Tag: The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge

Fred Couples returns to action on PGA Tour Champions with six woods in his ‘old man’s bag’

The Seattle native’s back is feeling good enough to play in his hometown event this week.

We haven’t seen Fred Couples on the PGA Tour Champions since late March in Newport Beach, California, where he withdrew during the second round. He tried to play the next week at the Galleri Classic in Palm Springs but pulled out just hours before the action started with a lingering back issue.

Couples did play at Augusta National for the Masters in April (did you ever think he was going to miss that?) but he shot 80-76, missed the cut but vowed to return in 2025.

This week, the Seattle native is feeling good enough to play his hometown event, the Boeing Classic at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington.

Friday’s first round will be just his 10th on the season and he’s brought with him a unique mix of clubs.

“I have six woods,” he said in a PGA Tour Champions video on X. “Driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 4-rescue, 5-rescue and a 6-rescue.”

You might call that an old man’s bag but he was quick to add that he’s “loving life” with this set up.

Couples tied for 26th at the Boeing a year ago. It’s been since March of 2023 that he’s posted a top 10. He’s playing alongside Steve Flesch and David Duval in Friday’s first round. There are eight regular-season Champions tour events before the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs begin.

Rod Pampling earns first PGA Tour Champions win at Boeing Classic

Pampling shot a final-round 66 and then waited for more than an hour for his pursuers to come in.

Rod Pampling posted a final-round 66 at the PGA Tour Champions Boeing Classic Sunday, and then watched and waited.

He finished a little more than an hour before the final groups came in. He hung around the scoring area, watching the coverage on TV. When Jim Furyk tied him atop the leaderboard at 12 under, Pampling made his way over to the driving range for a bit to hit some golf balls, just in case there was a playoff.

Pampling, 51, was back in front of a TV when Furyk’s par attempt burned the edge of the cup on the par-3 17th hole. That put Pampling back in front by a shot.

Woody Austin was also in the hunt and he teed off on 18 a shot back, tied with Furyk, but Austin’s second shot went into a deep greenside bunker and he needed two swings to get out.

Furyk was also in a greenside bunker on 18 and he blasted out well past the hole, but he did have about a 25-footer for birdie that would’ve forced a playoff but his putt was just wide left, making Pampling a first-time winner on the Champions tour.

“There is so much pressure getting that first win,” he told Golf Channel moments after he clinched the win. “It’s great. Getting to Hawaii next year was one of my goals. I”m looking forward to trying to get the Schwab Cup now.”

Pampling has now won on three PGA Tour circuits: he has three Tour wins, one Korn Ferry Tour victory and now his first Champions tour win.