ORLANDO – When Hunter Hannemann’s mom first started dating Fred Couples, he didn’t exactly realize that his future stepfather owned a Green Jacket among his 15 PGA Tour victories.
“I had no clue,” said Hannemann, the 17-year-old stepson of Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, on Wednesday ahead of their debut in the PNC Championship, a two-person best-ball team event at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club. “I don’t think I watched a single minute of golf in my life before he came in. But eventually, like, I started realizing he’s a big deal and he can play.”
Couples met Hunter’s mom, Suzanne, some nine years ago for a blind date watching Hunter’s flag football game.
“We watched Hunter throw the rock around. I still have the video of that,” Couples said. “I knew he was a big deal nine years ago because he could throw a football.”
The PNC Championship is being played for the 26th time and began as the Father-Son Challenge and intended for professional golfers to play competitive golf alongside their sons. One of the requirements to compete is having won a major or a Players Championship, which Couples also won twice. But he never had children of his own and was resigned to watching his friends such as Ray Floyd and Davis Love III win the event over the years.
In recent years, the field has expanded to include players’ daughters, fathers and grandchildren while still celebrating family relationships. Couples noted that he had been asked about playing in the PNC Championship for the last several years but he always politely declined.
Hanneman’s main sport is volleyball but he did take up golf around age 10 after his mom’s relationship with Couples became more serious. Last year, Couples and Hannemann played in a member-guest golf tournament in Palm Springs, California, and they won. Three months ago, they were sitting around and Couples broached the subject of his invite to this year’s PNC.
“There’s this tournament. They really want me to play with you down in Florida,” Couples said to him. “Are you ready?”
Hannemann had watched it on TV before and he took a day to consider. “Next day you said what?” Couples asked.
“Yes,” Hannemann said, breaking into a smile.
Couples said he texted his pal, Tiger Woods, to let him know that they would be making their tournament debut alongside Tiger and son Charlie.
“He said, ‘Dude, I’m so excited for you. It’s just the hang that you’re going to love,’ ” Couples recounted. “And I already know all that, but then he said, ‘You want to play?’ I said, ‘No, we are not playing with you and Charlie. That is not going to happen.’ ”
Team Couples will play instead with Nelly Korda, the LPGA Player of the Year, and her father, the former tennis champion, Petr.
“I’m probably more fired up than Hunter. I really am because he’s a great volleyball player, but to do this, it’s a little different animal,” Couples said. “He can hit some shots like Justin Thomas. He doesn’t hit 10 a round but if he hits two we’ll be good…If I watch him hit some drives, I may not even have to swing. I’ll save some energy.”
Couples, 65, still deals with a balky back and only played seven times on PGA Tour Champions this season. He took off three months after playing in the Masters in April and never finished better than T-18. But he says his body has been cooperating and he’s just going to enjoy the ride this week.
“I’ve seen enough of it that every pro that walks off the 18th green says it was the greatest week of their lives. And if I don’t say that, somebody better come and shoot me,” he said. “I plan on playing as many years as I can. Now that we’re in this, why would we not come back and play three, four, five years, right?”
