AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Fred Couples was so unflappable during the first round of the Masters that not even a sound engineer for one of the broadcasts who wandered down the middle of the fairway as the 1992 champion was trying to tee off threw him out of sync.
Couples chipped in for birdie from left of the green at the first. He holed a hybrid from 191 yards for eagle at the 14th. And after finishing with four consecutive pars, the 65-year-old Couples signed for a tidy 1-under 71 on Thursday that made him the second-oldest player to shoot a subpar round at the Masters. Tom Watson was a month older when he shot 71 in 2015.
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Fred Couples waves after making a putt on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Fred Couples chips to the green on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Fred Couples reacts on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Fred Couples waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Fred Couples walks to the green on the third hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Fred Couples hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“I don't want to be a clown,” Couples said, “but I can play golf. I can play around here. If the weather is like this and not hard, I can — as long as I don't do crazy things — I can shoot 73 or 4 or 5. That's not embarrassing myself at all. If I do that, and did that today and come back with 70 or 71 tomorrow, the goal is for me to make the cut.”
Hard to believe that a year ago, Couples wondered whether Masters chairman Fred Ridley would want him to keep playing.
His back was bothering him again, he had just limped through rounds of 80 and 76 to miss the cut and it seemed like a whole lot more than 12 months since Couples had become the oldest player in Masters history to play the weekend.
It took a phone call with Steve Ethun, the chief tournament officer for the Masters, to reassure Couples he was welcome.
He certainly looked like he belonged on Thursday.
Sure, Couples may have been 25 yards behind playing partners Harris English and Taylor Pendrith off the tees. He has a bag full of hybrids rather than conventional irons. But more often than not, Couples had his bright yellow ball tracking toward the hole, or at least staying out of trouble — perhaps the most important factor in making the cut at the Masters.
“Yeah, he was great, just to kind of see how he plays this place,” said Pendrith, who shot 77. “I learned a few things from him for sure just watching him play. He’s played here many, many times. He played awesome today — 1-under par is a fantastic round. He played really steady. Just kind of missed it in the right places and pecked away.”
It was an eventful round, and not just because of the chip-in and the hole-out with the hybrid.
Couples was even-par when he arrived at the par-4 ninth, and Harris had struck his drive down the middle of the fairway. Couples was about to tee off himself when one of the sound engineers in a trailing group wandered Waldo-like into the picture.
Couples waved at him. So did one of the gallery volunteers. After a minute, Couples resorted to cracking jokes.
Once the fella finally moved, Couples cracked his tee shot down the middle. He hit his approach to 7 feet, playing it perfectly off the ridge running through the green, and rolled in the birdie putt as the spectators roared their approval.
It sounded just like an echo from Amen Corner in 1992, when Couples' ball defied gravity at the par-3 12th and refused to roll back into Rae's Creek. He proceeded to hold off Raymond Floyd by two and win the green jacket.
“He’s a legend in the game and a legend here,” Pendrith said. “It’s his 40th time playing the Masters. People love him. They show great respect to him. They’re all cheering for him. It was really cool to play with him in my first and his 40th.”
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Fred Couples waves after making a putt on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Fred Couples chips to the green on the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Fred Couples reacts on the first hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Fred Couples waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Fred Couples walks to the green on the third hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Fred Couples hits his tee shot on the seventh hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza on Friday in international waters off Malta, the group organizing the shipment said, in the latest confrontation over efforts to send assistance to the Palestinian territory devastated by nearly 19 months of war.
A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the Conscience, which authorities said experienced a fire that was brought under control. The vessel was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians, the Maltese government said, adding that those aboard refused to leave the ship. The group was safe and no serious injuries were reported, it said.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its ship. The group did not provide evidence for that claim or to show that the fire was caused by drones, but in a video it shared an explosion could be heard. Another video showed a fire blazing.
The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment. Israel has cut off Gaza from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March, leading to what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the war with Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
Mecid Bagcivan, an activist from Turkey who was aboard the Conscience, was getting ready for bed when two explosions rocked the ship about two minutes apart, he said. At first it seemed there had been a collision. Then the crew saw fire and realized it was an attack, Bagcivan told The Associated Press.
As the crew radioed Malta for help, Bagcivan said someone impersonated them on the same channel saying help was no longer needed. Those on board scrambled to fight the fire on their own, leaving some with minor injuries, he said. Help later arrived, and after hours the fire was extinguished.
