蜜柚直播

On the 18th hole, after watching playing partner Ken Tanigawa hit driver, Couples put his 3-wood away and pulled out the big stick. With water on either side, he again found green grass.

Call it the YOLO approach to golf. Couples turned 60 in October. He knows he鈥檚 that much closer to the end of his illustrious career.

鈥淲ell, I鈥檝e been counting the years down, so when I turned 60 that just gave me one less to worry about,鈥� Couples deadpanned after shooting a 7-under 66 to move into second place at 12 under par, two strokes behind Brett Quigley in the Cologuard Classic at Omni 蜜柚直播 National Resort.

鈥淭here aren鈥檛 going to be too many more. That鈥檚 basically it.鈥�

Couples doesn鈥檛 seem anywhere close to done. His balky back still bugs him occasionally, but he ranks 12th in the field this week in average driving distance at 309 yards. His smooth swing looks as effortless as ever.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel any different than when I was 57,鈥� Couples said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure when I鈥檓 65 I鈥檒l be done probably. But I enjoy playing. If I can drive it like that, then age is really irrelevant.鈥�

Couples is 10 years older than Quigley, whom he trails by two strokes. Couples fondly referred to Quigley as 鈥渢he kid,鈥� a nod to his rookie status on the PGA Tour Champions.

Quigley has emerged from obscurity to become one of the tour鈥檚 hottest players. He was basically the last man in the field at the Morocco Champions in January yet notched his first career victory in only his second Champions Tour start.

鈥淗e鈥檚 very long, and that helps anybody play golf,鈥� Couples said. 鈥淲hen you win, you catch a lot of momentum no matter who you are.鈥�

Quigley is tied for 15th in averaging driving distance this week at 306.3 yards. He ranks first in scrambling (4 of 4) and average putts per greens in regulation (1.66).

Quigley wasn鈥檛 quite as sharp Saturday as Friday, when he shot a bogey-free, 9-under 64. But he played well enough to card a 5-under 68, which tied for the ninth-best score of the day.

Three players matched Couples鈥� 66. They included Miguel Angel Jim茅nez, who is one of two players three shots behind Quigley at 11 under par. The other is another rookie, Rod Pampling, who followed a first-round 67 with a 68. Two other international players, Bernhard Langer and Robert Karlsson, are tied for fifth at 10 under.

Although his hair is graying and his face is wrinkling, Quigley didn鈥檛 balk at Couples dubbing him 鈥渢he kid.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 nice,鈥� Quigley said. 鈥淐ertainly I feel like a newbie again, definitely a neophyte out here. It鈥檚 against all the guys I grew up playing with and a lot of guys I grew up watching.鈥�

Back in his PGA Tour days, Quigley made four starts at 蜜柚直播 National. He missed the cut three times. His best finish was a tie for 65th.

Quigley played bogey-free golf for 28 consecutive holes in the Cologuard Classic, his lead swelling to four shots. In what felt like mere minutes, the advantage shrunk to one as Quigley bogeyed the par-4 11th and Pampling eagled the par-5 12th.

Quigley then found himself in a precarious position on No. 12, having flown the green with his second shot. His ball came to rest just inside the cart path, and he had minimal green to work with.

鈥淚鈥檝e put myself in a lot worse spots than that,鈥� Quigley said.

He hit a delicate pitch to about 6 feet and sank the putt for birdie.

鈥淚 got a little distracted, I backed off and then I hit a bad shot right of the green there,鈥� Quigley said. 鈥淕ot fortunate, stayed inside the cart path and hit a great pitch.

鈥淚 kind of righted the ship. Again, I just was off a little bit today. But I was happy to shoot under par.鈥�

Couples finished strong Friday, making birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to cap a first-round 68. He started hot Saturday, birdieing five of the first six holes en route to a front-nine 31.

Couples doesn鈥檛 believe momentum carries over from one day to the next, though. For him, it鈥檚 all about how he feels on the range before the round. Lately, he鈥檚 been feeling good.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been like that for months now,鈥� Couples said. 鈥淪o when I go on the course, I feel like I can hit it where I鈥檓 looking, and that鈥檚 very important to me. Sometimes I wake up, and I鈥檓 just so sore and stiff that I kind of maneuver the ball around.鈥�

The immaculate weather here has helped. It was in the mid-70s Saturday with just enough sunshine and minimal wind, ideal conditions to shoot low scores.

Couples鈥� 66 was a stroke off his opening-round 65 in 2017. He had a couple of hiccups on the back nine, making bogey on the par-4 10th and the par-3 16th.

Couples鈥� iron shot off the tee at 16 came up well short of the green. It was one of a handful of swings that had Couples wincing.

鈥淚 made about three of them today,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just get stuck, and that鈥檚 when my back goes in a position where I don鈥檛 really want it.

鈥淚 was trying to hit a low bullet in there. Not a great shot. I was just trying to get middle of the green. I fatted it, and those hurt.鈥�

Undeterred, Couples ripped that 3-wood on the par-5 17th. His second shot settled on a hill just past the green. He sank a short putt for birdie, then got up and down from the front-side bunker on 18 for a closing par and sole possession of second place.

鈥淚t was a good feeling,鈥� Couples said. 鈥淚 stroked it well, and it went in. As they say, dinner鈥檚 going to be a lot better.鈥�

Chip shots

• Defending champion Mark O鈥橫eara shot his second consecutive 4-under 69 and is tied for 10th at 8 under par.
• Steve Stricker, the 2018 champ, was within striking range of the leaders before double-bogeying the 18th hole. Stricker鈥檚 tee shot rolled into the left water hazard. He鈥檚 also tied for 10th at 8 under.
• 蜜柚直播 product Willie Wood
  • shot a 2-under 71 and is tied for 24th at 5 under par.
  • The 18th hole again was the most difficult, yielding almost as many double bogeys (seven) as birdies (nine). One of those birdies came in highly unusual fashion: Larry Mize hit his tee shot into the water, then holed out.