What did Fred Couples say? Golfer's entire speech including Phil Mickelson and others revealed
Fred Couples, PGA Tour veteran, has gone on an explosive rant in which he took on LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson and more. He began by revealing a bit of a bombshell report regarding one of LIV Golf's PGA Tour targets.
Couples first said that he knew PGA Tour star Will Zalatoris had turned down a lot of money to join LIV Golf:
“I don’t know anything about the LIV Tour, except they overpay all of them. Money is a zero object [for LIV]. I give Will a lot of credit; he wants [to stay with] the PGA Tour.”
Couples shares the same agent with the PGA Tour star, which could explain how he's the one who broke that news.
He went on to mention that giving Mickelson $200 million to shoot 74 or 75 was absolutely insane, but that he didn't care much if the LIV Golf stars defected or not.
The 63-year-old did admit that he believes Mickelson is one of the 10 best to ever play golf and that he still likes the golfer, but called him a "nutbag."
Mickelson was an all-time great before defecting. His stats and wins still standout, but there's an understandable aura around him now that he's left the Tour.
Not only that, he's become one of the controversial league's biggest proponents. He even admitted that he wasn't all that bothered by the Saudi funding it has from controversial places.
Fred Couples goes on epic rant about LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson and others
Fred Couples also took the opportunity to slam stars like Cameron Smith, who gave different reasons for joining the rebel tour.
Smith, who Couples referred to as “the guy who won the Players Championship and the British Open last year", said he could be at more social events for friends by joining LIV.
Couples laughed at that idea:
“I find that comical, because my favorite to ever play has five kids, 40 grandkids and he has never missed anything—and that was Jack Nicklaus."
To Couples, there's only one real reason anyone would join LIV: the money. That's fine, according to the elder golfer, but the golfers who leave should own up to their decision.
Fred Couples also laughed at others for leaving the PGA Tour, like Sergio Garcia. Couples' also mentioned that he wishes LIV players would stop talking once they defected. It seems to him that the stars can't help but mention the PGA Tour when they're not even on it anymore:
“Just go to the LIV Tour, but stop blasting something I’ve been a part of for 42 years. That’s my problem with (LIV golfers). They’re all bashing the PGA Tour, and that affects me a little bit."
Couples did admit that he tried to watch the first event of the 2023 LIV season. However, he was not a fan of the broadcast:
“It was on the CW a couple weeks ago, or whatever that channel everybody is laughing about. I turned it on three times. It was so bad. I couldn’t even watch anyone that I liked. They don’t show ‘em."
It's safe to say that Fred Couples has quite a few strong opinions.