The thing that has separated Rickie Fowler from his peers hasn’t been just the orange outfits, the golf he’s played or the gift of cool he carries with him.
It’s those things and more, and they are why Fowler’s playoff victory Sunday in the Rocket Mortgage Classic arrived like a pre-Fourth of July fireworks show.
Fowler is the beneficiary of a collective goodwill that has been developed across more than a decade on the PGA Tour. By ending a winless period that stretched nearly 4½ years, he delivered on a commitment to himself and the hopes of a legion of admirers.
“It’s just nice to have this one out of the way. It’s been a long road. I’ll get emotional at some point,” Fowler said after his birdie on the first extra hole at Detroit Golf Club beat Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin and delivered him his sixth PGA Tour victory. They had tied at 24-under 264.
One year ago at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Fowler was ranked 164th in the world and doing his best to ignore the whispers of others who wondered whether he could regain the form that kept him among the top 10 in the world for a time.
With persistence and a return to swing coach Butch Harmon, the 34-year-old Fowler has worked his way back, getting his hands higher on his backswing. The results have built slowly but steadily.
Two weeks ago, Fowler carried the 54-hole lead into the final round of the U.S. Open, only to have a flat Sunday as Wyndham Clark won at Los Angeles Country Club.
On Sunday in Detroit, Fowler came to the 72nd hole needing a birdie to force a playoff. He made it to cap a bogey-free 4-under 68 and then duplicated it a few minutes later to win for the first time since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open.
While others were caught in the moment, Fowler insisted that his focus remained on a bigger goal: being part of the U.S. Ryder Cup team this fall.
“One of the end goals was to be part of the Ryder Cup team. That’s what we’re focusing on right now. I’ve been a part of a handful. They’re very special weeks. That’s where I have my eyes,” said Fowler, who has played on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams, most recently in 2018.
With only one finish outside of the top 20 since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, Fowler has been trending toward what happened Sunday. The victory pushed him to No. 23 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“He’s been playing amazing golf,” Morikawa said. “It’s not like this is a one-time thing. He’s been playing phenomenal golf. It’s great to see. People love him.
“The grind isn’t easy. It never is, doesn’t matter where you are.”
Fowler knows it better than most.
“You hope the struggles don’t last, but sometimes they last longer than you hope for,” Fowler said. “I’ve been one of the best players in the world. I knew what I was capable of, but it’s tough when you’re struggling for that long a period of time. I knew it wasn’t far off. Had to keep grinding, keep pushing.”
After a couple of days at home in south Florida, Fowler and his wife, Allison, will join Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and their wives for a few vacation days in London before the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship.
“I think we’ll celebrate,” Fowler said.
Ron Green Jr.