a great player emerged from the Northwest

"Is it a disadvantage? Maybe the opposite," said rising PGA Tour star Kyle Stanley. "It teaches you to battle the elements a little bit, and it prepares you for all types of golfing conditions."

"Having someone on the Tour like Fred Couples, who was a glamorous player, being from Seattle, helped inspire Ryan to think that maybe he could do it too," said Mike Moore, Ryan's father, who owned The Classic in Spanaway, the course Ryan grew up playing.

"Having someone on the Tour like Fred Couples, who was a glamorous player, being from Seattle, helped inspire Ryan to  Mizuno JPX-800 Irons think that maybe he could do it too," said Mike Moore, Ryan's father, who owned The Classic in Spanaway, the course Ryan grew up playing.

"Being from the Northwest, you have to learn how to practice more efficiently," said Moore, who won the 2004 U.S. Amateur. "There aren't 14-day forecasts of nothing but sun, so you have to do more in short periods of time, and I still had that in my system when I went to Las Vegas."

"On a nice day, I could hit drives 300 or 350 yards, then certain days I would have a hard time driving it 250," he said. "It could be a totally different course. And the small green sizes made me a good iron player. I learned how to hit a 7-iron onto the small greens."

"Being from the Northwest, you have to learn how to practice more efficiently," said Moore, who won the 2004 U.S. Amateur. "There aren't 14-day forecasts of nothing but sun, so you have to Mizuno MX-1000 irons do more in short periods of time, and I still had that in my system when I went to Las Vegas."

For years, Couples carried the Northwest mantle nearly by himself. Now he has plenty of help.

The University of Washington was not a power when Couples left O'Dea High School in Seattle to play at Houston.

More and more, they are performing well — just like the local players at the highest level.

"It reminds me of (Seattle's) Broadmoor Country Club," he said.

"I am sure if I had gone to discount golf clubs Washington, I would have become the same player," he said.

More and more, they are performing well — just like the local players at the highest level.

Couples said the conditions he faced at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle served him well.

"You can still live here and play on the Tour," Bies said. "I don't think it's a disadvantage at all. I don't believe you need to play every day, especially after you develop your game. It's good to get away. Look at Steve Stricker, who lives in Wisconsin. Living in a place where you can't play every day — it gives you a break."