Fred Couples got the attention of New England Patriots fan Sunday night when the captain of the 2011 U.S. Presidents Cup team invoked the name of QB 12 to defend, once again, his decision to name the winless and injury-plagued Tiger Woods to his 12-player squad.
Captain Fred has faced a flurry of second-guessing for using one of two wild-card picks for the November tilt with the International lineup on Woods, whose 0-fer-2010/2011 has dropped the former ace to No. 49 in the world. Still, Couples believes Woods, whose bad left knee and Achilles tendon appear to have mended, is the man for the job, and he employed a rather tortured analogy to prove it.
“At the end of the year, if [Woods is] the No. 1 quarterback for your team, and some other quarterback comes in there and leads you in the playoffs and you’re healthy, Tom Brady is the guy that is going to then take over after he’s been out six weeks with an injury,” Couples told reporters on a conference call after Brady’s Pats had dispatched the San Diego Chargers, 35-21. “That’s the way I looked at it with Tiger.”
How’s that again, Freddie? Tiger Woods is to your Prez Cup unit as Tom Brady is to the Patriots? Let’s see — Brady does enjoy golf (reportedly playing to about a 10 handicap) and had that one major knee issue. But Tiger, who used to excel at the opposite of a team sport, returning from the DL to lead his boys to the promised land? Just not making the connection.
“Tiger was in the heat of the battle at Augusta [at the Masters in April]. He almost won there. He’s been injured,” Couples clarified. “We have talked at times about this.”
We must have been absent that day, because we would have recalled Couples comparing the PGA Tour’s ex-No. 1 to the NFL’s reigning MVP. It’s safe to say, however, that, after Brady’s quick exit from the 2008 season, Pats fans sure don’t want to read “Tom Brady” and “injury” in the same sentence.
In any case, Couples believes firmly in Woods as his quarterback and wanted to give other Presidents Cup candidates — including PGA champ Keegan Bradley — fair warning that they were jousting for a single position.
“I’m picking [Tiger]…for sure, so I just decided to let everyone know that they were really playing for one spot,” Couples said. “I felt it was justified to my team, also, that anyone outside of the Top?10, they were fighting for one spot.”
Sunday’s BMW Championship finale determined the 10 automatic qualifiers for both the U.S. and International sides. Couples’ outfit now includes Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, David Toms, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, and Woods.
As for fitting three golfers into the one remaining red, white, and blue uni, Couples listed his “pretty obvious” options.
“I think Brandt Snedeker and Bill Haas and probably Keegan Bradley are the three leaders in this three ring circus right now to be the 12th guy,” Couples said. “Brandt Snedeker has [been] playing incredible golf and Bill Haas has, too.
“And of course, Keegan Bradley has won twice this year, including a major,” Couples noted. “He fought hard playing Saturday and Sunday here, and his name is right there.”
The tour rookie has had a rough month since capturing his first major in mid-August. Despite missing the cut at the first two FedEx Cup events, The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship, however, the Vermont native and rabid Pats and Brady fan rebounded at the BMW to share 16th place (1-under) with Haas and a handful of others. Snedeker closed at even-par.
Two weeks removed from the hoopla surrounding his untimely departure from the Deutsche Bank (hubbub that included tossing the first pitch at Fenway Park, when the Red Sox seemed certain to make the post-season, and flipping the coin to start a Pats pre-season game), Bradley regained his stroke at Cog Hill.
Still, Couples made it clear that Bradley was hardly a lock for that 12th slot. Fred’s final answer will likely come down to the outcome at next week’s fourth and final FedEx Cup event in Atlanta.
“I want these guys to know,” Couples said, “that the Tour Championship is still deciding my second pick but 12th spot on the team.”
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
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