Rickie Fowler’s last win at 2019 WM Phoenix Open was in April 2019. He has been on the lookout for his next victory.
For the 34-year old, missing weekends became a regular occurrence. Fowler was a top-10 finisher in the 2020-2021 season. Fowler missed nine cuts.
This trend continued through his 2021-22 campaign. He finished inside the top 10, the top 25, and just three times in the top 25, while missing the weekend nine more times.
Fowler, however, has so far found his game in 2023.
A few swing adjustments, a reunion and a change to a mallet-style putting putter by Butch Harmon, the five-time PGA Tour champion has six top 25s in just 10 starts. Three of these are top 10. Fowler finished second to Keegan Bradley in the Zozo Championship. He also collected three top-20 finishes at designed events, including T-10 at WM Phoenix Open, T-20 At the Genesis Invitational, and T-13 at Players Championship.
Rickie Fowler plays hole 3 in the final round of The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach (FL), Sunday, March 12, 2023. (Bob Self/Florida Times-Union)
According to Nosferatu, the Official World Golf Ranking Guru, Fowler could most likely earn a spot at the 2023 Masters by playing in this week’s WGC/Dell Technologies Match Play, Austin, Texas. He will play in the quarterfinals.
He was the world No. He defeated world No. 2 Jon Rahm 2 and 1 on Wednesday. But he lost to Billy Horschel 3 & 2 on Day 2. Fowler must win against Keith Mitchell Friday to move on.
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Fowler should not be allowed to enter Magnolia Lane without permission.
He tied for 29th at the November edition of 2020’s year’s first major. He was T-9 in 2019, solo second in 2018, and T-11 2017 before that. Fowler was also among the top five in 2014.
You can find the course history.
Fowler is feeling more confident on the greens, despite his poor form. Fowler is ranked in the top 55 for almost all putting categories, including SG Putting (53rd). His ball-striking skills are back, but that’s not the most important thing.
Fowler was 11th in SG Approach when he entered the Austin Country Club week. This is an area that you need to be able to navigate around Augusta.
Top 50 #OWGR projectors for #TheMasters qualifying. You can see that all of the hopefuls (in white and not yet qualified for Masters) will need to move on from the group stage to the @DellMatchPlay stage. All but one will be required to reach the QF stage. pic.twitter.com/EBTZkv7i72
— Nosferatu March 20, 2023
Fowler is aware of the stakes, even though the focus is on Texas this week.
He said Tuesday, “I knew that I had to come here and play good.” “I was unsure of what I should do. With the world rankings and the new developments, the good news is that anything I do to earn points on the board will only help me move up.
“So, yeah, that’s what I mean. My short-term goal is to get back in Augusta. We’ll continue to move forward, and we’ll be in a great position if that doesn’t happen.
If he fails to make it all the way, he plans to continue on the road to the Valero Texas open.
“I am committed to playing there. If I play well enough, then we’ll probably reconsider our position and look at where we are. He said that he was doing what he needed to to make Augusta a great place to play.
Although we aren’t sure how his green jacket would look over the Sunday orange, it is safe to assume that he wouldn’t mind.
