Couples: Mickelson's back not a concern

text size

Halleran/Getty Images

Anthony Kim (left) and Phil Mickelson share a laugh during a practice round at The Presidents Cup on Tuesday.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Phil Mickelson gave Fred Couples a few anxious moments late last week. And it wasn't a classic "what-will-Phil-do-next" moment on the golf course, either.

Mickelson had called his U.S. Presidents Cup captain and asked if he knew whether Tom Boers, the highly regarded physical therapist based in Columbus, Ga., would be at The Presidents Cup at Harding Park this week.

Not surprisingly, the question raised Couples' suspicions. After all, the now-50-year-old Couples and his aching back have been one of Boers' most frequent clients over the years.

"I said, 'Why do you ask that?'" Couples recalled. "He said, 'I'm just curious.' I laid into him, 'This is the biggest week of my life. You've got to tell me what's going on.'"

Turns out, Mickelson had tweaked his back after he won THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. So Couples sent Boers, who has also worked with International Captain Greg Norman, to California to see Mickelson.

"He's a miracle worker," Couples said.

Boers appears now to have worked his magic on Mickelson, too. The No. 2 player in the world was hitting balls on the range Tuesday morning and planned to play nine holes. He expects to play another nine on Wednesday.

"I don't see it as a problem," Couples said. "...It was a little bit of a concern until I physically saw him on the range today. Anybody's going to tell you they're doing good. You have got to watch them, though."

In The Presidents Cup, all 12 players on each team play in Thursday's Foursomes competition, as well as in Friday's Four-ball. There are six matches of each format.

Saturday's competition, on the other hand, features five Foursomes in the morning and five Four-ball matches in the afternoon. That means two players on each team do not play during each session.

Couples wasn't prepared to say whether he would rest Mickelson on Saturday.

"I have to get through Thursday with Phil before I get to Saturday," Couples said. "I know he's going to tell me if he wants to play both matches, but it just depends."

Mickelson is the only player on the U.S. Team who has competed in all nine Presidents Cups. He has an overall record of 11-13-9 that includes a 5-4-4 mark in Four-ball and a 5-6-2 record in Foursomes.