Fred Couples doesn't mince words when he talks about the 1998 Masters Tournament.
``I feel like I should have won,'' the 1992 Masters champion said.
Couples was the story for the first three days of the 1998 tournament, until Mark O'Meara snatched the victory.
Couples, 39, either led or shared the lead for the first 66 holes of the tournament. A double bogey on the 13th hole in the final round dropped him out of the lead for the first time. An eagle on the 15th hole got him to within one shot of the lead, but that was as close as he got. Couples shot 69-70-71-70 -- 280 and finished tied for second.
``There are some tournaments where a guy beats you, whether you're winning from the first hole on, which at Augusta I was ahead the whole time. I just felt like I should have won,'' Couples said.
Looking back on the final round, Couples said his bogey on the par-4 ninth hole was hard to take. At the time, he led by two shots over O'Meara. Couples had just 105 yards to the pin on No. 9, which has a steep slope in front of the green. Couples' shot rolled back down the hill, leading to his bogey.
``You know, at that time I'm killing myself,'' Couples said. ``If you can't get it up the hill from 105 yards, you know, you shouldn't be out there. That just killed me.''
Couples put considerable energy into his preparation for the 1998 Masters. He and teacher Paul Marchand stepped up their work even after Couples won the Bob Hope Classic in mid-January.
With a two-shot lead entering the final round at Augusta, Couples was thinking how he'd be viewed as a two-time Masters champion.
``I consider myself to be a very good golfer,'' Couples said. ``I don't think I'm great. But to win the Masters twice, that's a big deal.''
One reason Couples has such a strong record at Augusta is because he's not worried about being invited back to the tournament. As a former champion, he has a lifetime invitation.
``I come into the Masters with a ton of confidence and play like there's no tomorrow because I can come here the rest of my life,'' Couples said. ``It's not like I need to worry about coming back.
``Everyone wants to finish in the top 24 (top 16 starting this year, to receive an invitation back to the 2000 Masters). I could not care less about that. For some people, when they're playing on Sunday and they're hanging in there, it's critical (to make the top 16) because coming here is the best feeling you can get. A lot of guys are disappointed Sunday night when they finish (out of the top 16). You go to a lot of tournaments and you're not that disappointed when you finish there.''
It's hard to remember the last time Couples got rattled on the golf course. Even after the double bogey on No. 13 in the final round of the 1998 Masters, Couples didn't appear nervous as he tried to regain control of the tournament.
``I'm nervous out there, but I'm a calm nervous,'' Couples said. ``I'm not jumping around, making a bogey and then running to the next tee and hitting fast. There are a lot of things going on, but I just stay as calm as I can. I'm as nervous as I can be, but I just try to use it to my advantage by staying semi-calm.''
This season, Couples' arthritic back flared up after the Andersen World Match Play Championship in February. He missed the first three events on the Florida swing before returning at The Players Championship.
``He did one little thing and it popped his back,'' said Couples' close friend Davis Love III, who also has back problems.
Couples' problems started in early March 1994 when his back went out on the Doral-Ryder Open driving range. He missed much of that season, including the Masters.
``He's day-to-day for the rest of his golf career,'' Love said. ``He could get stuck in traffic for an hour and not be able to play the next day. Or there might be a rainout and he'll have to play 36 holes in one day and get so tired he can't finish. He's always going to be like that.''
The time off Couples had during the first three weeks of March leading into The Players Championship shouldn't hurt his game, Love believes.
``Our swings are pretty much grooved,'' Love said. ``If we're feeling good, we're going to have a chance to play good. Fred is a feel kind of player. At our level, you can take some time off and still do well.''
Chip shots: Fred Couples
Roomed with PGA Tour pro Blaine McCallister and CBS Sports golf voice Jim Nantz in college at Houston.
Couples traces '98 collapse to bogey at No. 9 
