US MASTERS:AS A brave new world evolved around him, what with Rory McIlroy strutting his stuff and Rickie Fowler doing his thing, Fred Couples proved a point or two of his own.

First, that his wonderfully languid swing remains eerily similar to 1992, when he captured his only Masters title; and, second, that a competitive instinct never truly disappears from a born champion.

Once known as a relatively long hitter, these days Couples doesn’t hit it as long as golf’s new guns. He wears shoes which look like slippers, and he doesn’t wear socks. In fact, only two players in the Masters field – Couples and Ryan Moore, who is also the only one to wear a tie tucked inside his shirt during a round – wore spikeless shoes.

Yet, he knows how to get the job done.

Yesterday, with the birds chirping from the towering pines to augment the roars of the galleries, Couples, at the ripe old age of 51, put together a second-round 68 for 139, five under par, which contrived to put him into the mix.

Just like the old days in many ways, only that the hair is greyer, the shoes don’t have spikes and the level of expectation is not what it once was.

Couples’ back has been a problem in recent years, forcing him to limit his outings on tour. So far this season, he has appeared twice on the Champions Tour – with a best finish of tied-fifth in the Toshiba Classic – and three times on the full tour, with a tied-seventh finish at the Los Angeles Open at Riviera providing hints of past glories.

It is here at Augusta, though, that Couples is reinvigorated. He doesn’t exactly have a pep in his step, he is too laid-back for that, but in golf shoes which seem more like street shoes, Couples finds a way to get around.

Playing with Steve Stricker for the past two days, with Couples outscoring him by three shots to the midpoint, there were times when the world number eight was left shaking his head at the old magic produced time and time again by the older man.

“I did get it up and down a few times and I’ve (also) been on the side of the fringe with a long putt where I’ve two-putted from 60 or 40 or 50 feet,” Couples said. “So, those are my goals. And playing with Steve Stricker, he goes, ‘man, you just know every spot to hit it’. I really don’t know every spot to hit it, but I know where you don’t want to hit it.”

That experience, of course, has come from returning virtually year in and year out to the home of the Masters. This is his 27th appearance in the tournament – and the 25th cut he has made – and between competitive and practice rounds, Couples estimates he has played the course some 200 times.

In producing a second round of five birdies and a lone bogey, Couples – who led after last year’s first round before finishing sixth – put himself among the group pursuing McIlroy.

The big question to Couples is always about his back. Is it okay? Will it hold up? So far, so good.

“I feel good enough to play. You know, I’m swinging. Since October, it’s been pretty much a toothache, which is unnormal for me.

“It hasn’t changed much. But I feel loose. It’s just every now and then, some of these shots I hit today with these downhill lies, on seven and nine and 10. I have to be honest, is when I make contact and looked where they were going, it was, big smile, because those were the three best shots hit all day and that’s the biggest problem, is when I have a downhill lie.

“But those were key shots. That’s what I have to do. Those are why the rounds keep going. I would like to say it’s easy to hit these shots, but again, I got it around for two days. And I’m in a great spot to come out tomorrow. I’ll have no problem playing Saturday and Sunday. Just it’s very awkward to play golf when it’s more painful. I’ve had a bad back for a long time, but the pain is not a whole lot of fun.”

If Nicklaus’ win at the age of 46 in 1986 was “unbelievable”, he was asked, what would it mean if he were to win this year?

“Retiring is what it would be,” replied Couples. “I would be gone. You know, it would be the biggest upset in golf history. Are you kidding?”

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