$40M LIV Golf star cites Fred Couples as inspiration for Masters resurgence: "He’s always up there"

LIV Golf star Bubba Watson has said that Fred Couples is a great example for him to believe he still has a shot at winning the Masters. He praised the veteran golfer’s dedication at Augusta, even at the age of 65.

Watson, a two-time Masters champion, now competes on the LIV Golf circuit. On Tuesday, May 20, he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, where he spoke about his performance at this year's Masters, where he secured his first top-20 finish in a major in six years.

During the conversation, the $40 million (as per Celebrity NetWorth) star was asked whether he still had the mindset of winning the Masters.

"Freddy [Couples] is my example," he said. "You’ll see Freddy’s name somewhere on that leaderboard the first couple days. Maybe he wakes up too early and can’t tee off at 2:00 the next day because that’s his nap time, but he’s always up there, right?

"And so, I always believe, there’s not much rough there, so I believe I can hit crazy shots and get out of the trees. This year was the first time ever I led the field in putting, and it happened to be at the Masters. I’ve been working hard on my putting and changing things."

Watson added that he remembered four shots that cost him several positions at the Masters, and he could have finished inside the top three or five.

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How did Fred Couples perform at the Masters 2025?

Fred Couples started the Masters 2025 on a great note and birdied the first hole he played. He went on to bogey three holes that day but also picked up a birdie and the first ace of the tournament to shoot 71.

However, Fred Couples failed to carry the momentum into the second round and bogeyed six holes to shoot a 5-over 77. He missed the cut by two strokes to miss his ninth cut at Augusta.

Fred Couples has won the green jacket once in his 30 attempts but has missed six cuts in his past seven starts. Here's a look at his results over the years:

• 1983: T32
• 1984: 10
• 1985: T10
• 1986: T31
• 1988: T5
• 1989: T11
• 1990: 5
• 1991: T35
• 1992: 1
• 1993: T21
• 1995: T10
• 1996: T15
• 1997: T7
• 1998: T2
• 1999: T27
• 2000: T11
• 2001: 26
• 2002: T36
• 2003: T28
• 2004: T6
• 2005: T39
• 2006: T3
• 2007: T30
• 2008: CUT
• 2009: CUT
• 2010: 6
• 2011: T15
• 2012: T12
• 2013: T13
• 2014: T20
• 2015: CUT
• 2017: T18
• 2018: T38
• 2019: CUT
• 2020: CUT
• 2021: CUT
• 2022: CUT
• 2023: T50
• 2024: CUT
• 2025: CUT