The second round of the Hoag Classic saw Fred Couples on top of the leaderboard alongside Miguel Angel Jiménez. He carded eight birdies in the second round and looking strong to win the tournament unless his health declines. That’s right, the latest revelation about Couples health raises some questions. So what happened? 

Following the conclusion of the second round, Fred Couples joined the press conference and was asked about his health. As a response, he said, “Well, I have very little strength, but that’s okay. Some of the putts I was leaving short, but the only clubs I’m really trying to swing hard at is my driver, and that’s a good thing because when I hit it solid it flies straighter, and a little distance helps. But the rest of them are just kind of massaged.” 

He further talked about the weather changes and said, “I didn’t want to wear the same gear yesterday but it’s a lot easier to take on and off, but literally — it gets cold and hot.” Despite that, it’s not gonna stop him. He further added, “Again, I’ve played a million rounds sick. I was a little more worried on Tuesday and Wednesday how bad I felt. But I can get around. My head hurts a little bit, but the weather is a perfect temperature, and I’m not sick-sick, it’s just all clogged up and I’m a little dizzy.” Yesterday he was asked about how he got sick, the 1982 Masters champion said “I went to the desert to practice,” he said, “and I got sick, really sick. You know, I kept putting this coat on because I’m actually sweating.”

Well, in the clip as well, while he was talking, Couples sounded low on energy. Despite being sick, the 14-time Champions winner fired a 67 during the opening round at Newport Beach Country Club and was just three shots off the lead. However, coming to the second round, things changed as thanks to his eight birdies, the senior golfer is now leading the charge.

Although he has had a total of 14 wins on the PGA Tour Champions and 62 top-5 finishes so far, the last time Couples won was back in the 2022 SAS Championship. However, this time things are different, as the 65-year-old might win if he manages to maintain his lead.

Just two days ago, Fred Couples also talked about Tiger Woods, who is at home recovering from ruptured Achilles surgery. He said, “He’s in great spirits for a ruptured Achilles he really is, he will be fine.” While Woods’ unfortunate sage of injury continues, this time something happened that lifted his spirits prior to the surgery.

What lifted Tiger Woods’ spirits?

Tiger Woods’ daughter, Sam Woods, was the captain of the Benjamin High School girls’ soccer team. Earlier this month she with her team competed against Lakeland Christian at Spec Martin Stadium at the State Championship match. Initially, Sam’s team was trailing 1-0 at halftime however, thanks to her captaincy team’s unwavering defense, they held off Lakeland Christian and ultimately won by a 2-1 win.

Her father Tiger Woods watched her daughter win and hugged her post the match. The golfer was indeed having a tough time with his mother passing in February. However, Sam’s win lifted his spirit this much that he felt positive about the surgery as well. Following the surgery, the 15x major winner wrote, “I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.” And now he is taking his time at home to come back stronger.