There's some thing about stepping onto the program at Augusta National for everything that is brought by Fred Couples back. The old swing, the old feel across the greens, the old sway. At 53 years of age, Couples is going to the weekend of the 2013 Masters one stroke off the cause, in the final coupling for another Masters Saturday. That is rather neat. Couples, himself, is pretty cool too. You'd have to be cool to play your complete career with a nickname like "Boom Boom" and somehow make it work. After his second-round 71 on Friday, Couples was asked by way of a reporter what it's like to be therefore, well, cool. (Via Masters.com) "You know I am cool, but I will be a idiot, too," Couples deadpanned. "So, I'm an awesome jerk." "I think you will find a lot of good folks on the tour and I have existed so long that I got that little clichA of being a very good guy. I like everyone. "There certainly are a few guys I must say I enjoy golfing with. You can find other men I like watchinga'for instance Rickie Fowler, I'm excited at the finish he had (on Friday). There are some young guys who are fairly cool guys. I actually do not know some of the guys that aren't too coolafor grounds, since they aren't great guys such as the rest folks. "ButaI don't have any idea." He is really cool. And so, too, is the proven fact that for another year at Augusta, Couples is among the greatest stories heading in to the weekend. Allow yourself to consider where we may be on Sunday evening: Couples earning a green coat over 20 years after his remarkable success in 1992 could you need to be so damnedacool. Henry Ehrmann/Getty Images For Couples, being competitive is not about being cool, it is about remaining cool under the pressure of every shot at Augusta, one apparently more overwhelming compared to last. Obviously, his composure helped win him the '92 Masters, but there is more to his game today than simply maintaining a cool head. It's what's in that head that's helping him the most; three years of Masters knowledge, gleaned from playing so well over the last 29 years at Augusta. "I have performed so many times here that personally I think pretty comfortable on some of these shots," Couples told reporters in the Masters press accessibility after his second round. "You still have to hit a good one, but the more times this place is played by you, it helps." Heading in to the weekend near the the top of leaderboard is nothing new to Couples, and he stressed on several occasions with reporters that he needs to just try to get to Sunday with an opportunity to participate, something he was not able to complete in last year's competition. "The last two days I have driven the ball perfectly and so it is felt such as the same old program for me. So you then get in toa'you knowa'am I adequate to play four times in a line on a course such as this? This past year it did not happen. I was four-over very fast on Saturday, which was a realabummer. And then on Sunday I played well enough in order to complete in a good spot." After missing the cut at Augusta in 2008 and 2009a'the only twice in his career he didn't make it to the weekenda'Couples has done sixth, tied for 15thAand tied for 12thAin his last three Masters, carding at least one spherical in the 60s in each of the last four tournaments. Brian Cannon/Getty Photographs Partners has placed in the top at the Masters 11 times in his career and, heading in to the 2013 tournament, has the best stroke average per rounda'71.89a'of anyone who has performed over 100 rounds at the Masters. Through two times this season, he has bettered that amount. Partners appears therefore naturala'and, yes, coola'out on the course, I am not sure this is could be placed into proper perspective. Significantly, do you want to understand how silly it is that Couples is, yet again, in competition at the Masters at 53 years old? The earliest success in Masters history was Jack Nicklaus at 46 years, 2 months and 23 days old, winning his sixth green jacket in 1986. Couples was playing in his fourth Masters that year. Jack's win was earth-shattering in those days, for somebody as old and off his game as Nicklaus to put it all together for four rounds to win another Masters. Couples is seven years his senior at this stage of his profession. The earliest runner-up in the Mastersa'should Couples stay in competition however not win a second natural jacket this weeka'was Raymond Floyd, who positioned second at 49 years old in 1992 to, yes, Couples. Harry How/Getty Pictures The oldest second-time winner in Masters background was today Ben Crenshaw, who won the 1995 Masters at 43 years old, 8 weeks, 29 days; more than 10 years younger than Couples. Crenshaw won his first Masters in 1984, 11 decades before he pulled off a remarkable run of adding competence to earn his 2nd name at Augusta in 1995. H Player, one of the greats of the game and one of the greatest to actually play the Masters, won his first green hat on his fifth attempt, winning his 2nd on his 17thAtry, some 12 records (and 13 years) later. Should Couples keep on his play and put together two championship-caliber units, it would be the 20thAMasters (and 21 years) since his last success. Being in competition going into the weekend is incredible for Couples. Getting a method to win the event will be one of the biggest accomplishments in Masters history. "I was playing horrible," Couples mentioned if he thought heading into the Masters he'd have a chance to contend when asked by journalists. "I have already been working on my game and sometimes it will get on. I've stood up a little bigger where I can get some good club-head speed and I did tee off Thursday with the idea of playing well. I am amazed (at being near the lead after Friday's round), but I am not planning to panic over it. "I want to have another run." Through the years, Couples has taken 7,903 competition strokes at Augusta heading into play on the weekend, each one stuck in his memory like a ball on the bank of Rae's Creek, waiting to be recalled and replayed whenever he wants to hit a difficult shot or handle the nuances which make Augusta therefore difficult to understand. "It doesn't get any easier," Couples told reporters. "Now, as I have performed so many times, it is getting tougher since the vegetables are so rapidly. I play on vegetables this quickly annually and it is here. On the standard tour, greens are fast each week they play. "For me, I do not get on vegetables (this quickly), therefore it takes a large amount of feela'you know, I'd this putt eight years back. I know that sounds ridiculous, but you know on a ridge you get it and it trickles down, you do your very best and you go on to the next hole." Andrew Redington/Getty Pictures Couples has 36 holes to go, and drier conditions, wind, more difficult pin placements and a field of the best players in the game lurking all around him make the likelihood of a 53-year old with a poor backa'he says he feels great, just exhausted, after two roundsa'winning his second natural jacket 20 years after winning his first about as impossible as a 14-year-old boy finding the first one-stroke penalty for gradual play on the PGA Tour in almost two years. Then again, here is the Masters. Any such thing sometimes happens at Augusta, and seeing Couples put on yet another green jacket will be really, really cool.
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