Freddie Will Crawl To Riviera's First Tee If He Has To

Jill Painter on Fred Couples' back acting up again. Warning, it's hard to read if you've ever had a back injury.

And sleeping, well that's not happening much these days, either.

Yet Couples, who has a home in Pacific Palisades, is always a fan favorite at Riviera and plans to commit to play in next week's Northern Trust Open.

If his back cooperates.

"I know it's my favorite tournament, beside Augusta, obviously the TPC," Couples said Tuesday in a conference call.

His love for the Los Angeles event, which he won in 1990 and 1992, is so great he's planning to drive from his home in Palm Springs and tee it up. He finished the drive last week, so he figures he can do another one.

"I drove home from Arizona around 6, and I stopped in Quartzite, and you're going to laugh. ... I didn't even get gas," Couples said laughing. "I walked around the car. I went in and got a candy bar, and I stopped in Blythe, which is only another 50 miles, and I made it into Palm Springs. I took an Epsom bath. I feel like I'm 400 years old."