Putting for Dough Was Not His Best Attribute

There was nothing wrong with the way Fred Couples was striking the ball Sunday during the final round of the Masters.

Putting was another matter.

Couples, 46, was five under par and one shot behind Phil Mickelson when he three-putted from 40 feet for a bogey at the par-four, 505-yard 11th hole. Worse yet, he three-putted from five feet at No. 14.

“I really don’t feel like I’m 46,” said Couples, a Masters champion in 1992. “I certainly didn’t hit the ball like I was 46. Of course, I putted like I was 66.”

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Trivia time: Who was paired with Mickelson in the final group when he won the 2004 Masters?

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Just having fun: Mickelson and Couples, playing together Sunday, seemed to be enjoying themselves before Couples’ putting problems set in. Wrote Furman Bisher in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “They strolled around the course chit-chatting between shots like two Rotarians playing for cigars.”

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The power of numbers: In a cover story Mickelson wrote for Golf Digest, he indicated making 20- to 35-foot putts is not the answer.

“A better strategy is to think of long lags (and chips) as opportunities to leave yourself a tap-in,” he wrote. “For last year, stat-tracker Shot Link puts my make-percentage at 29% from 20 feet. From 35 feet, it drops to 17%. But look what happens when I get closer to the hole. I made 99% of my three-footers. From six feet, I made only 68%.

“This is where you save shots -- lag putting or chipping a foot or two closer to the hole -- not making more long putts.”

That strategy seemed to work at Augusta.

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More numbers: From the Golf Guru column in Golf Digest: “Only 21% of golfers have a real handicap. The average is 15 for men, 28 for women. For Americans, the average score is 95 for men and 106 for women.”

It’s also noted that 8% shoot in the 70s, 20% in the 80s, 31% in the 90s and 41% don’t break 100.

The conclusion: “78% of Americans believe in angels, and 98% believe they can hit a seven-iron 150 yards.”

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A bit off course: British golf writer David Facey arrived late for the 2003 Masters because he mistakenly booked a ticket from Manchester, England, to Augusta, Maine.

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Looking back: On this day in 1965, Jack Nicklaus won the Masters by nine strokes over Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. And on this day in 1966, Nicklaus won the Masters again by shooting a 70 in an 18-hole playoff with Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer.

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Trivia answer: Chris DiMarco.

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And finally: CBS sportscaster Verne Lundquist is still remembered for his simplistic “Yes, sir” call when Jack Nicklaus made his famous birdie putt on No. 17 at Augusta in 1986. And last year, when Tiger Woods’ 90-foot chip shot at No. 16 dropped in, Lundquist said, “Oh, wow. In your life, have you ever seen anything like that?” Such calls are instinctive, Lundquist said, adding: “You sure don’t stay awake at night and think about what you’re going to say when Tiger chips in from 90 feet.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.