Q: I know that Fred Couples said The Masters may be his only tournament this year. Is he getting surgery on his back? Is he indeed not playing the rest of the year?
— Ken Jaros from McMurray, Pa.
A: Sadly, it appears that we have seen the last of Fred Couples for 2007, but whether his chronic back pain is so severe as to require surgery, no one knows. Of the tournaments that do get his juices flowing, three have passed for the season — the Nissan Open at Riviera, The Masters and The Players Championship — and Couples was able to tee it up in just one of them (he was tied for 30th at Augusta National). After he finished his final round, Couples hardly sounded like a guy enthused about his PGA Tour status these days. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world to slow down for a couple of years until I’m 50,” said Couples, who won’t reach that age until Oct. 3, 2009.

Q: If she can win another one, would Juli Inkster be the oldest woman ever to win a major? What’s been the key to her still being competitive, just a few years shy of 50?
— L.D. from Corvallis, Ore.
A: With her 47^th birthday landing on June 24, just a few days before the start of the U.S. Women’s Open, Inkster indeed is in position to establish an LPGA Tour record if another major can fall her way. That’s because the oldest major winner in history is Fay Crocker, who was 45 when she won the 1960 Titleholders. Heck, if Inkster were to win a non-major she would set a mark, for Beth Daniel at 46 currently is the oldest winner of any event in LPGA Tour history. As for how Inkster does it, some credit must go to her great ball-striking talents and superb course-management skills, but not to be overlooked is a family situation that puts her at peace. Husband Brian, a golf pro, and daughters Hayley and Cori offer Inkster a priceless support system.

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