Is this the week Fowler has major breakthrough?
SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Rickie Fowler knows he can win major championships. He says everyone in golf knows that. So, Rickie, how about this week in the U.S. Open?
Majors have not been kind to Fowler, who either gets teased or slammed by them. In April, he came up one shot short of Patrick Reed at the Masters. Fowler also was runner-up at both the U.S. and British Opens in 2014. In all, he has eight top-five finishes in Grand Slam events.
He also has missed cuts in seven majors.
So, once again, he was asked Wednesday: Rickie, how about this week?
“Yeah, definitely I’ve been very close,” Fowler said. “I feel like there’s a few you could look at and say, if it wasn’t for that one guy, we would have won. There was a couple of majors where there was a runaway or someone just happened to play just that little bit better. There’s some scores that I’ve shot that have been good enough to win majors, but we haven’t been able to get it done that specific week.
“You know what, at the same time, I kind of like to look at it as far as I’m good enough, and I basically won a major: I won The Players against, arguably, the best field we play all year on a golf course that is a very good test as well. No, we just got to happen to get one done at the right time.”
Shinnecock Hills would be a good place for it to happen. Fowler rates it as one of his favourite American courses, one he’s played more often than any heading into a major on that layout. He’s been on Long Island for more than a week, with practice rounds at Shinnecock and several other highly rated courses.
Fowler even played with Tom Brady on Tuesday at Friar’s Head.
“I’ll tell you what, Tom Brady can putt,” Fowler said. “If I can take that into this week, that’s one thing I can take from him that can help me.”
Fowler can do everything with a golf ball, and for the last year he has been considered the best player not to win a major, ever since Sergio Garcia captured the 2017 Masters. At 29, he should be in his prime competitive years, and he hardly lacks experience: This will be his 10th U.S. Open, including tying for 60th in his first as an amateur in 2008. He turned pro the next year.