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 in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

. 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 largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

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 th ...

Florida Gators men's golf The Florida Gators men's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Gators compete in Division I (NCAA), Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Th ...

team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(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 who currently plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Early years A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, A ...

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

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) championships in 1992, 1993 and 1994. 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. In 1993 and 1995, he received All-American honors.
2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011. Couch turned professional in 1995. 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 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 play ...

. 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, northwest of Tampa, Florida. History The tournament was founded in 2000 as the ...

with a T68.

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 Florida Sportspeople from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sportspeople from Gainesville, Florida People from Winter Garden, Florida 1973 births Living people