Fred Couples was in a joking mood at a press conference Tuesday morning at Newport Beach Country Club.
The big news of the day was that the PGA Tour would be launching the Hoag Senior Players Championship in Newport Beach next March 22-28.
The newly named tournament will take the place of the Hoag Classic, which has been held at the club since 1996. Now, the club will host one of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions, with a four-round tournament — the Hoag Classic was three rounds — and a larger, $3.5-million total prize pool.
Couples, a 66-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer who lives in Newport Beach, wants part of that action.
“I don’t know, why didn’t we do this when I turned 50?” Couples said, during a question-and-answer session led by Newport Beach Country Club General Manager Robin Shelton. “Maybe I could have had a couple more majors.”
Couples was a two-time Hoag Classic champion, in 2010 and 2014. He still likes playing at the club. As a matter of fact, he said he had a tee time early Tuesday afternoon, just a couple of hours after the press conference ended.
“I’ve known this [news] for seven or eight days now,” Couples said. “But when [Newport Beach Country Club CEO] Kevin [Martin] said 72 holes, I went, ‘Oh my god, that just is such a nice sound.’ Because to play this course four days and maybe a couple of pro-am days is really a very special thing,”
PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady said that the Hoag Classic was already one of the most popular tournaments on the tour. That’s true for players as well as their wives, with Fashion Island within shouting distance.
“When you look at what it takes to host a major, we’ve got everything we need right here — great sponsors, a fantastic golf course, great community support and tremendous crowds,” Brady said. “That’s exactly what we need to elevate the stature of the Senior Players Championship. We’re very excited to usher in this new era here in Newport Beach.”