With his creamsicle-orange outfits, it would seem hard to overlook Rickie Fowler as a challenger for the Masters championship.
But few are including him among the favorites this week at Augusta National.
“Yeah, that’s fine with me,” he said.
Perhaps it’s because he has never won a major.
Perhaps it’s because he has won one PGA tournament since turning pro in 2009.
But bypass Fowler at your own risk.
With the exception of Rory McIlroy, who won the British Open and the PGA Championship, no player performed better in the majors last year than Fowler.
Fowler posted top-five finishes in all four majors, starting with a tie for fifth in the Masters. He followed with ties for second at the U.S. Open and British Open and a tie for third at the PGA Championship. He is one of three golfers to finish among the top five in all four majors in a year, but the first not to win any of them.
“Obviously being close and being in contention is really all you can ask for,” Fowler said. “It doesn’t happen often where you just run away with a major or any tournament in particular.”
Consider this: Fowler’s cumulative score of 1,108 in all four majors was five better than McIlroy’s, who is the world’s top-ranked golfer and the favorite to complete the career grand slam with a win in Augusta this week.
“So I’m ready for this week,” he said. “… I continue to feel more comfortable in the position and felt right at home on Sunday at the PGA. And then coming here where I just keep getting more and more comfortable with the golf course. Get myself in contention and see what happens.”
Fowler said he didn’t change anything during his offseason preparation to improve his chances of winning his first major.
He continued working with swing coach Butch Harmon, a pairing that began late in 2013, to maximize the distance and touch he can generate from a 5-foot-9, 150-pound body, one of the smallest on tour.
“He knew there were some things that needed to be changed,” ESPN golf analyst Dottie Pepper said. “Ball flight, specifically, and the way the club was delivered to the golf ball. And he took that to every major championship last year and absolutely delivered. He recognized a weakness and had the confidence in himself and stuck to it through the major championships.”
Last year, he averaged more than 11 yards longer with his drives, moving him from 103rd on tour in 2013 to 33rd. The added distance contributed to an increase in average number of birdies per round, moving him from 59th on tour in 2013 to 14th last year.
“Last year it seemed like he turned a corner with his game, something clicked,” said Phil Mickelson, who frequently plays practice rounds with Fowler, doing so again Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Those subtle changes really make him look like he’s an elite player, which we’ve always viewed him as, but his game is really reflecting that now.”
Yes, but Pepper said he needs a victory to validate his place in the game.
To do that, Fowler will need to improve his performances in the opening round. He will tee off at 1:59 p.m. Thursday with Sergio Garcia and Jason Day. It’s not that Fowler played badly — his worst score was a 71 (followed by a 75 in the second round) in the Masters — it’s that others were blowing past him. McIlroy posted a 66 at the British Open and at the PGA Championship. Fowler posted 69 at each.
His first-round score average of 71.44 in all tournaments last year was his lowest and tied for 133rd among PGA Tour players.
Fowler is having the figurative slow start in seven tournaments this season, with one top-10 finish in November at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
The problem this year has been the blow-up rounds: A 79 in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open, a 77 in the second round at the WGC-Cadillac and a 77-76 in the final two rounds of the Shell Houston Open scuttled chances at victories.
But Fowler shrugged off those finishes, saying he feels comfortable at Augusta National.
Write off Fowler at your own risk.
“I don’t care if I’m a favorite or not or if the odds are with me or against me,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and try to win myself a major.”
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