Dustin Johnson is your PGA of America and PGA Tour Player Of The Year for 2016.
But today we are here to take care of more serious business.
That serious business is to name the Dogleg News Fun Player Of The Year for 2016.
This one was no contest, it wasn’t close, it was a landslide.
Drum roll please……..
The 2016 Doglegs News Fun Player Of The Year is none other than Rickie Fowler — coolest guy on the PGA Tour.
He also has the most fun.
Witness his latest escapades last week when Rickie turned the ripe of age of 28 on Dec. 13th.
Things are a little too quiet over in his neck of the woods — Jupiter and North Palm Beach. Great place for the over-60 set (Tiger Woods fits in perfectly).
No, Rickie took his birthday party to L.A. as in Los Angeles and the popular nightspot — Catch L.A. It’s best described as a “slick rooftop space known for celebrity sightings, creative seafood-focused food and cocktails.” It’s smack-dab in West Hollywood and the place has “Rickie” written all over it.
So there was Rickie, our Fun Player Of The Year, rockin’ to the music with his new best friend in tow — the Ryder Cup trophy.
Now you’ve got your basic “A-list” celebrities hanging out there but how can you get more famous than the Ryder Cup trophy?
It also turned out to be a chick-magnet, as if Rickie needs one.
As the evening wore on, there was super-model Cindy Crawford chugging Tequila out of the iconic trophy. Yes, even at age 50, she was turning heads, leaving Rickie standing there bug-eyed holding the trophy lid. Later Rickie got in on the action for probably the umpteenth time since the U.S. reclaimed the trophy this fall.
Michelle Wie was there. She doesn’t miss too many off-season parties and has been known to hold her own when it comes to adult beverage consumption.
This would have been a great bucket-list item for any golfer — celebrate a Rickie Fowler birthday in person.
Rickie’s celebration wasn’t the sole factor in this decision for Fun Player Of The Year honors.
When Rickie heads home, he’ll swing into his new digs on the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter. Cool price tag of $14 million but that’s no problem. Rickie has nearly $24 million in tour earnings since turning pro in 2009 and spent 2010 as his first full-time year on tour. He’s huge in the endorsement world hauling in as much as $9 million a year thanks to the good folks at Puma and his various other sponsors.
It’s all so very big for a guy who has only three official PGA Tour wins. He didn’t win on tour this season but managed to win on the European Tour in Abu Dhabi. And all that is fine. We don’t want Rickie spoiling all his fun with too many victories. The problem with winning is that folks expect you to win more and then win some more and next thing you know you’re Tiger Woods and you’re completely miserable and living like a hermit on Jupiter Island.
In fact, not long after Tiger Woods opened his restaurant in Jupiter, there was a huge commotion.
A superstar golfer was in the house at Woods Jupiter.
Wasn’t Tiger.
It was Rickie and the place went nuts.
Rickie Fowler — Dog Leg New’s PGA Tour Fun Player Of The Year for 2016.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he defends the title next year.
