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Rickie Fowler: 2018 will be a breakthrough year

By Brandon Raper

NASSAU, BAHAMAS - DECEMBER 03: Rickie Fowler of the United States walks off the 18th hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany, Bahamas on December 3, 2017 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
NASSAU, BAHAMAS - DECEMBER 03: Rickie Fowler of the United States walks off the 18th hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany, Bahamas on December 3, 2017 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Rickie Fowler has grown into one of the PGA TOUR’s true top talents. In 2018, he’ll make his last major breakthrough.

Rickie Fowler has grown up in front of our very eyes over his eight-plus years on the PGA TOUR. Gone today are the long, luxurious locks of hair and over-sized, monochromatic outfits. Today, a tattoo of the Olympic rings – subdued, by Fowler’s standards – adorns his right forearm. And sure, the orange has been toned down a bit, but it’s not gone. In fact, expect to see a whole lot more of it in the year ahead, especially at the majors.

There’s no such thing as a sure thing in golf, but if ever there’s been a year for Rickie Fowler to step up and claim his first major, it’s 2018. Everything has been building to this point, and when opportunity knocks again, you can believe that Fowler will be ready.

It all started, of course, four years ago. In 2014, Fowler became just the third player in PGA TOUR history to finish in the top five in all four of the year’s majors. With his fifth-place finish at the Masters, runner-up showings at both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship, and tie for third at the PGA Championship, he also earned a dubious distinction.

He was the only member of that trio not to win one.

Many of us expected more out of Fowler in the immediate aftermath of that year, but those expectations are all but impossible to live up to. Don’t believe me? Just ask Jordan Spieth. Arguably the greatest golfer of the “post-Tiger” generation, he’s had more pressure on him than anybody in recent memory. The two have been side by side for each other’s greatest successes, but also when they’ve fallen short. That type of learning, especially so early in both their careers, is invaluable.

Fowler could replace some of that orange with green in 2018

If, like me, you’re a believer that Fowler will enjoy a breakthrough this year, then the next question is pretty obvious.

When and where will it happen?

There’s four more months before the major season kicks off for 2018, but Fowler should be a very strong contender right away. That Sunday orange might not look great with Masters green, but I’m pretty confident he’ll find a way to make it work.

Statistically, you could make a claim that Fowler has performed better at the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship, having placed in the top five in both of those events again in 2017. However, when it comes to consistently high performance, look no further than Augusta National. He did stumble to a missed cut there in 2016, but he’s been battling for top-tens in three of the last four years.

The Masters is a tournament that rewards course knowledge and experience, and Fowler has gained both of those in bunches over the course of his career. It’s impossible to predict the number of “perfect bounces” a player has to have go their way to win, but the if the luck factor is the biggest hurdle for Fowler, he’s in a pretty great spot.

Next: USGA, R&A long overdue in addressing call-ins for rules violations

Rickie Fowler has been knocking on that major championship door for years. 2018 could be the year he finally opens those floodgates, and never looks back.

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