FedEx Cup Update: Jordan Spieth leads after The Open Championship

Rickie Fowler hasn’t been perfect in 2017, but he’s been about as close as you can come to it. His 15 starts this year are the second-lowest in our top-ten, with only Dustin Johnson playing less golf. That’s the textbook definition of efficiency.

Fowler has made a point this year of only playing when he feels like he can be at his absolute best. Averaging a hair under 109 points per start, and counting three missed cuts, he’s basically averaging a fifth-place finish every time he tees it up. That’s ridiculous stuff, the kind that makes history in the long run.

Of course, critics will point to the fact that Fowler still hasn’t won a major, and that’s fair. However, he finished 11th at the Masters, fifth at the U.S. Open and 22nd at The Open. Moreover, there hasn’t been a tournament yet this year where you could dismiss Fowler from contention. That’s the change in his reputation from earlier in his career.

And there’s plenty more left to come. Next week at Firestone, Fowler will look to continue his streak of three straight top-ten finishes at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Then, he returns to Quail Hollow, the site of his first PGA TOUR win, for the PGA Championship. There’s a ton of points to be earned at those two premium events. Fowler is far from done.