Seattle native Fred Couples wins Senior British Open title

Seattle native Fred Couples finished with two birdies to win the Senior British Open in dramatic fashion.

With the birdies, Couples won the championship by two shots over Gary Hallberg. Couples wrapped up his championship by rolling in a 25-footer for birdie on the last hole.

Overnight leader Bernhard Langer dropped five shots in five holes and slipped into a tie for sixth.

Couples shot a 3-under 67 in the final round to finish at 9-under 271 and win his first tournament in Britain. Hallberg shot a 66, equaling the best round of the day with American Mark Calcavecchia and Carl Mason. “I’ve never won an Open Championship, so this is the next best thing. And I believe I now get into the (British) Open at Muirfield next year, which is great,” Couples said. “It was a fun day out there. Bernhard and I were neck and neck for a long time. Then I saw Gary had birdied the 17th to draw level, so I knew I needed to birdie 17.”