Couples Putting On Brave Front

Fred Couples, the part-time gardener who likes to cut down trees, plant flowers and trim hedges, also enjoys planting golf balls into golf holes.

After three rounds at Augusta National, no one has done it better than Couples, the 38-year-old amateur agronomist and professional birdie collector, who shot a 71 Saturday to lead the 62nd Masters by two shots as the last round begins today.

The 1992 champion eagled the 13th hole when his flagstick-seeking three-iron from 205 yards out sent the ball to within 1 1/2 feet of the hole, which was not only the shot of the day for Couples, but also a real encouraging thing to do.

Now, even though Couples seems so unexcitable that you could fry an egg on his spikes and he wouldn’t notice, he acknowledged that this Masters thing has made him sort of uptight.

Here is the Couples’ philosophy on nerves, contradictions included as usual.

“I’m nervous, but I’m a calm nervous,” Couples said. “I’m nervous, but I use it to my advantage by staying semi-calm.”

So there you go. As usual, nerve endings might be found close to the surface today for the last 18 holes, basically because there are so many players close to the lead that you couldn’t fit them all on a shuttle bus to the remote parking.

Phil Mickelson, Mark O’Meara and Paul Azinger are only two shots behind Couples, whose 54-hole total of 210 is six under par. Mickelson put up a 69 despite bogeys on the last two holes. Azinger also had a 69 and O’Meara finished with a bogey-free 68.

David Duval, who shared the 36-hole lead with Couples, struggled to a 74 and he’s tied for fifth with Jim Furyk, three shots behind Couples. Furyk turned in a 67, which means he has come back a long way after opening with a 76.

There was a noticeable change in the weather Saturday, when sunshine replaced the wind and cold from the first two days. However, the leader hasn’t changed. Couples has either led or shared the lead through the first three rounds and he wouldn’t mind keeping it that way another day.

The last player to lead or share the lead of the Masters wire-to-wire was Seve Ballesteros in 1983.

“Tomorrow will be a big deal,” Couples said. “It’s like the seventh game of the NBA championship. There will be a lot of people trying to beat me. And I can’t wait.

“It’s a big day. . . . I hope I’m not a mental midget tomorrow.”

No, that wouldn’t be a good idea at this place, where the pins seem to be stuck on the edge of cliffs on greens so fast they need speed limit signs.

Mickelson, one of Couples’ closest pursuers, said the guy in front might not be that easy to snag.

“He’s tough because he’s such a good player and he’s playing so well,” Mickelson said. “A good player who is playing well--that’s what’s going to make it really hard.”

Of course, Mickelson made it harder for himself with his bogey-bogey finish. He bogeyed the 17th when he had a wedge into the green, but flew the ball too far. Mickelson chipped to 15 feet, but missed his putt for par.

On the 18th, he drove into the bunker on the left, hit a six-iron long, stubbed his chip, chipped again to two feet and made it for bogey.

Mickelson is in position to win his first major, which many believe should already have happened. But what would it mean for him to have his first major title happen here?

You’ll just have to guess.

“I don’t even want to talk about it,” Mickelson said.

As for Azinger, the 1993 PGA champion and cancer survivor tackled the back nine with a purpose, wrote down a 34 and set himself up to make a charge.

“It’s not going to be easy for anybody,” Azinger said.

O’Meara is major-less, like Mickelson, but he birdied Nos. 12 and 13 and he thinks he has a chance to make an addition to his resume.

“I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’ve got nothing to lose,” he said.

All Couples has to lose is the lead, but he protected it well Saturday. He birdied No. 4 when he hit a wedge to 10 feet and made the putt, but bogeyed the par-three fourth when he knocked a four-iron into a bunker and couldn’t get up and down.

The eagle at 13 put him ahead by a shot. When Mickelson faltered at the end, it didn’t matter that Couples bogeyed the 14th with a three-putt and bogeyed the 18th after driving in a bunker, sandwiched around a birdie at No. 15 when he laid up and eventually made a five-footer.

All in all, it wasn’t that bad a 71, Couples said.

“You know, I started the day tied with David Duval and now I’m two ahead of whomever. That’s not too bad.”

At this stage of his career, Couples said he’s a good golfer, not a great one, but winning a second Masters would be something special.

“I could retire tomorrow if I win. It would be the highlight of my career. I’m right where I want to be. If I can do it [today], I’ll be the happiest guy in the world.”

He has certainly learned how to play the place. In his last 11 rounds, Couples has been at par or better nine times.

Is that a trend? Is that fate? Does that mean it’s his turn again? Couples said if anyone had asked him a week ago if he would have taken his current situation, he would have grabbed it in a minute.

“Just let me sit in the hotel for three days and come out Sunday with a two-shot lead,” Couples said.

That’s what he has. For golfers and even part-time gardeners, the question is the same. Can he cut it?

*

* RANDY HARVEY: Jack Nicklaus, in the hunt for a seventh Masters championship at one-under par through three rounds, is playing one for the ageless. C8

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

MASTERS / LEADERS Couples: -6

Mickelson: -4

O’Meara: -4

Azinger: -4

Furyk: -3

Duval: -3

Hoch: -2

Olazabal: -2

Haas: -2

Woods: -1

Montgomerie: -1

Nicklaus: -1

Els: -1

McCarron: E

Leonard: E

Kuchar: E

Love: E

Johansson: E

Clarke: E