Rickie Fowler ready for the Ryder Cup after recent injury
Rickie Fowler suffered an abdominal injury that forced him to withdraw from the first two FedEx Cup Playoff events, but he has rebounded nicely at the BMW Championship and looks sharp and ready to go for the Ryder Cup.
The 2018 season has been an uphill battle for Rickie Fowler. He already had somewhat of a disappointing year by going without a win for the first time since 2014, then he was forced to miss the opening two FedEx Cup playoff events with an oblique injury.
The last time he swung a club in a tournament was at the PGA Championship, where he finished tied for 12th. However, he’s back at the BMW Championship, and he’s already back in the hunt for a big-time victory.
One of the traits that makes Fowler a great golfer, is his ability to get so much distance off the tee with the amazing amount of hip and shoulder turn he creates. While he was injured, his right oblique muscle strain held him back from generating the same type of swing necessary to get the his normal distance with his driver.
By already sitting out of the first FedEx Cup event at the Northern Trust, and missing the Dell Technologies Championship, it unfortunately ruined his chances to be the overall FedEx Cup Champion. As the ninth-ranked golfer in the world, he is one of the top players on tour week to week when healthy, so he was a favorite to be the overall playoff champ if he had played in all the events. He is proving that by sitting in fourth place at -15, after three rounds in his first playoff event.
He has placed as high as fourth in the FedEx Cup standings back in 2015, when Jordan Spieth won the title, and Fowler also won a playoff event that year as well. That past success proves he is capable of taking home the overall FedEx Cup points trophy at some point in his career, just probably not this year.
He still has a chance to play in and win the TOUR Championship because of his impressive performance this week. He needed just a top 30 finish at the BMW Championship to qualify for the event, and he would need an absolute meltdown to finish outside that range at this point. He is more likely to win the event and get his first victory of the season because he is only a couple shots off the lead.
The field gets cut down to 30 players for the final golf match of the playoffs, and right now Fowler would be included because he is ranked 26th in the FedEx Cup standings and is projected to be 19th when this tournament is finished. He will also get a week off before he gets another chance to test himself at the Tour Championship.
One thing that has made him so successful in the BMW Championship has been his masterful display of putting on the greens. He has only missed one putt within ten feet the entire tournament, and it is probably because he had the chance to work exclusively on that while he was injured since he could not make full swings.
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Fowler getting back on the links is not only important for his place in the FedEx Cup standings, but it is important to get his game is ready for the all important Ryder Cup as well. He has already automatically qualified for this year’s squad and was a key member of their victory in 2016.
He put any doubts of him not being ready for the Ryder Cup to bed by firing off three straight rounds of 65 to start off the BMW Championship. If he can compete individually in tournament that has a field that includes all the world’s best golfers, then he will surely be able to contribute in a few weeks in a team setting in Paris.
Fowler told ESPN early this week that his injury might have been a blessing in disguise because it gave him a chance to rest during one of the most hectic times of the season.
"“I feel like I’m definitely a lot more rested and ready to go than most guys here, I’m sure,” Fowler said. “It’s a big stretch it wasn’t planned for us to miss, but it could end up being a good thing with the stretch we have coming up this week and Tour Championship and Ryder Cup right around the corner. Glad to be back, healthy. Nice to be back without pain.”"
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Rickie Fowler is not the only one that is glad that he is back and healthy, of course. Captain Jim Furyk will certainly be relieved that he will not have to replace Fowler’s superstar talent and personality with someone less capable on the American roster. Team America is going to need all of its stars ready to go if they want to retain the cup on the road this year when the two sides tee it up September 28th at Le Golf National.