ORLANDO, Fla. — All those years ago, Rickie Fowler silenced his critics by winning the Players Championship.
Now as he trudges down the fairways of Bay Hill in search of his lost-in-the-rough golf game, Fowler can’t even get into the Players next week.
He used to be considered the greatest player to have never won a major and now he can’t even qualify for majors.
“It’s tough,” Fowler said after struggling to a 4-over-par 76 Saturday in the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “It’s a grind.”
It’s unfortunate because Fowler is still one of the most popular players and nicest guys on Tour. When he’s on top of his game, he arguably moves the needle more than any other golfer other than Tiger Woods. Even though Fowler is 33 now, he still has those boy-band good looks, dresses with flamboyant panache and draws surging galleries.
As he walked off the 18th green on Saturday, a seemingly intoxicated woman serenaded him with Toni Basil’s old 1980s song "Mickey" but substituted Fowler’s name — “Rickie” — in the lyrics.
“Oh, Rickie, you’re so fine,
“You’re so fine, you blow my mind,
“Hey Rickie, hey Rickie!”
Earlier in the round, as Fowler approached the 11th tee box after double-bogeying No. 10, one middle-aged male fan excitedly readied his camera to take a photo.
Asked why he was taking a picture of the struggling Fowler, the fan responded sheepishly: “Because my wife’s in love with him.”
“I’ve always had great support,” Fowler says. “I appreciate the fans pulling me along and yelling for me even after I’m making double-bogeys.”
Sadly, Fowler hasn’t given his galleries much to cheer about lately. It doesn’t seem that long ago that he was among the top 5 players in the world, but now he is ranked No. 122 and it’s been more than three years since he last won a tournament on the PGA Tour.
His critics often crack that he has more endorsements than PGA Tour victories (five), pointing to Fowler’s impressive array of corporate sponsors that include Puma, Cobra, Mercedes, TaylorMade, Farmers Insurance, Rocket Mortgage and Grant Thornton.
He’s getting essentially the same criticism now as he received seven years ago when Sports Illustrated conducted an anonymous survey of fellow pro golfers who voted Fowler the most overrated player on the PGA Tour. The thought was that Fowler was all style and no substance and that his popularity exceeded his ability. It just so happened the SI survey was published the same week as the Players Championship and helped motivate Fowler to the signature moment in his career.
The crowd at TPC Sawgrass went crazy for Fowler that day as he slayed the famous No. 17 island hole, birdieing it three times on Sunday — once in regulation and twice in a playoff — to win the tournament.
That was Fowler’s coming-out party and it seemed as if he was on his way to greatness. He had it all: Good looks, charismatic personality, and a dashing, daring golf game.
Arnold Palmer himself fell in love with Fowler because Arnie saw a little bit of himself in the young Fowler, a self-made golfer who taught himself the game on a driving range in Murrieta, Calif.
Much like Arnie, Fowler has done his best to be a goodwill ambassador for his sport. He is as fan-friendly as they come, taking selfies with fans, signing autographs, never doing anything to embarrass his family or the game. Three years ago, it’s no coincidence Fowler was the recipient of The Arnie’s inaugural Philanthropy Award presented to “the player who follows in the tradition of Arnold Palmer by giving back to their local communities.”
Which is why it’s a shame that the wheels have come off Fowler’s game. He once was one of the best putters on Tour and had a laser-like iron game, but now he’s 148th in greens in regulation and 175th in putting.
When asked how much it stinks to not qualify for The Players next week, Fowler just shakes his head.
“I obviously have great memories up there,” he says. “It’s going to be a real bummer to miss that tournament.”
Just before Fowler entered the scorer’s tent after his round on Saturday, he was greeted by his wife Allison and the couple’s baby daughter Maya, who was born in November. Fowler bent over, smiled and repeatedly kissed little Maya on the cheek.
“Golf really doesn’t matter at that point,” Fowler said when asked how uplifting it is to see his new family after a tough round. “Being with the little one and knowing your family is healthy and good, that puts it all in perspective.”
In the distance you could hear the fans in the autograph line chanting his name.
“Ric-kie! Ric-kie! Ric-kie!”
Yes, Rickie will miss being at the Players Championship next week, but don’t kid yourself.
The Players Championship will miss Rickie, too.
