One Masters tradition that doesn’t receive a lot of love? The club’s practice of offering a lifetime exemption to previous champions.
That means several legends often keep playing at Augusta National until well after they cease playing the PGA Tour and other majors.
Over the past 15 years, 1992 champion Fred Couples has been the pro who’s proved the rule.
Couples finished 6th in his first Masters after turning 50 in 2010 and finished in the top 20 in six of the next seven seasons. Just two years ago, in 2023, Couples became the oldest player to make the 36-hole cut at age 63.
But after a disappointing 80-76 showing last year, Couples wondered if the tournament itself even wanted the Hall-of-Famer to continue teeing it up at Augusta.
In an interview with Golfweek, Couples said Masters Chief Tournament Officer Steve Ethun assured him that Augusta National wants Couples for as long as he wants them.
Couples recounted an impressively blunt phone call with Ethun to discuss the topic of his tournament future.
“I told Steve two things; First, that I don’t want to embarrass myself. And that I’m certainly not going to embarrass Augusta National,” Couples told Golfweek.
“Steve goes, ‘We already know that. We want you to keep playing.’
“I can’t tell you how much my blood pressure went down.”
That was evident when Couples called George Downing, who caddied for him at the 2024 Masters, immediately after talking with Ethun.
“George could hear it in my voice,” Couples said.
“He goes, ‘Did you win the lottery?’
“I said, ‘No, George. I get to keep playing the Masters.’”
Couples will play in his 40th Masters this year, and is one of just three 1990s champions (Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal) expected to play this year.
The other five 1990s Masters champions opting out of this year’s tournament are Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara. Woods is expected to miss the season’s first major after rupturing his Achilles, while the other four have all retired.
As for Couples, he enters this year’s Masters with no plans on calling it quits. Yet.
