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TRANSITIONS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 18, 2011

Chris Couch

PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA

DOUG MILNE: We are joined by Chris Couch today, a fantastic second round, 7-under 64. Obviously you have to be feeling good about how you are heading into the weekend here at the Transitions Championship. Just a few comments about the round today and how you are feeling as we are heading into the weekend.
CHRIS COUCH: I've been driving it really well this week. I think I hit 11 fairways today and I hit 11 fairways yesterday, so that's important out here. It's definitely key to put yourself in position into these greens.
A lot of slope on these greens, so you need to place the ball in a good spot there, and I've been doing that the last two days. Just got her going on the back nine today. Made a few long putts, and had a little 29 there to show for it.
DOUG MILNE: This is your fifth start this year, and of the previous four, you've had two Top-10s, so you're obviously playing great. Just talk about what's kind of clicking for you.
CHRIS COUCH: Well, my coach changed a little something in my swing this year, and we have been working on a little something at the top of the swing, and coming down through the ball. It's been a lot more consistent.
You know, I had a good year last year, a little bit of inconsistency, so we were looking for the consistency this year, and so far, so good. Hopefully I can keep working on those moves and as they say, ball goes straight.

Q. Why is this only your fifth start? Seems like you would be more of a war horse in the past years. Have you been dinged up or pacing yourself?
CHRIS COUCH: I usually am a war horse. I've become more of a family man, spending time with my wife, Julia, and my little one, Cora, and two boys, Christian and Cayden.
Just in the past, I've played -- I remember when I used to play like 32 tournaments or something. One year I played 32 tournaments, and I am getting older. I feel a little more aches and pains.
But I think that I play better when I'm fresh everybody, and that's been my goal the last couple of years is to stay fresh and have a fresh mind. It seems to work for Tiger, so, you know, trying to do something he does I guess.

Q. What was the difference between the front nine with one birdie and the back nine? You made like a 40-footer or something at 10? Just kind of got the snowball rolling?
CHRIS COUCH: I kind of got her going. I hit it good on the front. I hit No. 1 and 2. That was my only birdie and I 2-putted it from about 18 feet or so; just didn't make another putt on the front.
And got to the back and I had about 45 feet there or so, and put it right in the middle. Hit No. 11 in two, so an easy 2-putt for birdie there and just kind of got her going on the back nine.

Q. You got three of the different bracelets on each side. What's the theory behind those, and obviously you think they help, because you have them in triplicate. Do they each do a separate thing, kinda?
CHRIS COUCH: I believe, I'm not sure what the Trion:Z does, I think it helps blood flow. So it helps all of your aches and pains. I have the copper magnets on the bottoms here, and this is kind of like a keep your mind focused deal.
But I have tendonitis in my left elbow, in the upper and lower elbow, and I don't know, I couldn't tell you if they work or not, but I do know that when I take them off, that tendonitis flairs up and when I have them on, there's no pain.
So I just wear them for precaution. And I asked the guys, I said, is two going to hurt me. They said, "No, can't hurt." So I figured might as well have as many on there as I can to stop these aches and pains (laughter).

Q. I need one of those to go around my neck?
CHRIS COUCH: They are actually going to get me one for driving. They said they have some sort of a band that goes it around your waist, a belt. Because when I drive, my sciatica starts to hurt. It's heck getting old. (Laughter) I'm driving that big bus around, for six, seven hours, I can barely move the next day.
Maybe that will help, too.

Q. It's been a while between wins; what would a win here mean for you? Besides the nice check?
CHRIS COUCH: It would mean a lot. You know, I feel like I'm good enough to win, and I've been playing well enough this year and last year to win. And you know, it's just hard to come back from an injury. It would definitely mean a lot to me. I've been blessed to be back out here. God has given me an opportunity to come back from an injury which I didn't know if I was going to be able to come back or not. I mean, there was times when my shoulder was so bad that I thought that was going to be my career; I was going to have to be a head pro or whatever.
But like I said, I've been blessed to be able to be back, and it would be something to be able to come back and get a victory out of it sometime. Maybe not this week, but it would be nice this week. If not, hopefully down the road.

Q. You had said outside that it was almost like a dream of yours to play with Garrett; can you expand on that?
CHRIS COUCH: Garrett and I are good buddies. We go way back. When I saw him at 9-under and I started making some birdies on the back it was a little goal of mine; let's try to get paired with Garrett tomorrow, it would be fun. We played a practice round this week together, and he played really well in the practice round. I think he beat me by a couple of shots.
So it will be fun tomorrow, if it works out that way, which it looks like it's going to.

Q. I hear in the practice rounds, whether it might or might not be 25 or 30 cents on the line, that Garrett is as good as pretty much any player in the world; is that true?
CHRIS COUCH: Well, if there was money on the line -- yeah, I wouldn't say anything, but he is one of the better practice round players; let's put it that way. He's not scared. He's got a lot of guts and he's been around the block. I mean, he's been up-and-down on the Nationwide Tour, just like I have.
So I respect players like that that continue to work hard, and a lot of players go down to that Nationwide Tour and they take it for granted, and next thing you know, they are working for a living. That's a tough tour, and you know, when you battle out there and get back out here, and work hard to stay out here, which he's done and which I've done for the last couple of years, it takes a lot of guts.
And he's a good Christian, so we get along there. (Smiling).

Q. Do you have any lingering effects from that shoulder or has it all cleared up now?
CHRIS COUCH: Every now and then I'll sleep on it and the next morning it will be really sore. Let's hope that it doesn't come back, because I have something -- I guess the doctors called it frozen shoulder after my surgery, and it was actually like being crippled in my left arm. I couldn't move it two inches without unbelievable sharp pain.
So I really hope that never comes back. If it does I hope it's when I'm retired. (Laughter).

Q. How long were you out?
CHRIS COUCH: I was out for about two years. I played a few tournaments, but playing in pain and trying to come back, and didn't work out. I think I played eight tournaments in 2009 and withdrew from like two of them because of pain. Just like I said, I didn't even know if I was ever going to be able to play again. As an athlete, it's tough sitting around. We want to be out there playing and being in competitive mode.
I went kind of six or eight months without touching a club.
DOUG MILNE: Chris, great playing today. We appreciate your time and best of luck on the weekend.

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