in 1980 and claimed his first PGA Tour victory at the 1983 Kemper Open, prevailing in a five-man sudden-death playoff. He solidified his status as an elite player by winning the Tournament Players Championship in 1984, followed by a second Players Championship title in 1996.

His career reached its peak in 1992. In March of that year, Couples became the first American golfer to attain the World No. 1 ranking on the Official World Golf Ranking list, holding the top position for 16 weeks. Entering the 1992 Masters Tournament with remarkable momentum, he held off Raymond Floyd in the final round to win his sole major championship. Couples earned PGA Tour Player of the Year honors and the Vardon Trophy in both 1991 and 1992.

Throughout his career, Couples was also celebrated for his dominance in unofficial and off-season events, earning the nickname "Mr. Skins" after claiming five titles in the Skins Game. Recurring back issues, aggravated by his signature swing mechanics, began limiting his schedule starting in 1994, yet he remained competitive for decades. In 2023, Couples set a Masters Tournament record by becoming the oldest player in tournament history to make the cut at 63 years, six months, and five days old.

Couples debuted on the Champions Tour in 2010, winning three of his first four starts to secure Champions Tour Rookie of the Year honors. He went on to win 14 senior titles, highlighted by major victories at the 2011 Senior Players Championship and the 2012 Senior Open Championship at Turnberry.

Couples represented the United States in five Ryder Cup matches between 1989 and 1997, contributing to championship victories in 1991 and 1993. He also competed in four Presidents Cup tournaments as a player and later served as the non-playing captain for the victorious U.S. Presidents Cup teams in 2009, 2011, and 2013.

In 1992, Couples partnered with course designer Gene D. Bates to establish Couples Bates Golf Design, later known as the Bates Golf Design Group. The firm has designed more than 20 championship golf courses around the world.

Couples has also made several pop-culture and media appearances, lending his name to 1990s video games such as Fred Couples Golf and Golf Magazine: 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples. In addition, he made appearances in the 1996 sports comedy film Tin Cup and the music video for Hootie & the Blowfish's hit song "Only Wanna Be with You."