Fred Couples carded a second round 64 at the PGA Tour Champions’ 2025 Hoag Classic, not only shooting his age but tying for first place with Miguel Angel Jimenez. You might think that everything was rosy for Couples during the day, but that was not the case.
The 1992 Masters champion hated one of his shots of the round, and his dislike was so strong that he vocalized it by dropping an F-bomb, followed by another couple of over-the-top linguistic displays.
“F**k you, you smart a*s mother f**ker!,” shouted Couples to make it easier for the hot mic camera that was covering him at the time.
Couples’ ill-received shot was the second on the 537-yard, par-5 18th. The ball was lying in the middle of the fairway and the 65-year-old hit his shot with the intention of going for the green. But his execution was not the best and the ball deflected left and landed in the primary rough.
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However, there were no major consequences. Couples found the green with his third shot and then two-putted for par. That capped a round of eight birdies and one bogey for a 7-under 64 that left him at 11-under for the tournament.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I shot,” Couples said about his age breaking score. “Miguel [Angel Jimenez] was making so many birdies and I was just trying to keep up with him, and we’ll be battling tomorrow with some other guys finishing strong.”
“It was good,” he added. “It was a heck of a round. We had a great group. Charlie [Wi] actually played okay, just didn’t make as many putts as I did, and Miguel hit the ball like a machine. A lot of birdies”
“I got off to a red-hot start, and then got a little bit scruffy, but then I finished strong with a few birdies at the end to get myself up there and a battle tomorrow with Miguel and whoever finishes up there with us.”
Couples also had a solid first round, carding an eagle, three birdies and a bogey for a 4-under 67. However, Jimenez matched both of the American’s scores, making the outcome of the final round extremely hard to predict.
The Hoag Classic is played at Newport Beach Golf Club, a course where Couples has a history of excellence. In 10 PGA Tour Champions events played there, the Seattle, Washington, native has two wins, two runner-up finishes and four other top-10s.
Fred Couples has played in only two PGA Tour Champions events this season. He tied for 15th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in January and tied for 4th at the Chubb Classic in February.
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