Couples Looks To Regain Touch

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) â€” Fred Couples has no problem acknowledging the pre-eminence of Tiger Woods. <br><br>``I don't think Tiger is going to slow down,'' Couples said. ``I don't even want

Thursday, January 11th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) â€” Fred Couples has no problem acknowledging the pre-eminence of Tiger Woods.

``I don't think Tiger is going to slow down,'' Couples said. ``I don't even want to lay a number on him, because I don't want to upset him. He's going to win his fair share of tournaments, so golf is a little tougher for people trying to win nowadays.''

Couples is glad Woods is competing in the Mercedes Championships in Hawaii this week, leaving the Tucson Open to him and 155 other golfers who could use a win.

With three-time Tucson champion Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III on the PGA Tour, the opportunities for picking up an additional title or two are greatly reduced, said Couples, who has 14, but hasn't won since 1998.

``Those are three guys that could possibly win 15 of our 40 events. It sounds mind-boggling, but it could be done fairly easily,'' he said.

In the economy of golf, less at the Mercedes means more for Tucson, which has gone head-to-head against the Match Play Championship the last three years.

The Mercedes tournament is for 2000 winners, and Woods' nine titles, plus another four for Mickelson, left only 31 others who won a PGA Tour event.

One of them was Jim Carter, who continued Tucson's string of first-time winners by claiming the title and qualifying for the Mercedes.

But, while losing its defending champion, Tucson became an option for big-name players like Couples and two-time Masters winner Bernhard Langer, who couldn't get into the champions-only field on Maui.

Couples made his last Tucson appearance in 1992, when he finished first on the money list with $1,344,188.

In the last four weeks, Couples changed his putting grip â€” putting the right thumb on top of the left â€” and decided on a 20-tournament schedule that includes skipping Hawaii next week and then playing five consecutive weeks in Arizona or California.

Although he was ranked 40th in the world and qualified for the 64-man Match Play field last week in Australia, Couples figured starting the season in Tucson fit his plans better.

``I think I'm a very good player,'' he said. ``I want to play well. I don't think it's that difficult if you've done it before and you know what track you're on to get better.''

Langer missed the cut in Tucson in 1988 and never returned. He's back looking for his first victory on the U.S. tour since his second Masters title in 1993.

The field also includes former major winners like Lee Janzen, John Daly and Curtis Strange and non-winners Steve Flesch and Bob May, who measured up as well as anyone against Woods last year.

May tied Woods' 72-hole score at the PGA Championship, and Flesch had more top 10 finishes (13) than anyone but Woods, who had 17.

``Most of those were fifth through 10th,'' Flesch said. ``I had a second and three fifths, but it's one of those things. The top 10s are great, (and) obviously I played well, but I'm still trying for that first win.''

Golfers will play one of the first two rounds at Tucson National and the other at The Gallery, a new course in suburban Marana. The final two rounds will be played at National.