Sweet-Swinging 63-Year Old Freddie Couples Just Balled Out With An Opening Round 71 At The Masters

Patrick Smith. Getty Images.

Goddamn do I love this tournament. Where else do you get something like this? A 63-year old competing with the best of the world on its biggest stage, beating most of them while they're at it. With a 33 on the Second Nine no less! Freddie was absoutely filling it up. As he turns in his 71, there's only 11 guys ahead of him on the leaderboard. And for a brief moment he was T-4 there on the 18th green in regulation before giving one back with a 3-putt.

We saw Bernhard Langer make the cut two years ago at age 63 to become the oldest to do so. If Freddie can pull off the same tomorrow he'll be a couple months younger, but the feat would be no less surprising. Langer has been a goddamn robot on the Champions Tour for years. Freddie's had a bad back since I could ever remember and only tees it up a handful of times a year. But when he does… ooo baby does that swing play.

Better yet… Freddie has said his fair share about LIV Golf and Phil in particular.

 Phil's holding his own out there so far (E thru 7), but I'm fascinated to see if Freddie can make the cut while Phil misses it. Or even better, if they end up paired together early on Saturday. Appointment television, that would be.

But shouts to Boom Boom. Forever a legend at Augusta.