Rickie Fowler hasn’t been in contention much lately. In fact, the last time he had a chance to win on the PGA Tour with 18 holes left to play was almost a year ago exactly at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas. He played with Rory McIlroy in the final group but eventually finished T-3.
Fast forward to 2022 and Fowler is in Japan for the Zozo Championship on a sponsors exemption, leading by one entering the final round.
Instead of heading right home to get some rest in preparation for the final round, the fan-favorite stayed late to sign autographs for all the people who waited around for him.
Zozo: Leaderboard | Final round tee times
A man of the people 👏
Leader @RickieFowler stayed late to sign autographs for fans @ZOZOCHAMP. pic.twitter.com/a5XMPlH03w
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 15, 2022
Fowler currently ranks 160th in the Official World Golf Ranking, but with a win Sunday would move up more than 80 spots according to statistics-guru Justin Ray.
On top of a nearly $2 million paycheck, Fowler would earn berths into the 2023 Masters and PGA Championship with a win. The 33-year-old hasn’t played in the Masters since the 2020 COVID edition held in November.
