They love Rickie Fowler in Scotland, which makes the Scots pretty much like everyone else in the world.
Who doesn’t like Rickie Fowler?
He’s mellow, respectful, a totally snazzy dresser and has charisma.
Rickie checks all the boxes. Except one:
Major championship winner.
Maybe, just maybe it might be his time next week at Royal Birkdale. After all, Rickie loves links golf and it seems to love him back.
He was near-perfect Thursday at the Dundonald Links. No bogeys, five birdies added up to a 67 that left him just a pair of shots behind first round leader Mikko Ilonen at the Scottish Open. Ilonen, who hit 16 of 18 greens, fell back to earth in the second round with a 74.
Should be no surprise that Fowler is off and running again at this event. He won the 2015 championship at Gullane, missed the event last year but is back again.
It was pretty much stress-free for Fowler, who seemingly has the right game and more important — the right attitude for this style of golf.
“I just love hitting the shots and kind of picking my way around the golf course. You don’t exactly have to be swinging perfect to play well around links. I mean, it does help if you are swinging well, but you can manufacture shots and just work your way around, kind of pick your way around the golf course and hit it to certain spots. The biggest thing being avoiding the bunkers, because it’s a lot more of a penalty over here.”
So said Rickie after his morning-wave round, one that started on the back nine, one that saw him run circles around playing partners Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson.
McIlroy got off to a miserable start. He took 40 shots to play the back nine and eventually wound up with 74 and in total danger of missing the 36-hole cut for the second week in a row after floundering at the Irish Open last week. Stenson stumbled right away with a triple-bogey on his opening hole, the 10th. He’d eventually work his way back to even par for the day.
“The biggest thing is getting it in the fairway to get going. I felt I did a pretty good job of that,” Fowler added as he turned in two-under then added three more birdies on the front.
Did we mention it was a no-bogey day for Rickie?
Conditions may have been a bit easier for the morning wave but McIlroy’s game didn’t reflect that and neither did Stenson’s.
Ilonen, who has won five times on the European tour, said he was basically perfect all day. “I didn’t really miss a shot other than the tee shot on number eight. I kept my head in it and didn’t make any mistakes,” said Ilonen, who has missed the cut in his last four events.
Like Ilonen, Fowler didn’t make any mistakes to speak of. He found himself just off the fairway a few times but he handled the day quite nicely.
And Fowler quietly looks very confident.
“It’s definitely around its highest (level),” was how Fowler rated his confidence level this week. “Right now, with how consistent it’s been, to have been in contention and have a chance on a Sunday in both majors, with a win and some good finishes outside of that, it’s been a fun year. So I’m looking forward to this big stretch through the summer.”
He’s got three more days to go at Dundonald.
“I’ll take three more of them (67s),” Fowler said.
But he also warned that conditions will help determine the scores for the final three rounds.
“Over here you’ve got wind, rain, whatever comes in dictates how the golf course plays.”
Rickie may or may not win come Sunday.
But what matters most is that he sees enough good over the final 54 holes to make a difference next week at Royal Birkdale.
Time for Rickie to bag a major.
