Masters Tournament | Fred Couples in position to set record

(Augusta) It is very possible that Fred Couples will play the rest of the weekend at the Masters Tournament.

Tournament champion in 1992, Couples concluded his second round on Saturday morning with a bogey for a cumulative score of 145, one stroke over par, and one stroke under the potential qualifying mark.

If this scenario occurs, Couples will become, at the age of 63, the oldest golfer to qualify for the last two rounds of the Masters Tournament.

The record belongs to Germany’s Bernhard Langer, who was around three and a half months younger than Couples when he had his name etched into the tournament’s history book in 2020.

It would also be the 31^e times in his career that Couples has played in the final two rounds of the tournament. In this regard, he would be preceded only by Jack Nicklaus, who achieved the feat on 37 occasions.

At some point in his career, Couples crossed the qualification threshold in 23 consecutive editions of the Masters Tournament, which allowed him to equal the mark of South African Gary Player.

Tiger Woods could repeat that feat on Saturday. A five-time Augusta winner, Woods started his day with a +2 overall score and seven holes to go to complete his second round, which began with cold and rainy weather on Saturday morning.

Author of a birdie at 15^e hole, however, Woods bogeyed on the 17^e green to return to a +2 cumulative score, just shy of the potential qualifying threshold.

As a professional, Woods has always managed to cross the qualification threshold at Augusta.

The golfers are trying to complete the second round, which was suspended Friday due to bad weather, before the third round begins later Saturday.

The mercury is below 10 degrees Celsius and the weather forecast called for rain all day, with the possibility of thunderstorms.

American Brooks Koepka had time to complete his second round on Friday and leads the standings with a cumulative score of 132, 12 under par.

Spaniard Jon Rahm was second, one stroke behind Koepka, with three holes to go to complete his second round.

With two consecutive rounds of 68 for a total of 136, amateur golfer Sam Bennett ranks third, four shots behind the leader. Like Koepka, Bennett, an American, had time to complete his second round on Friday.

In the long history of the Masters Tournament, Ken Venturi, in 1956, is the only amateur to have posted a better score than Bennett after 36 holes, a shot better.