Christian Stratton Couch (born May 1, 1973) is an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who currently plays on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

Early life

Couch was born in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

. He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach

Buddy Alexander Stewart Murray Alexander (born February 20, 1953), nicknamed Buddy Alexander, is an American former college golf coach and amateur golfer. Alexander is the former head coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team. He is best known for coaching ...

's Florida Gators men's golf team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) competition from 1992 to 1995.
Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 28, 34, 38, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 12, 2011. As a sophomore, he was a member of the Gators' 1993 NCAA championship team that also included future PGA Tour golfer

Brian Gay Joseph Brian Gay (born December 14, 1971) is an American professional golfer. During his career, he won five times on the PGA Tour. After turning 50, he played on the PGA Tour Champions. Early years A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Wort ...

. During his time as a Gator golfer, the team also won

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) championships in 1992, 1993 and 1994.

Professional career

In 1995, Couch turned professional. It took him a long time to get established and his first couple of spells on the

ended when he failed to win enough money to retain his tour card. He won five times on the

Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

between 2001 and 2005, and in 2006 he made a breakthrough by winning the PGA Tour's

Zurich Classic of New Orleans The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly pla ...

. 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 The Valspar Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played annually on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, north of St. Petersburg, Florida. History The tournament was founded in 2000 ...

with a T68.

Awards and honors

* In 1992, Couch was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Year. * In 1993 and 1995, he received

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors.
2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.

Professional wins (6)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Nationwide Tour wins (5)

Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)

Results in major championships

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

Results in The Players Championship

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

Results in World Golf Championships

"T" = Tied

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Couch, Chris American male golfers Florida Gators men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sportspeople from Gainesville, Florida Sportspeople from Winter Garden, Florida 1973 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen