63-Year-Old Couples Make History as Oldest Ever to Qualify for Finals

Entered 3R at 63 Years 182 Days in Masters
Previous Record Was 'Legend' Langer at 63 Years 78 Days

‘The Gentleman of the Field’ Fred Couples (USA) set the record for the oldest player to advance to the main field in Masters Tournament history.

Fred Couples raises his hand in greeting to the applause of the gallery after making a birdie on the 15th hole of the second round at the Masters. [Augusta (USA) = AP·Yonhap News]

Born in 1959, Couples lost 2 strokes in the second round of the 87th Masters held on the 8th (local time) at Augusta National Golf Club (Par 72, 7,545 yards) in Augusta, Georgia, USA, but rose to a tie for 40th place (1-over 145 strokes) and advanced to the third round, where the top 50 compete. Since the Masters was established in 1934, the previous oldest cut advancement record was set by Bernhard Langer (Germany) in 2020 at 63 years and 78 days. Couples is 63 years and 182 days old.

This is Couples’ 38th appearance at the Masters. He won this tournament in 1992 and made the cut for the first time in five years since tying for 38th place in 2018. Larry Mize (USA) and Sandy Lyle (Scotland), both born in 1958 and one year older than Couples, announced their retirement after this year’s tournament.

Right after finishing the second round, Couples was asked, “Do you look happy to be playing 18 more holes this afternoon?” and he laughed, saying, “No. I’m an old weakling.” He added, “Still, I’m looking forward to playing here because I love this place,” showing his affection for the Masters. Before play was suspended due to bad weather, Couples recorded 1 birdie and 4 bogeys over 9 holes in the third round. His current standing is tied for 49th place (4-over par).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.