After Fred Couples birdied his first three holes Sunday and the gallery filled the morning air by chanting his name, it seemed the gods favored the stoic 51-year-old to win at Riviera Country Club one more time. But Aaron Baddeley, matched in the final group with Couples, refused to accept a losing fate. The 29-year old Australian stayed the course and outlasted Couples and a host of other veteran challengers, shooting a 69 to finish at 12-under par and win the Northern Trust Open championship by two strokes. Despite coming into the tournament ranked No. 227 in the world?and without a win of any kind since 2007?Baddeley gritted out his third career Tour victory, and afterwards sounded especially satisfied to do so at Riviera. ?It?s definitely been a couple of long years, but it was worth every bit,? Baddeley said, making light of the fact that he revamped his swing only two years ago when he returned to his teenage coach, Dale Lynch. ?The last couple years is actually what made it easier today, just having to battle and grow into so much ? the character that was just built in me. ?Winning here is special,? he continued. ?I love, love coming here. I?ve been on Tour since ?03 and haven?t missed a year here yet, and not planning on it.? Couples, for one, shares a similar affinity for Riviera, where he won in 1990 and 1992. All week, he spoke about how he had played the Pacific Palisades club hundreds of times, even going so far as to say he could play it ?blindfolded.? And for the first three holes that certainly seemed to be true. A short putt on No. 1, a chip-in from the right fringe on No. 2 and a 20-foot putt galvanized the ?Freddie! Freddie!? chorus and gave Couples three birdies in three holes, as well as a one-shot lead over Baddeley. But that lead proved to be fleeting. On the short par-3 6th, he pushed his tee shot short and missed a 4-foot par putt as Baddeley pulled even at 11-under. Then on the par 4 7th, Couples almost couldn?t find a wayward drive in the thick rough, put his approach into a bunker and ended up making a double-bogey. Meanwhile, Baddeley holed out his birdie chip to take a two-shot lead he wouldn?t relinquish before finishing at 272 (12-under). Former world No. 1 Vijay Singh ultimately finished second at 10-under, while American Kevin Na?who endured the spectacle of playing with Baddeley and Couples on Sunday?ended at 9-under. Jimmy Walker, Robert Allenby and Ryan Moore all tied for fourth at 8-under. Couples ended at 7-under in a tie for seventh place. His inflamed back was ultimately his undoing (he seemed to tweak it getting out of the rough on No. 7) and his consistent play suffered. After making bogey only three times in the first three rounds with scores of 68, 66 and 70, he took bogey or worse on five of his last 13 holes. ?I?m a golfer, so I?m disappointed,? Couples said simply.
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