Masters Champion Spent 29 Years in Debt to Augusta National: ‘I Had No Clue’

There are traditions, and there are those who breach them. Since the first Masters champion, Horton Smith (1934), they have been asked to donate their driver to Augusta National as a keepsake. But just a year on, we had an exception in Gene Sarazen, who donated the golf ball used for his famous albatross on the 15th hole in 1935 instead. For better or worse, they knew the tradition existed at least. But here we have one more name that broke away from the tradition, albeit unknowingly.

Fred Couples’ 1992 Masters win had its moments. Take his tee shot at the 12th hole, for example. The ball miraculously stayed dry on the steep bank, preventing it from falling into Rae’s Creek. He eventually prevented a disaster by chipping it and saving par to eventually win it by two shots.

All good up to this point, until Couples either missed the memo or simply wasn’t asked to donate one of his drivers from the Tournament victory for its customary display. In fact, Couples was the only champion, starting with the inaugural tournament in 1934, not to donate a club. The realization hit him 29 years later in the most underwhelming nature of things. It qualified as a funny factoid that was secretly stashed in an email about Augusta. Here were his initial reactions:

“To be honest with you, just seven or eight days ago, 10 days ago, there was an email out all about Augusta, the great things about it, and one of the things was my name was mentioned as the only guy to not give a club to Augusta National,” Couples said in 2021 after an ordinary nine-hole practice round. “I had no clue. No clue at all.” The most critical question to ask was, what did he end up doing next?

The 1992 Masters champion eventually found the MacGregor Eye 85 driver, having a persimmon wood head, which he had used that year. 7665 days later, Couples completed the tradition. Naturally, it would have meant a lot for him to send the one he used when he chipped the wedge on 12, but he couldn’t remember what kind that was. “I think it was an old Wilson, and I have that, but I didn’t want to bring that because I wasn’t sure. The driver is the one I used.”

The only way for him to know if that was, in fact, the driver used in the Tournament victory was the fact that it was preserved in a bin that had a gold-plated Ping putter that the company offered as a present after he won the 1992 Masters. Just for our readers who still doubt it, here’s why Couples knew he couldn’t have confused the driver with a different one.

You see, he had, in fact, lost a bet. “I lost a bet to a TaylorMade guy, so I used his driver,” Couples said. He couldn’t have it any other way than switch to hitting a metal-headed driver the following year after his Masters win.

It was amusing and unusual for Couples to overlook this. But there are plenty of other things about the 65-year-old that make him truly stand out. And he was not the only one to break an Augusta tradition.

When golf legends borrowed and repaired iconic traditions

In 1962, Gary Player, the first international Masters champ, unknowingly broke Augusta National’s strict green jacket rule by taking his victory jacket home to South Africa. When officials realized it was missing, they contacted him, and Player cheekily replied, “If you want it, come and fetch it!” The two sides struck a deal—Player would return the jacket before the 1963 tournament and keep it covered. Since then, he’s kept it as a prized possession, now proudly displayed in his personal museum.

In 1982, on a different course at The Open Championship, Tom Watson was mistakenly handed the original Claret Jug from 1873. While at home, Watson accidentally knocked the historic trophy off a table, causing a dent. Not one to back down, he took it to his basement workshop, clamped it in a vise, and bent it back into shape, saving the trophy—and his legacy—one fix at a time.

So, Fred Couples isn’t the only golfer unintentionally highlighting golf courses’ commitment to preserving the integrity and traditions of the sport. Do you think their actions are justified? Share your thoughts in the comments below.