The reason why Fred Couples said turning pro was the ‘dumbest decision I ever made’

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No one can doubt that Fred Couples’ decision to turn professional in 1980 was the correct one.

The Hall of Fame inductee is a former World Number One, won the 1992 Masters, is a two-time winner of The Players Championship, and has 64 professional victories to his name. In 2023, Fred Couples became the oldest player to make the cut at The Masters at 63 years of age. 

But at the time, Couples’ decision to turn pro was a shock one. He’d accepted a scholarship at the University of Houston and was in the midst of a highly successful amateur career.

He’d just lost to Hal Sutton to finish second in the 1980 US Amateur, but still had one year remaining in college. Despite that, he took the leap a year early.

It all worked out in the end, but Couples once described the bold move as the ‘dumbest decision I ever made’.

Why Fred Couples made the ‘dumbest decision’ by turning professional

After Couples lost to Sutton at the US Amateur, he visited Los Angeles with his family. A bored Couples found the nearest golf course at El Dorado, but couldn’t hit any balls as the Queen Mary Open was being played at the course. 

Instead, he spoke to a man named Larry Benson in the pro shop to see if he could play in the event. That led to him making one of the rashest decisions of his life. 

Couples recounted the story to AP News in 2013: “Jokingly he said, ‘No, but if you turn pro we have a spot for you’. I went back, had dinner with these people, the next morning drove back to the course and turned pro. 

“Why? I have no idea. I didn’t have a manager or an agent or a lawyer or a chef or a masseuse or a trainer or a cellphone or anyone to call. I made what was probably at the time the dumbest decision I ever made. Turned out to be the greatest decision.”

Couples played in the event and immediately proved that he was ready to compete on that stage. He tied for eighth with Mark O’Meara, earning $1,800. But his dad wasn’t best pleased with his decision. 

Couples said he called his parents after the event: “I said, ‘Hey, dad, I just made $1,800.’ And he hung up on me.” 

Couples said he didn’t realize that he couldn’t go back to school after turning pro, but luckily for him, his misstep was rewarded. His play over the next two months meant he earned his PGA Tour card, and the rest is history. 

Fred Couples is in the conversation for being the greatest senior golfer of all time

While Couples had a decorated professional career in his prime, the longevity he’s shown in his later life makes him a strong contender for being the greatest senior golfer ever.

Beyond becoming the oldest ever to make the cut at The Masters, Couples said he had the best round of his career at the age of 63. 

He shot a bogey-free 12-under in the final round of the 2022 SAS Championship, which won him the tournament by six strokes. Couples’ score of 60 was the lowest final round in PGA Tour Champions history.

And even at 65 years old, he is still able to compete with the very best in the game. Couples shot a one-under 71 at The Masters this year, putting him in T11 on the leaderboard. 

His biggest contemporary is Phil Mickelson, who became the oldest major winner ever at 50 years old by taking victory at the PGA Championship in 2021. 

Mickelson is still competing at a high level on LIV Golf at 55 years old, finishing 24th in the individual standings. No one would be surprised if Mickelson was still putting in age-defying performances in a decade’s time, but until then, Couples is the only player to have done it in his 60s.