ORLANDO — Fred Couples heard for years what a great experience the PNC Championship is for fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, but without children of his own, the former Masters champion had to be content to live vicariously through friends like Ray Floyd and Davis Love III.

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But that changes with this week’s PNC Championship, where Couples is competing with his stepson, Hunter Hanneman, whose athletic talents run more towards volleyball, but he’s eagerly picked up golf the last few years. The duo has been grinding to prepare for the 36-hole scramble event, playing five days in a row over Thanksgiving weekend. In fact, Couples, 65, might have overdone it, suffering a tendon injury in his calf. But he wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

“I iced this thing constantly, and you know me, that’s not really like me,” he said, pointing to his right calf, which he has covered in a support wrap. “This is huge. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

“For me personally, I’ve seen enough of it that every pro that walks off the 18th green says it was the greatest week of their lives. And if I don’t say that, somebody better come and shoot me.”

Competing sporadically this year because of his chronically injured back, Couples knows his limitations. Which is why he balked at joining up with a certain friend with 15 majors. Tiger Woods is making his fifth appearance in the PNC Championship with his son Charlie.

“He said, ‘Dude, I’m so excited for you. It’s just the hang that you’re going to love.’ And I already know all that,” Couples said. “But then he said, ‘You want to play?’ I said, ‘No, we are not playing with you and Charlie. That is not going to happen.’”

Couples and Hanneman, who is 17 years old and carries a handicap index of 9, are paired in Saturday’s opening round at 10:31 a.m. ET with World No. 1 women’s player Nelly Korda and her father Petr, a former Grand Slam tennis champion. “We’re really excited about that,” Couples said, “because for Hunter and I to be on the same tees with Nelly, we’ll settle each other down a little bit and have a good time.”

Couples married Hanneman’s mother Suzanne in 2022. Hunter said that he didn’t know anything about Couples’ Hall of Fame golf career because he didn’t follow the game. He only picked it up two years ago.

“When my mom first met him, I had no clue. I don’t think I watched a single minute of golf in my life before he came in,” Hanneman said. “But eventually, like, I started realizing he’s a big deal and he can play.”

“I met him on flag football. … We had a blind football date, and we threw the rock around. I still have the video of that,” Couples said. “That’s how we met. And I knew he was a big deal nine years ago because he could throw a football.”

Couples might not be available to play five straight days of golf next Thanksgiving. It was recently announced that the Skins Game is being revived after a 17-year hiatus by Pro Shop, the golf media company led by “Full Swing” executive producer Chad Mumm. Couples came to be known as “Mr. Skins” because of his success in the event, having won more than $4.4 million, and the organizers have asked him to be the honorary starter for the restart.

“I’ve already talked to them. I believe, if it works out, I’ll be introducing the players on the first tee and the 10th tee. That’s my job,” he said. “I’m an honorary starter for the Skins Game, yeah. I’m pretty excited about it.”

Couples wasn’t sure why the Skins Game, which began in 1983, ended after the 2008 edition. Given his success in the event, he had reason to be disappointed, because the money was good at the time. He wonders now what the stakes will be, maybe starting at $300,000 per hole. Still, he was quite satisfied with his haul over the years.

“You don’t see me complaining. I didn’t return any of those checks when I won money,” he said with a grin. “And I played, as we know … I played in a lot of Canadian skins too. I played well in those things. It was the other tournaments I butchered.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com