Orlando Sentinel

Fowler remains upbeat after tie for 5th

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ERIN, Wis. — As

tee shot soared into the first fairway Sunday, a man yelled: “Let’s go, Rickie! Do it today, baby!”

Fowler did birdie that first hole but could get little going beyond that. His even-par 72 left him in a familiar spot, in search of his first major championsh­ip.

Yet Fowler remained Mr. Positive.

“I feel like I'm playing at the highest level,” Fowler said. “If you look at the negatives too much, I mean, you're going to be stuck doing that the whole time.

“You have to measure success in different ways, not just by winning, because that doesn't happen a whole lot. I think had the best winning percentage of all time at 30 percent, and you're lucky to even sniff close to 10.”

Fowler finished tied for 11th at the Masters and sounded satisfied with his 10-under at Erin Hills: “Even though the scores were somewhat lower than a normal U.S. Open, to finish in double digits under par at a major championsh­ip, especially the Open, it was a good week.” to see the they expected to see on Sunday. He scored a 3-under 69 under very windy conditions. It left him 1-over for the tournament.

“I thought it was a fantastic round of golf, given what we were dealing with to start the day,” Spieth said. “I mean, [the afternoon wind] is light and variable compared to the beginning of the day, but that’s what you get for playing a poor first few rounds.”

Spieth said he liked the course a lot and hopes the U.S. Open comes back one Everyone got day. He’s not worried about the low scores the first few rounds.

“I think anytime you’ve seen the golf courses, when U.S. Open golf venues work back toward even-par, there are complaints,” he said. “Now all of a sudden they make it tough and fair, and people are 12-under, and people are complainin­g. So let’s pick one side or the other.”

walked away from the tournament with the honors of being low amateur with a final-round 73 to finish 1-under.

“It’s a great experience and being able to be the top amateur would definitely be very special,” Scheffler said before he knew he had the title. “The USGA always treats amateurs and their champions really well.”

One of his goals is to play in the Walker Cup at Los Angeles Country Club on Sept. 9-10. The Walker Cup is for amateurs and is played between the U.S. and Britain and Ireland.

At 50, would need to find the Fountain of Youth to play another U.S. Open at Erin Hills. But the Madison-area native still hopes the USGA’s signature championsh­ip returns.

“The powers that be might want to change a few things,” he said. “Maybe narrow the fairways a bit, and I’d like to see the fescue a little bit thinner, so it’s not a fullshot penalty for hitting in there.

“It's tough when you come to a place for the first time not really knowing how to set it up, how to play it. But I thought it was great. The crowds were unbelievab­le.”

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