Skip to main content
Join Now

Masters 2025: Fred Couples eagles 14th hole at Augusta National with incredible 191-yard shot

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•04/10/25
Couples

The Masters has officially begun and that means the magic is here. Fred Couples wasted little time during his opening round creating some of that incredibly special atmosphere.

Approaching the green on Hole No. 14, Couples pulled out his hybrid. He had 191 to go to the pin, so he lined up his shot and gave it a rip.

His ball flight took him to the front of the green, where his ball bounced slightly and then began to roll toward the cup. Tantalizing. Testing. And eventually… a hole-in for eagle for Fred Couples! Check it out below.

Couples is off to a hot start at the Masters, too. He was -1 under through his first 16 holes, placing him just two shots off the lead.

He’s had some success in recent years at Augusta, too, despite his age at 65. Fred Couples managed to make the cut in 2023, when he carded a 71 and a 74 in the opening two rounds. He’ll, of course, be looking to make another cut this weekend. Some of that might depend on how well some of the favorites play.

Can Rory McIlroy win the 2025 Masters?

The Masters tournament began on Thursday with the first tee time at 7:40 a.m. ET. Fans will see if Scottie Scheffler can win his third Masters in four years or if Rory McIlroy can get his first green jacket. Or even if a stunner like Fred Couples can make some noise.

As for McIlroy, he opened up on his chances as one of the favorites before the action began. He said:

“It’s just narratives. It’s noise,” McIlroy said during a news conference Tuesday, per ESPN. “It’s just trying to block out that noise as much as possible. I need to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments that I play throughout the year. Look, I understand the narrative and the noise, and there’s a lot of anticipation and buildup coming into this tournament each and every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job.”

Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson believes that McIlroy has a good chance to win the Masters. He opened up on that line of thinking.

“I think he drives the ball so long and straight that he has a huge advantage on that golf course,” Mickelson said last week. “He and about 20 guys that drive it like he does will have an advantage of playing it a certain way. They can play it a certain way that is much more aggressive and take advantage of holes than some others, than guys like myself. But you still have to execute, you still have to hit the shots, and I think that’s what he’s focused on. I think his ability to compartmentalize all the things that have transpired in the past is a strength of his, so I don’t think it’ll be an issue, or I don’t think that’s what’s holding him back from winning the Masters.”