The ship was trying to reenter Maltese waters amid fears of a second attack, according to a statement from the crew.
“We feel like right now we’re safe, but we don’t know what Israel is going to do,” Bagcivan said. “We can’t trust no one in this situation after we get bombed in the middle of the night.”
Video taken after the explosions showed two large holes in the ship's deck, with thick smoke surrounding the vessel. The person recording the footage said the ship had been hit twice and was on fire about 14 miles from Malta. The video was provided by Codepink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement.
The ship's generator was badly damaged and will need to be repaired before continuing, said Charlie Andreasson, who has been involved with the Freedom Flotilla for more than a decade.
It's unclear where the ship will be able to stop for repairs, said Tighe Barry, a Codepink member who was among a group of activists who took speedboats to the Conscience after the attack. The boats were turned away by Maltese authorities, he said, but one person made it aboard and spoke to the captain.
Barry said the nation of Palau revoked its flag from the Conscience prior to the attack, and authorities in Malta, Greece and Turkey have threatened to confiscate the ship if it comes to port. Barry said the ship is loaded with medicine and food supplies.
“To get a new flag will take months, so they're just stuck out there,” Barry said of the crew.
Israel says the blockade is an attempt to pressure Hamas to release hostages it took during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the conflict. Hamas-led militants assaulted southern Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of the territory and left most of its population homeless.
When an aid flotilla attempted to break a blockade of Gaza in 2010, Israeli forces stormed a Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara, killing nine people on board.
On Friday, the Conscience was hit about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from Malta, according to the Freedom Flotilla.
Photos provided by Cypriot authorities showed the ship with damage to its side.
According to the ship-monitoring website Marine Traffic, the Conscience left the Tunisian port of Bizerte on Tuesday and arrived Thursday morning in the area where it reported being attacked.
Volunteers who had traveled to Malta were meant to board the ship to go to Gaza, the group said. Andreasson said climate activist Greta Thunberg was supposed to have participated. The organization said Thunberg did not board and was safe.
The ship's 12 crew members are from Turkey and Azerbaijan, said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Codepink.
Turkey condemned the attack and pledged to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The assault “threatens freedom of navigation and maritime security in international waters,” Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oncu Keceli said in a statement posted on the X social media platform.
The attack happened as aid groups have warned that the humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that it will not have access to food, medicine and life-saving supplies needed for many of its Gaza programs if aid deliveries don’t resume immediately.
Programs at risk include “common kitchens” that often give residents the only meal they receive each day and could be forced to halt operations in a few weeks, the ICRC said.
“Aid must be allowed to enter Gaza. Hostages must be released. Civilians must be protected,” the committee said. “Without immediate action, Gaza will descend further into chaos that humanitarian efforts will not be able to mitigate.”
Brito contributed from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel; Giada Zampano in Rome; Kevin Schembri Orland in St. Julian’s, Malta; Colleen Barry in Soave, Italy; Elena Becatoros and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus; Jon Gambrell in Dubai; and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
FILE.- Palestinians wait for donated food at a distribution center in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana,File)
FILE.- A Palestinian girl struggles as she and others try to get donated food at a distribution center in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana,File)
Palestinians wait to get food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip, Thursday April 24, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian children struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday April 24, 2025.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
People protest against an Israeli drone attack on a vessel carrying aid to Gaza in international waters off Malta, outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
People protest against an Israeli drone attack on a vessel carrying aid to Gaza in international waters off Malta, outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
People protest against an Israeli drone attack on a vessel carrying aid to Gaza in international waters off Malta, outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
People protest against an Israeli drone attack on a vessel carrying aid to Gaza in international waters off Malta, outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
In this photo provided by the Government of Cyprus, a fire burns on the ship The Conscience, after a drone struck the vessel carrying aid to Gaza off the coast of Malta, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Government of Cyprus via AP)
This photo provided by the Goverment of Cyprus and taken from the EDT ship AEOLUS shows The Conscience, after a drone struck the vessel carrying aid to Gaza off the coast of Malta, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Government of Cyprus via AP)
A firefighting-equipped tug boat, left, contacted by the Malta Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) helps controlling a fire occurred on the bow of the Conscience vessel in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Malta Vessel Traffic Services via AP)
