For those of you who play golf or follow golf on television this is the week of the Masters tournament in Augusta and the world will be watching Tiger Woods and his search for redemption and forgiveness as he renews his miraculous artistry with a golf club. We wish him well on all accounts.
Local golf hero Fred Couples is a past winner at the Masters and has been playing lights out recently and is always a crowd favorite.

Rudy Bundas, now deceased, was a playing buddy of mine at Burien's Rainier Golf Club. He was noted not so much for his golf trophies but more for his addiction to his cribbage game.

He often wandered through the clubhouse clutching his cribbage board and deck of cards shouting his battle cry, "I have no fear of you.''

Rudy was nationally known for his skill as an artist with brush or pen and ink. An honors graduate of the Cleveland Art Institute, Rudy was portraitist for Sen. Henry Jackson, Gov. Al Rosellini, Sen.Warren Magnuson, Sen. Edmund Muskie and, yes, even famed hacker Jerry Robinson.

Born in a tiny town in Hungary, Rudy was left to live with his dad after his mother went to America. Dad was a severely wounded First World War veteran who died a few months later. Orphaned, Rudy was seven

when relatives arranged to send him to his mother in Cleveland .She later moved with him to Seattle.

He grew up near Jefferson Park golf course on Beacon Hill and got to be a pretty good golfer and an excellent putter.

It was there that he met Fred Couples who has dazzled the world's golfers with his engaging grin and effortless swing for 35 years.

As a Master's Champion, Freddy is in competition this week in Augusta.

Here is what Rudy told me when I asked if he ever played with Freddy Couples:

One fine summer Saturday morning, a number of the regular weekend golfers were milling around the putting greens at Jefferson Park golf course on Beacon Hill waiting for starting times when Hans Turner, one of Seattle's finest amateurs suggested a two bit putting contest among us.

These were all fine golfers including Pete Caso, Jay Turner, Marshall Dallas, Steve Opacich, and Takie Yoshijima. There were about 10 guys in the elimination contest and one or two would drop out as we made our way along. The contest went on until finally it was just Freddy and Rudy. On the 33rd hole it was Fred's turn to pick the next hole and he picked a long one, about 30 feet, which he canned, and I came up short.

He won the $2.50 purse.