Quotebook: American Captain Fred Couples

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Caryn Levy/PGA TOUR

Fred Couples is very familiar with most of the golfers on his team. He last played in the Presidents Cup in 2005, where he was teammates with six members on the 2009 American squad.

Fred Couples, who turned 50 on Oct. 3, has played on four Presidents Cup teams (1994, 1996, 1998 and 2005) and five Ryder Cup teams (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997). He also has national team experience from the Dunhill Cup, the World Cup and the Four Tours Championship. Couples compiled a stellar 9-5-2 record in his Presidents Cup playing career.

Couples is the fifth captain in American team history, succeeding Hale Irwin (1994), Arnold Palmer (1996), Ken Venturi (2000) and Jack Nicklaus (1998, 2003, 2005 and 2007). His assistant captain is Jay Haas, and Michael Jordan is an unofficial assistant.

For more on Couples, check out his captain's bio. Read here.

What they're saying

Presidents Cup players weigh in on Fred Couples as American captain

PHIL MICKELSON: "I think you hit it on the head calling him the Yogi Berra of golf. That's the kind of manager, captain he'll be. I think it'll be a fun week. He's played on a number of the teams, so I think he realizes from a player's point of view what we enjoy about the week and what we dread about the week, and he kind of gets rid of that and makes it a fun week." KENNY PERRY: "Freddie to me is kind of aloof, kind of out there. He's just a loose cannon. You never know what's coming out of him. Really, he'll be nice and laid back, and then all of a sudden he'll get on a tangent and a tear and I've seen him just rip some guys before." TIGER WOODS: "I can't wait to listen to him, his speeches and see where they're going to go. When they start off one way, they never end up there. I think that's one of the things that we're all going to have a good time with. He's also a guy that is very competitive, but also he loves to get the needle, too. We're going to have a lot of fun." STEWART CINK: "I think he'll captain the team the same way he plays golf, the way he deals with the media, the way he deals in the locker room with us, on the range, the caddies. He's the same person no matter what he's doing, and I think that's a real virtue. I see him in the locker room or I get a text from him, and it sounds like he's just standing there talking to him. He's the same guy. I see him in interviews, at the team meeting we had at THE PLAYERS Championship this year, he'd Fred Couples and nobody is ever going to change that. It'll be laid back, intense though because he doesn't not want to lose. Under all those layers of apparently lack of caring, underneath all that, he does not want to lose. It'll be a great experience. He'll be the guy that I've been the closest to as far as all my captains over the years." ZACH JOHNSON: "I've gotten to know him a good bit over the last few years, or since I've been out here, I should say. One, he's just fun to be around. Granted, he's got a story or a joke, he's easy going. He's enjoyable to be around. Having him lead us I think is going to be great, going to be relaxing. That's what I anticipate. Now, deep down he's a competitor and so are we, so you add that element in there, and I think it makes it even that much more special."