Fred Couples: Golf's Reluctant Superstar by Kathlene Bissell

by Kathlene Bissell

Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly once compared Fred Couples's appeal to chocolate' "Nearly everybody likes him, and most people like him a lot." One of the game's true talents, Couples is also one of its real enigmas; what you see--the languid swing, the untroubled walk, the easy attitude--seems to be what you get, and what you seem to get is pretty appealing. But that's only part of the story. He's not nearly as carefree and lackadaisical as he'd have us believe. Crushed by his meltdown in the 1989 Ryder Cup when he lost the final match for the U.S. and the cup went back to Europe, much of his great run of the early '90s--including the 1992 Masters title--grew out of the resolve, rededication, and refocusing Ray Floyd helped him draw out of that experience. Similarly, much of his falloff in the late '90s can be traced to family illnesses and the emotional toll they took. A dogged researcher and interviewer, Bissell does her share of mucking around in the rough to find the complex competitor--and ultimately the decent human being--at Couples's core. Her exploration of his relationship with his parents at the end of their lives is quite moving, and the breakup of his first marriage makes for pleasurably guilty reading. Interestingly, it's Couples's polo-obsessed first wife who offers the most stunning insight into his "To Fred, nothing is worth the sacrifice of losing your peace of mind." --Jeff Silverman

Hardcover

First published March 11, 2000