Rickie Fowler is wallowing in the mire of a high-profile slump. He missed The Masters earlier this month and may have missed the upcoming PGA Championship at Kiawah Island but he won’t have to worry about that now.
The PGA Of America has thrown Rickie a lifeline and has given him a “Special Invitation” to the season’s second major championship.
Fowler, who finished 2020 ranked 53rd, has fallen all the way to 111th in the Official World Golf Rankings and would have found himself probably missing the PGA. His absence from The Masters field was his first missed major since the 2010 U.S. Open. Fowler will have to go through qualifying to get into this year’s U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
Rickie would have been exempt for the PGA based on his 2018 Ryder Cup team exemption but that applied only if he stayed inside the top 100 in the world rankings.
John Catlin, an American who has won three times on the European Tour, including the Austrian Open three weeks ago, also received a special invitation. He’s ranked 82nd in the world and is in contention again this week at the Tenerife Open after shooting 63 in the first round.
Wells Fargo Will Have Big Name Field:
The Valspar has perhaps its best-ever field this week at Innisbrook with world’s No. 1 and 2 — Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas played at the Copperhead course.
Next week’s Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow outside Charlotte will be the final tune-up for most of the top players skipping the Byron Nelson in Dallas to rest up for the PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island that starts May 20th.
Garrick Higgo Wants To “Kick Some American Ass” At President’s Cup:
Garrick Higgo is the new young sensation on the European Tour and apparently the 21-year-old South African is intent on “kicking some American ass” in the next President’s Cup.
Higgo won the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open last week to jump up to 65 in the world rankings, and he desperately wants to be on the International Team in the next Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow in September 2022.
“I’d love to kick some American ass,” Higgo said recently on a podcast. “You know, growing up the Presidents Cup wasn’t that big a deal for me, just because it’s not a country, it was maybe not as easy to get into in a way. But because I played in the Junior Presidents Cup (in 2017), now it’s a big deal for me to make it into the main one. I think that would be unreal. It would be a nice story.”
Trevor Immelman will be captaining the International side in ’22. “He was my Captain in the Junior Presidents Cup,” said the 21-year-old. “I want to make the team, I’ll do it, I want to make the team.”
6 Comments
baxter cepeda
A lot is being made that this is yet another ‘kardashian award’ from elite golf; rewarding ricks social media prowess.
But rickie Fowler is a man with top 5s in all 4 majors in one season. He has a 3rd or better in all 4 majors including a second place at the Masters.
Regardless of Twitter; Fowler has earned this “special invitation” on the golf course.
Gotta assume they asked him first if they should give it to him…if he is close.
Imo Rickie will make the pga of America look good for this pass…at least not embarrass them.
Tom Edrington
Sadly, Rickie’s in one heckuva slump, to be outside the top 100 with his talent shows something isn’t right. He’s not playing a lot, should have been at Valspar, close to home; Wanna see how he performs in Charlotte next week. By the way, based on the talk among the site out there, Tiger’s a cinch for the $8 million first place money in the “beauty contest”
baxter cepeda
Rickies swing work has gotten too complicated. And has only led to problems in other areas.
Per a Golf.com article may 2020 featuring his work with tillery after the Taylor made charity event:
Rickie already had his hands inside the club head early in the takeaway but tillery has him doing that weird club head head way outside the hands going back.
Fowler is still flatter than most at the top which is nice to still see some Rickie.
I’m no tillery or butch but IMO his impact position before tillery was better; as in when butch primarily had his eyes on him.
Everyone seemed optimistic last May after having worked a lot during quarantine. But here we are 1 whole year after that first charity event for rona; and the fine tuning continues.
Assuming butch would still let Rickie visit him in Vegas; Rickie needs see the goat and be left alone. Or like spieth and McCormick, visit butch with this guy tillery.
These coaches truly have the most to learn from butch; especially about working with unique talent like Rickie.
Imo
Tom Edrington
And most important, Rickie’s putting used to be great, now it stinks and that’s a formula for tumbling in the world rankings….
baxter cepeda
Its reasonable if he gets his swing back like bagger Vance his sweet stroke will come back too.
Tom Edrington
I like it Baxter, you’re summoning the “magical caddie” to bring Rickie back…..good luck with that!