Q&A: Couples on being Presidents Cup captain

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

U.S. Captain Fred Couples said winning the Presidents Cup would mark his greatest accomplishment.

Editor's note: This article is reprinted courtesy of Boston Hannah, which produces The Presidents Cup program.

Of The Presidents Cup, Fred Couples says, "It's an event with great golf and top players who go out and put on a great show for four days."

Couples recently talked to Vartan Kupelian about his role as the U.S. Team Captain. Couples is responsible for producing two of the greatest and most memorable strokes in the history of The Presidents Cup.

Both were critical putts in victories over Vijay Singh, the first in 1996 and the second in 2005. Both were pivotal in helping the United States defeat the International Team.

Couples won't hit a single shot at this year's Presidents Cup, but in his role as the United States Captain, his impact on the outcome will be incalculable. It is a challenge Couples has eagerly embraced.

There is an unmistakable twinkle in Couples' eye when he talks about The Presidents Cup, his role, his memories and his expectations. When he says The Presidents Cup at Harding Park will be a defining moment in his professional career, he means it.

Vartan Kupelian: We know professional athletes are driven, even if they don't always show it on the surface. What drives Fred Couples?

Fred Couples: That's a great question. I've never been asked that. What drives me in golf? Probably the competition. In everyday life, just trying to have fun and enjoy myself. On the golf course, in tournaments, when I was younger, it was totally competition. Now it's a little bit -- this sounds funny -- but it's pairings on Thursday and Friday. It's important for me to play with guys I have fun with ...

VK: If I say, "The beauty of golf is ...," how would you finish that sentence?

FC: Being outdoors.

VK: What kind of captain will you be? Hands-on or laissez-faire?

FC: I think right in between. I have a great assistant in Jay Haas, and I have a great athletic assistant in Michael Jordan. I've been on a lot of teams. You don't want to get anyone frustrated. The guys who are playing well, it seems easy. When guys aren't playing well, you leave it alone. Everyone is trying as hard as they can. A captain, in my opinion, can only get in the way. Obviously, we'll have a great amount of fun on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Once the tournament starts, it's Jay's job and my job to get good pairings. Once we do that, they go play.

VK: You have now officially become an innovator in Presidents Cup history. You have defined a role as athletic assistant. Never heard that before. What exactly is the definition of that term, and what do you expect from Michael Jordan?

FC: People wonder what we do on a Saturday night when you're leading a golf tournament. I'm very sports-oriented. My caddie (Joe LaCava) and I talk about sports whether it's a practice round or Sunday of a major. Michael will probably have the floor a few times, have a few things to say. The guys love him. As an innovator of that, I just like having him around. He's a great guy.

VK: What's the best advice you were ever given about competing in a team golf event?

FC: Well, the worst advice, I'll never forget! I was practicing before my first Ryder Cup with Paul Marchand and Dick Harmon. They were standing behind me telling me, "This is the shot off the first tee, you're going to be so nervous, you won't be able to breathe." When I got there, obviously I understood what they were talking about. The best advice I ever got would probably have been on the 17th tee playing at Kiawah with Ray Floyd. He said, "Take a deep breath and smash it." I hit a great 2-iron on that tough par 3. Everyone knows it's pressure-packed. The Presidents Cup, to be honest with you, is a little less pressure (than the Ryder Cup) because everyone plays. You play every day. You're not pushed into a corner because someone thinks you're playing poorly.

VK: What's the most important thing you have ever learned by playing in a team golf event? Something you discovered on your own.

FC: After we lost the Ryder Cup in '87, I took it extremely hard. Ray Floyd was our captain. Talked to him that night, felt like I lost my match to Christy O'Connor. I got out of it how important golf was to guys like Lanny Wadkins, Curtis Strange, Raymond and Tom Watson. It was a huge learning week for me.

VK: You have played for many captains. What have you taken from past captains that you can apply to your role at this Presidents Cup?

FC: The freshest one would be Paul Azinger because he did such a phenomenal job (at the 2008 Ryder Cup). But I'll tell you, Jack Nicklaus was absolutely perfect as captain at The Presidents Cup. The week couldn't go by easier because we were winning. When you're losing, it doesn't matter who you have as a captain. Sometimes they take the blame. I think if we lose I will definitely take the blame. There is no way you can hand-pick any player (to blame). Basically, it's a team week. I'm not hitting a shot but I want to make sure these guys are ready to play and enjoy it.

VK: What is your most vivid Presidents Cup memory?

Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Fred Couples reacts after sinking a putt to beat Vijay Singh in Singles 1-up at the 2005 Presidents Cup.

FC: There are two that are equal. Making the putt against Vijay (Singh) and obviously making a putt against him again years later. Both those putts were phenomenal. But I would also say that watching Chris DiMarco make that putt (in 2005) an hour after I made mine against Vijay. There was a lot of suspense there when Chris made that putt. I got more of a kick out of that than when I made mine.

VK: Do you and Vijay ever talk about those crucial putts that you made against him?

FC: Not anymore. We did for a while. I think he's shocked that I beat him (laughing). I am, too, to be quite honest. He's fun to play with, very competitive. It's more of a chuckle like, "I can't believe that." I usually answer that I agree with you.

VK: What do you remember about the first time you met Greg Norman and the first time you played with him?

FC: One of the first times I met him was at Augusta. I didn't really meet him. I looked at him. Long blond hair, perfect shape, hit it a hundred miles. I remember one of the best drivers I'd ever seen. When I got paired with him, He really was one of the best drivers I'd ever seen. He could draw it, fade it, hit it straight. Over the years, playing with him, the way he handles himself and the way he plays. A huge competitor and I think we're going to have a great time battling each other.

VK: Obviously, Greg Norman is a very formidable adversary, quite probably the greatest sports figure in Australia's history. How much inspiration will that bring to the International Team?

FC: As you say, greatest golfer, greatest sports figure. That's a big deal. In our country, (it's like) growing up with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. I've been on teams with both of those as my captain and that's a great honor. I can see how that will be a great influence on the International Team.

VK: How does Harding Park set up as a match play course?

FC: Basically, it's not a really long course. It's not really tight. But you have to keep the ball in play. The greens are small. It's a shotmaker's course.

VK: For the past three decades, you've had one of -- if not the most -- recognizable swings in golf. It is so fluid, easy and powerful. Complete this sentence: The secret to my golf swing is ...

FC: Being very flexible, and stiff at the same time. If I wasn't flexible, I would have been done 10 years ago.

VK: Where does stiff come in?

FC: My back. It's always stiff.

VK: There are those who suggest one of the reasons the U.S. won the Ryder Cup in 2008 is because Tiger Woods wasn't there. Your thoughts on such a statement?

FC: I don't know who those people are. I've never talked to anyone who told me they were glad Tiger wasn't there. I'm certainly glad he's going to be on my team. Maybe there was a little less pressure. You can't cater to one guy more than others. But I can cater to Tiger by having him play with someone he wants to play with. Past Ryder Cups we were always behind. It's not easy to play from behind. I'll take my chances with Tiger.

VK: How important is The Presidents Cup in the overall scheme of things in international golf?

FC: I think it has become very important. It's an event with great golf and top players who go out and put on a great show for four days.

VK: A final question, Fred. Please finish this sentence: Winning The Presidents Cup is ...

FC: ... Going to be my greatest accomplishment. I'm looking forward to it. By my team winning, that will be my biggest accomplishment.