by Age: 26
Country: United States (Murrieta, California)
Height: 5 feet, 9 inches
Weight: 150 pounds
Presidents Cup appearances: 0
Presidents Cup record: 0-0-0
Fun fact: Fowler gave up serious dirt-bike riding after an accident prior to his freshman year in high school.
Profile: It’s difficult to miss Rickie Fowler (Navajo) when he’s out on the course at a PGA TOUR event. Just follow the caravan of young kids decked out in his traditional Sunday orange.
Fowler, the one-time motocross athlete who crossed over to golf, is arguably the most popular golfer of the teenage-and-younger set. They see his flat-brim cap, his flashy colors and apparel, his carefree hairstyle, and they want to emulate him.
He knows he appeals to the kids, and that’s fine with him.
“It’s cool to have the following I do and to have an impact on some young fans,” Fowler says. “I definitely want to be a good role model, someone that kids’ parents allow them to look up to.”
Fowler has added to his popularity with a couple of TOUR wins, including his breakthrough at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.
Last year, he became just the third player since 1934 to claim top-five finishes in all four majors. Although he didn’t win a major, no player had a better cumulative score than Fowler’s 32-under total in majors in 2014.
And then maybe you heard about his second win at THE PLAYERS Championship in May.
2015 highlights: Upon arriving at TPC Sawgrass, Fowler’s season had been less than inspired. He had started off with a tie for third at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in the fall of 2014, but since the calendar turned, he had yet to produce another top-10 finish in a stroke play event.
But something magical happened at THE PLAYERS. Seemingly out of contention at the turn in the final round, he played his last six holes in six under (four birdies and one eagle) to take the clubhouse lead in the most stirring finish in tournament history.
Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner eventually matched his total, but Fowler had the momentum. In the tournament’s three-hole playoff format, Garcia was eliminated, leaving Fowler and Kisner to decide the title on the iconic 17th hole. For the third time Sunday, Fowler birdied the hole – this time to win the tournament.
“It’s amazing,” Fowler said after the tournament. “We obviously look at this tournament as one of the biggest that we play up against the majors. This is a special week.”
Fowler also won the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs, for his first multiple-win season on TOUR. He finished a career-best fourth in the FedExCup. It was his third win of 2015 after also claiming the European Tour’s Scottish Open before The Open Championship.
PGA TOUR wins (3): 2015 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2015 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2012 Wells Fargo Championship
Other wins (2): 2011 Kolon Korea Open [OneAsia], 2015 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open [Eur].
