European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 22 a the stars and stripes saturday March 28, 1992couples on the Brink nine month hot Streak propels golfer to the top by Jaime Diaz new York times Ponte Vedra Fla. Almost against his will Fred couples has reached a moment of reckoning. His Talent has finally taken him to the level that his personality has instinctively avoided. No. 1 in the world. At age 32, melding his extraordinary physical gifts with the bitter fruit of some hard losses couples has become by computer and consensus the top player in the game. In the last nine months he has put together the Best sustained run the pea tour has seen in More than a decade. Better than the hot streaks of Tom Kite in 1981, Mark of Meara in 1984 and Greg Norman in 1986 and 1990. Better than anyone since Tom Watson in his prime. Couples has come to the players championship which began thursday fresh off the most impressive Victory of his career a wire to wire nine shot Blowout at the Nestle invitational. If he can sustain his level Long enough to win the masters in two weeks couples could launch himself into becoming what Golf has Long been waiting for the next dominant player. In the Short term of course couples has been precisely that. Since finishing tied for third at the United states open last june couples has been sixth or better in 19 out of 23 tournaments. He has won five of them including the elite Field Johnny Walker world championship and was americans Best player in the Ryder cup. Most impressively couples is on an upward curve. In eight pea tour appearances this season couples has won $704,412, Well ahead of Pace to surpass Tom Kite s career record of $1,395,278. Besides victories at los Angeles and Bay Hill couples has lost in a playoff been second by two shots and third and sixth where he missed playoffs by one shot. With an improvement of eight shots couples could have five outright victories. In the Sony ranking the Only sanctioned statistical performance measure of the games Best players couples leaped from fifth to first by winning at Bay Hill passing Ian Woosnam Nick Faldo Jose Maria Olazabal and seve Ballesteros. Couples thus became the first american to achieve the no 1 ranking since the worldwide system was started in 1985. A Fred is on the proverbial Roll a said Watson who in 1980 set the Standard for modern domination with six tournament victories and at the time an astounding $530,808 in prize Money. A people say no one will Ever dominate the game again but Fred is doing an awfully Good Job of that right besides impressing nearly All of his Peers couples a play has also been noticed by the father of All hot streaks Byron Nelson. Quot there a no telling what Fred will accomplish this year except to say that i think he has the Talent to keep it up a said the 80-year-old Nelson who won 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945 and finished that year with 18 victories. A i done to think i should be no. 1,�?� couples said. A you have to do More than in be done. In a a mile from being a dominant player. There Are 30 Guys who Are just As couples has never won a major championship though he has come close enough to blow them. His rash of missed Short putts when he had the Lead on the closing holes of the 1990 pea championship lingers in the memory. Throughout his career he has lost chances to win a half a dozen tournaments Down the stretch. This year a missed three foot Par putt the 89th Hole kept him out of a playoff at the Bob Hope Chrysler classic a badly pushed tee shot on the 72d at doral gave Victory to Raymond Floyd and two pulled balls in the water on the closing nine Cost him the Honda. When asked recently if he considers himself one of the top 10 pressure players on tour couples answered a not even no one has Ever accused couples of being insincere but he has underlying motivation for self effacement. To couples being considered no. 1 presents a threat to his Low key and very private lifestyle. In the words of his wife Deborah it could mean getting a Greg a i think if All the attention gets out of hand i think Fred could Back off from being As Good As he can be a she said. A we just want to Amble along and enjoy All this but there is pressure. The last thing Fred wants is to be singled out and put on a Pedestal. He wants to be Able to go into a Burger King and not be bounded. To Fred nothing is Worth the sacrifice of losing your peace of mind. Maybe that a Why he did no to accept the responsibility for his Talent sooner. Because he Wasny to indeed even As he has become a multimillionaire and one of the most popular players couples has kept his life simple. It was the Way he was brought up in Seattle the youngest of three children in a sports Loving family whose head Tom couples worked for the City a recreation department. Today couples a favorite pastimes include watching sports on television gardening caring for his four Vintage Ford Mustangs Ana spectating at Deborah a Polo matches. Although couples is amiable with the press he has a Rule Banning reporters and photographers from his West Palm bean Home. And As More demands have been made on his time he has developed an aversion to the Telephone. A at Home i never answer the phone Quot couples said. Then seemingly without irony he added a i know that a bad but i just have this feeling somebody a going to be on the other its not the recommended attitude to Fred couples has watched his game take off Over the last few months. Deal with impending stardom which makes even some of the most ardent admirers of couples s game sceptical that he will feel comfortable with the demands of Success. A some players like Freddie done to want to give up everything a said of Meara. A but i think he knows he is at the Point in his career that a a turning Point. He can either go and take it because it s right there the Way he is one of his mentors Watson thinks couples will try to take it. Last May when couples was discouraged and taking four weeks off from the tour he visited Watson for a week in Kansas City and absorbed some of Watson a approach to Golf. In essence Watson told couples to Stop allowing his mind to wander on the Golf course and to Trust his Talent. A it Wasny to like he was holding my hand and telling me what to do a couples said. A but at that Point it was kind of like Bryon Nelson telling Tom something ten years ago. You a the thing about Fred that is very obvious is that he is More focused Quot Watson said. A a critical thing out Here is How do you focus when you Are playing bad. He a Learned that. I Learned in the late 70�?Ts that i did no to have to play my Best to win. I just had to shoot the lowest score. That was a big discovery and i think Fred has made it As Well Quot couples is still discovering All that goes with being considered the Best in the game. Whether he admits it or not he knows the stakes Are higher now and that just As Success will be hailed failure will be ridiculed. A i have a Tough time telling people my goals a he said before the beginning of this year. A my goal is to win and do the Best i can every week. If i can keep getting better for the next 10 years that would be Fine. In a not trying to say i can be a Jack Nicklaus or even a Lanny Wadkins or a Ben Crenshaw. But someday i May win two or three tournaments and feel like i can win a whether he likes it or not someday is leaves coaching after 35 years Nashville Tenn. A after 35 years along College and High school sidelines Joe Gilliam or. Has announced he is ending his coaching career by resigning As head football coach at Tennessee state University. Gilliam 62, met with his team wednesday evening and told them he does not plan to continue As their coach. He told his players he was stepping Down because he Felt like he did not have the backing of Tennessee state president or. James a. Hefner and that Hefner was intent on bringing in his own Man. A we talked but i clearly feel he Hefner wants someone else to coach the team. There s no doubt in my mind about that a Gilliam said wednesday night. A it became Clear in my mind that no matter what Success we had in the coming season he was going to terminate me. What else was there to do a Tennessee state athletic director Bill Thomas said the search for a new coach will begin immediately and that Competition for the position is wide open. Gilliam came to Tennessee state from Jackson state along with the late John Merritt in 1963 and for the next 20 years served As an assistant coach defensive coordinator offensive coordinator and acting head coach
