Fowler Demonstrates Previous Form with 8 Birdies in Impressive Kickoff at the Truist Championship
Critics, Schmitters!
Rickie Fowler ain't no wallflower when it comes to handling naysayers. Looks like he heard the grumbling after receiving an invite to the PGA Championship—mainly from fans who just don't get it.
And the man himself? He just laughs and says, "Bring it on!"
"The negative chatter, it kinda fuels me," Fowler explained. "I wanna go out there and prove 'em wrong."
Fowler proved he's still a force to be reckoned with at the Truist Championship. The kind of play that showed he's far from washed up. Remember, it's been a minute since he took home a trophy—like, all the way back to 2023.
"I've been feelin' good with where my game's been for quite a while," Fowler admitted. "Just haven't seen the results I expected. This was a better day."
Better, indeed. Fowler reeled off eight birdies and a bogey to shoot a 7-under-63 on Thursday at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Two strokes behind leader Keith Mitchell.
"I wanna prove myself," Fowler asserted. "I ain't exactly been killin' it the past year or so. But it ain't been far off."
The 36-year-old Fowler caught some heat this week when the PGA Championship released its field for next week at Quail Hollow. An invite for Fowler, who has slipped to No. 125 in the world and missed the Masters. Now, there's a category for players in the most recent Ryder Cup–provided they're among the top 100 in the world.
Fowler won his first PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow back in 2012. His best finish at the PGA Championship came in 2014 when he tied for third. When Fowler received an invite into the 2022 PGA Championship, he was ranked 146th in the world.
Fowler's been battling some criticism, but he's played in nine events this year without a top-10 finish and needed a sponsor exemption to play this weekend at the suburban Philadelphia course. Not exactly how he'd prefer to qualify for tournaments—but Fowler'll take it.
"I'm very happy for the sponsor exemptions and appreciate it from the sponsors and tournament directors," he said. "I wanna come out here and play well. Off to a good start, and I'm lookin' forward to keepin' it rollin'."
Fowler's winless streak stretches back to July 2023, when he took home the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. But his putting was strong at the Cricket Club. He reeled off a birdie putt at the seventh that kept him among the leaders and finished with a birdie on 18 to cap his day.
"I think the birdie there, I hit a nice drive off the last, made a good shot in with 6-iron," Fowler said. "Hard to pick out one shot. I'll pick the 18th hole."
Maybe his performance was the result of a course where 10 players shot under 65. Or maybe it was just Rickie Fowler, showin' his haters that he can still hang with the big boys.
For anyone still doubting him, Fowler recalled a 2015 Sports Illustrated player poll that named him one of the most overrated players on the tour. He went on to win the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass that week, proving the pollsters wrong.
"That worked out all right that week," Fowler said. Looks like it worked out just fine.
- Rickie Fowler, despite the whining from naysayers, showed he's still a force to be reckoned with in golf, especially at the Truist Championship.
- Fowler's performance at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he shot a 7-under-63 on Thursday, proved he can still hold his own in tournaments like the PGA Championship.
- Although Fowler has received criticism for his recent performance and world ranking, he appreciated the sponsor exemptions that allowed him to play at the suburban Philadelphia course.
- Fowler, who won his first PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow back in 2012, hopes to use his past success in Flourtown to prove his haters wrong.
- Despite a winless streak that stretches back to July 2023, Fowler's strong putting game at the Cricket Club shows that he's far from washed up and can still make a comeback in sports news like the PGA Golf Tournaments.
