Fowler working with mental coach to get him back on track

TULSA — Rickie Fowler has been approached by the LIV Golf Invitational Series and remains undecided if he will play on the start-up circuit that is set to debut in June and funded by the Saudi Arabian-financed Public Investment Fund.

“To be straightforward with you guys, I haven’t necessarily made a decision one way or the other,” he said during a press conference ahead of the 104th PGA Championship. “I’ve mentioned in the past, do I currently think that the PGA Tour is the best place to play? I do. Do I think it can be better? Yes.” Last week, the PGA Tour denied releases to its members to compete in the debut LIV event at Centurion Golf Club outside of London, June 9-11. Fowler said he thought players would like to know what the consequences would be if they defied the Tour. Fowler, who has slipped to No. 146 in the world and missed the Masters last month for the second straight year, qualified for the PGA Championship at Southern Hills thanks to finishing T-8 at Kiawah a year ago. Fowler, who played his college golf at Oklahoma State, considers this week a homecoming of sorts despite only playing here he figured 15 times.

“This is a special place. We used to come over and play every once in a while, and the membership has always been great to us here. I played the 2009 U.S. Am, but first time back since then,” he said. “Anytime I get to be in Oklahoma, I feel at home.” Fowler, 33, is making his 13th appearance at the PGA with a career-best of T-3 in 2014.

Fowler has nine top-10 finishes and for a long time wore the badge of Best Player Never to Win a Major. But he has just one top 10 since Kiawah a year ago (T-3 at the CJ Cup in October). Of being mired in a slump, Fowler said, “it’s been a lot longer road than we’ve wanted it to be.”