Christian Stratton Couch (born May 1, 1973) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.

Chris Couch
Personal information
Full nameChristian Stratton Couch
Born (1973-05-01) May 1, 1973 (age 51)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight225 lb (102 kg; 16.1 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceWinter Garden, Florida
Career
CollegeUniversity of Florida
Turned professional1995
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins6
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Korn Ferry Tour5 (Tied 7th all time)
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipCUT: 2006
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Couch was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1992 to 1995.[1] As a sophomore, he was a member of the Gators' 1993 NCAA championship team that also included future PGA Tour golfer Brian Gay.[1] During his time as a Gator golfer, the team also won Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships in 1992, 1993 and 1994.[1] Couch was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Year in 1992, a second-team All-SEC selection in 1993 and 1994, and a first-team All-SEC selection in 1995.[1] In 1993 and 1995, he received All-American honors.[2]

Couch turned professional in 1995. It took him a long time to get established and his first couple of spells on the PGA Tour ended when he failed to win enough money to retain his tour card. He won five times on the Nationwide Tour between 2001 and 2005, and in 2006 he made a breakthrough by winning the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He won with a 55-foot chip-in (using a cross-handed grip) after a poor shot out of a difficult lie in a bunker.

A poor 2007 season saw Couch finish 167th on the money list and he did not play in 2008 due to a shoulder injury. He played on the PGA Tour in 2009 and 2010 on a major medical extension. By August 2010, Couch earned enough to satisfy his medical exemption and keep his tour card.

Couch went six years without playing a PGA Tour event due to a back injury before making the cut at the 2018 Valspar Championship with a T68.

Professional wins (6)

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PGA Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 Apr 30, 2006 Zurich Classic of New Orleans −19 (70-70-64-65=269) 1 stroke   Fred Funk,   Charles Howell III

Nationwide Tour wins (5)

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Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Other Nationwide Tour (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Mar 11, 2001 Buy.com Florida Classic −15 (67-69-69-64=269) 1 stroke   Chad Campbell
2 Sep 14, 2003 Oregon Classic −14 (66-68-71-69=274) Playoff   Jason Bohn
3 Nov 2, 2003 Nationwide Tour Championship −18 (66-67-65-72=270) 3 strokes   D. J. Brigman
4 May 15, 2005 Rheem Classic −15 (69-66-70-60=265) 5 strokes   Troy Matteson
5 Jun 12, 2005 LaSalle Bank Open −15 (66-67-69-67=269) 4 strokes   Kevin Durkin,   Paul Gow,
  Mario Tiziani

Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2003 Oregon Classic   Jason Bohn Won with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2006
PGA Championship CUT

CUT = missed the half-way cut
Note: Couch only played in the PGA Championship.

Results in The Players Championship

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Tournament 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
The Players Championship CUT T17 T50 T23
  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

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Tournament 2006
Match Play
Championship
Invitational T68
  Did not play

"T" = Tied

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 28, 34, 38, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  2. ^ 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.
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