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Rickie Fowler gaining momentum ahead of summer’s majors

By Brandon Raper

POTOMAC, MD - JUNE 29: Rickie Fowler hits off the 16th tee during the second round of the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac on June 29, 2018 in Potomac, Maryland. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
POTOMAC, MD - JUNE 29: Rickie Fowler hits off the 16th tee during the second round of the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac on June 29, 2018 in Potomac, Maryland. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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Rickie Fowler has flown surprisingly under the radar so far in 2018, but he’s building the kind of momentum that will make him a force in the big summer stretch.

Rickie Fowler is not typically the kind of guy who goes unnoticed on the PGA TOUR. Heck, that’s putting it lightly. As one of golf’s most popular players, Fowler’s resume over the past few years has more than lived up to the hype.

Surprisingly, though, he hasn’t really made a lot of noise so far this season. As he starts to build up some momentum, though, that could all be changing very soon.

Heading into the weekend at the Quicken Loans National, the newly-engaged 29-year-old sits at 4-under par, just five shots off the lead held by the trio of Beau Hossler, Ryan Armour and Brian Gay. He posted a bogey-free round on Friday at Avenel Farm, and when you look at the health of his game, that’s not hard to believe.

So far at TPC Potomac, Fowler is 32nd in strokes gained tee-to-green, and a strong 17th in strokes gained putting. His improvement was noticeable in the second round, too, hitting 10 of 14 fairways, and 13 greens in regulation. Those are the type of numbers that a player like Fowler will turn into low scores and, in turn, wins, in short order.

It’s not like this is out of the blue, either. Fowler has missed three cuts so far this year – the same number he missed all of last year. However, he’s also nine for his last ten, and the results are getting better. That’s the type of trend you want with two majors and the FedEx Cup on the horizon.

Rickie Fowler is planning ahead for a serious major run

Fowler is clearly looking forward to this run, and it shows in his current setup. He put a 1-iron in his bag at TPC Potomac in preparation for the upcoming Open Championship. Even if it doesn’t do a lot for him in D.C., he’s committed.

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"“Like I said, I’m trying to get some good swings with the 1 off the tee and this is a course that you can do it, with Nos. 4 and 5 and a few on the back nine as well,” he said. “Obviously [I] want to play well and take care of this week, but there is a little bit of links golf [to] get ready for the next couple weeks down the road.”"

That may sound a little farfetched, but Fowler does have a pair of top-tens in golf’s oldest championship on his resume. Hoisting the Claret Jug would be the culmination of a nearly decade-long journey to reach this point in his career.

Fowler certainly doesn’t need anybody’s validation anymore, but the majors are always special. There’s a reason guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson build their schedules around them to this day. If Rickie Fowler wants his name to be mentioned in those same arenas, then winning on the biggest stage is all that matters.

Next: Tiger Woods on finding sponsors, his putting, and qualifying for the WGCs

People might have forgotten about Rickie Fowler a little bit this year, with the resurgence of Woods, and the absolute glut of talent at the top of the World Ranking. If he keeps this momentum building though, he could have his name etched in history before long.

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