"It's been strange not to see him. He's a blast. Rocks are flying when he's around," Justin Leonard said. "But it's not like you can pick up the phone and call him."
That was a reference to when Couples famously said that he doesn't answer the phone because "I get the feeling whenever I do that there will be someone on the other end."
He called last week while driving back from Waco, Texas, where he has been seeing a back specialist.
"He loosened me up and I'm heading back to practice and start playing," Couples said. "You want to talk about the Skins Games? I hope with two weeks of good practice I won't embarrass myself. But I haven't played any golf."
There has been progress, however small. He played a corporate outing at The Olympic Club in August, and as a member-guest at Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, five nine-hole matches over three days.
"This might be my last hurrah," Couples said. "If this doesn't work, I'll set it down and try to not worry about it."
The Skins Game will be played on Nov. 24-25 at the new Celebrity Course at Indian Wells, and Couples will be going up against defending champion Stephen Ames, Masters champion Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich.
This will be the 14th time Couples has played. He has won it five times. And this was almost the first year he turned down the offer, not comfortable with taking the invitation after playing so infrequently.
Now he's thrilled to be there, even if he has no clue what to expect.
"I'm sure I'll slap around a few good shots," he said. "I'm not going to hit fat shots and snap hooks. But I'm a little concerned about trying to hit the right shot. In the Skins Game, there are shots you have to hit it in there 4 feet to have a chance. I don't think I can pull that off. But if I can compete, I'll be OK with that."
