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GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA | Rickie Fowler hasn’t been here before.
The FedEx Cup playoffs begin this week in the shadow of the Manhattan skyline, there’s a Ryder Cup in Wisconsin next month and Fowler is on the outside looking in.
His last chance to salvage a disappointing season ended when he missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship, leaving him outside the top 125 in FedEx Cup points for the first time in his PGA Tour career. He’s not even in the Ryder Cup discussion unless captain Steve Stricker decides to add him as a vice captain at Whistling Straits.
“It sucks,” Fowler said Friday. “I know what I’m capable of, I’ve been up there and played against the best in the world and been a top-5, top-10 player in the world for a number of years in my career. I’m not in a position where I’m comfortable or where I want to be.
“With the season ending now for me, it’s kind of just added motivation; hey, let’s figure out what we need to go do and let’s go do it.”
Fowler, who is fully exempt for the 2021-22 season, had just one top-10 finish in 2020-21, a T8 at the PGA Championship. Study his statistics and the only thing that stands out is how consistently underwhelming the numbers are.
He was the tour leader in strokes gained putting in 2017 and was 13th-best in 2019, but Fowler ranked 131st this season. Combine that with ranking 150th in strokes gained on approach shots and it all comes into clearer focus.
His struggles are similar to those of Jordan Spieth and Harris English in recent seasons. With time off now, Fowler intends to continue grinding, working with swing coach John Tillery to find what has gone missing.
“If anything, I’m motivated to go get some good work in the next few weeks,” he said. “Yeah, it’s a bummer and I don’t want to be in this position. Never been here. I’m used to being in contention, ready to go to East Lake and go have some fun through the playoffs.
“That’s not the case this year. A little kick in the butt. Go home and get ready to go. Like I said, put the work in and get after it.”
Ron Green Jr.