Fred Couples regains past form to share Arnold Palmer Invitational lead with J.J. Henry

From WorldGolf.com News Services

The troubles Fred Couples has had with his back were nowhere to be found Thursday as the 48-year-old former world-No. 1 golfer showed flashes of his past form at Bay Hill.

Using a solid start, Couples shot a 5-under-par 65 to share the lead with J.J. Henry after round one of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla. The two are one stroke ahead of Tom Lehman, Lee Westwood, Lucas Glover and defending champion Vijay Singh.

Couples said excellent driving was the key to his round. He missed only one fairway (No. 8) and needed just 23 putts on greens that were supposedly in bad shape due to a worm infestation, while recording his best round at Bay Hill since a 63 in 1992, when he was the No. 1-ranked player in the world.

"There's been a few years where I've played and I haven't had much fun playing because I can't keep any pace, or I had not been able to play three or four weeks out of five or six weeks and felt good about playing," Couples told reporters.

Couples had to shut it down last year due to his bad back, playing in just two official events. He even started to make peace with the idea that his professional golf career might be finished.

Now, Couples holds no illusions that his physical problems are in the past, but he doesn't seem to worry about them, either.

"My back will go out and when it does," Couples said, "I'll know, and where I hit the ball will know and everyone else will know, but as far as worrying about it, there's not much you can do."

Henry was just thrilled to have his first break-through round at Bay Hill. In three previous starts at the par-70 course, he had never shot lower than 71 and said his 65 couldn't have come at a better time.

"To be honest with you, it's been a little bit frustrating the start of the year for me," Henry told reporters. "I feel like I've been close, I really have.

"Today, finally just everything clicked."

Tiger Woods, who has won six of his last seven official PGA Tour events, including four straight, continued his recent trend of struggling in Palmer's tournament. After winning the event four consecutive times from 2000-2003, he hasn't finished better than tied for 20th each of the past four years and opened with an even-par 70.

"I haven't played well," Woods said during his post-round press conference. "This golf course, now that they have changed it to a par 70, you really have to play better. I drove it good today. I drove a few drives to the right with my driver, but other than that, drove every single fairway — just didn't take advantage of it.

"Didn't feel comfortable with my irons. Didn't really struggle with distance control, but couldn't get the ball shaped to start on the right line."

Couples had no such troubles. After starting his day with two straight birdies, the player formerly known as "Boom, Boom" birdied four of his first six holes on the back nine before making his lone bogey of the round at the par-3 17th.

Even atop the leaderboard and in serious contention for the first time since the 2006 Masters, when he was beaten by Phil Mickelson, Couples said he continues to have no expectations.

"I don't believe I'll tee off tomorrow, whenever — two o'clock — thinking that I'm leading the tournament and the guy to beat," Couples said. "So I'm not going to say it's a challenge to go out there and play under pressure, but obviously I'll know where I stand.

"But today is a good round on a very, very tough course and that's kind of what I got out of it."

March 14, 2008