Rickie Fowler: Can He Rally to Make Ryder Cup Squad?

Rickie Fowler played well for most of the week at The Barclays, but a back nine collapse ended his bid to lock up an automatic spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. With just three events to make his case, can he earn a captain’s pick?

Welcome back to the spotlight, Rickie Fowler. After playing mediocre golf for most of the summer, it was great to see the world No. 8 playing in the final group at The Barclays last Sunday.

If only the end-result had been different. The 54-hole leader, Fowler struggled to achieve liftoff on the front nine and was trailing playing partner Patrick Reed by the time he made the turn. Instead of making a back nine charge, the Oklahoma State product remained stagnant and eventually imploded down the stretch, making two bogeys and a double over the final four holes to fall into a tie for seventh.

That final round collapse was a massive disappointment for Fowler. Not only did it end his hopes of victory — it also had a severe effect on his Ryder Cup prospects. A top three finish would have made him the eighth and final man on the team, bumping Zach Johnson from the U.S. squad, but Fowler ended up two strokes out of a share of second. His tie for seventh left him languishing in 11th place on the points list, so he’ll need one of Davis Love III’s four captain’s picks in order to have a spot.

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He has three events to make his case, and lo and behold, he’s the defending champion at this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship. He putted his way to victory a year ago, gaining nearly two strokes on the field thanks to his flatstick. With 97 of the PGA Tour’s top players in this week’s field, Fowler will need to deliver a similar performance if he wants to cement his status on the Ryder Cup team with a win.

A victory at TPC Boston would certainly take the pressure off, but Fowler doesn’t need a trophy to lock up one of the picks — a top five finish would probably do. Ditto for the BMW Championship, which kicks off next Thursday at Crooked Stick. Love will announce his first three captain’s picks shortly after the BMW.

If Fowler isn’t selected by that point, his camp will officially go into crisis mode. His final chance to impress Love will be at the season-ending Tour Championship — and that’s assuming he makes it that far. Love will make his final captain’s pick the following week, at which point the U.S. roster will be officially set at 12.

Can Fowler pull it off? Given his Ryder Cup experience and good standing with many of the higher-ups in the American golf world, he has to be one of the most enticing potential selections out there. However, his back nine collapse at The Barclays wasn’t a good sign — is that the kind of player you want standing over a pressure putt? — and Love has repeatedly talked about examining all possible options and going with some of the hottest players available. It’s also important to note that Fowler has never won a Ryder Cup match (though he has managed a whopping five halves in two appearances).

I think he’ll ultimately get a pick — he was on the American Ryder Cup Task Force, after all — but the picture will become significantly clearer over the next two weeks. Either way, it’s nice to see Rickie Fowler at the forefront of the golf world again. The greens always look better with a splash of orange.

Next: Who Should DL3 Pick for Team USA?

If you were Davis Love, would you pick Rickie Fowler to be on your team? Tell us in the comments, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more Ryder Cup updates.

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