SNOQUALMIE — Fred Couples withdrew from the Boeing Classic with back problems on Friday afternoon after teeing off on the first hole.

"I didn't feel very good warming up," said Couples, a 52-year-old Seattle native. "I hit the tee shot at No. 1 and then my lower back really locked up when I walked down to the second shot. It was like a bomb went off in my lower back. I think it's time to rest. I'm sad I won't be able to play in this year's event. For this to happen to me in Seattle, this is a rough one."

Couples was taken by golf cart to the parking lot and left the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge as a passenger in a car.

Couples has a long history of back problems but won the Senior British Open last month. He had taken three weeks off before arriving in Seattle for the Boeing Classic, a three-day Champions Tour event.