One swing, and he was done.
Hometown hero Fred Couples, always the biggest draw at the Boeing Classic senior golf tour stop at the TPC course in Snoqualmie, withdrew after his first tee shot Friday afternoon.
“I didn’t feel very good warming up,” Couples told reporters. “I hit the tee shot at No. 1 and then my lower back really locked up when I walked down to the second shot. It was like a bomb went off in my lower back.
“I think it’s time to rest. I’m sad I won’t be able to play in this year’s event. For this to happen to me in Seattle, this is a rough one.”
Couples, 52 and a graduate of O’Dea High School, has had a long history of back trouble, but seemed to be managing it pretty well. Three weeks ago, Couples shot a 67 to win the Senior British Open. He has finished third and 16th in his previous appearances at the Boeing Classic, and was beaten by Bernhard Langer for the 2010 U.S. Senior Open title at Snoqualmie.
