Top 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 11 Rickie Fowler

OVERVIEW It seems every year we expect more from Rickie Fowler. The standards we hold for him are far and above many others but the reality is a body of work that has four PGA TOUR titles — including THE PLAYERS Championship — along with four additional worldwide wins is nothing to sneeze at. We can also judge Fowler away from the course where he is clearly a class above most. Always at the forefront of how to treat fans and charities, Fowler has been nothing but great for the game of golf. So if we are to expect more from Fowler, where will it come from? Consistency? Well, he’s made the FedExCup Playoffs in all nine of his PGA TOUR seasons, with 43rd his worst finish. He’s made the TOUR Championship five times. The majors? Perhaps this is what we crave given Fowler has nine top 10s (13 top 14s) in the majors during his career without a win. He was runner-up last year at the Masters where he’s had four top-12 finishes in the last five seasons … perhaps this will be the year. Now 30, Fowler has hit the meat of his career. He is no longer part of the youth brigade on TOUR. We expect it will kick start another impressive chapter for the former young gun – much like what was seen from Adam Scott. Scott spent his 20s winning tournaments, including the PLAYERS, but when the new decade hit, his intensity lifted and a major win and trip to world no.1 followed. Last season, Fowler was winless on the TOUR (albeit he did win the 2017 Hero World Challenge) but did have two runner-ups and he had to deal with an oblique injury. The fall series provided decent results in Las Vegas (T4) and Mexico (T16) and he was fifth in his title defense in the Bahamas, meaning he hits the new year with some form. — By Ben Everill Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 39th Playoff appearances: 9 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: 4th in the 2014-15 season SHOTLINK FUN FACT Rickie Fowler has recorded two rounds of 63 in his last 24 rounds played — after recording two rounds of 63 or better in his first 730 rounds played on the PGA TOUR. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Rickie Fowler in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Plenty of players would kill for Fowler’s resume but yet still we constantly expect more from this prodigious talent. Now in his 30s, the time has come for a renewed focus on the big events. With comfort in his life, he needs to feel some discomfort with his results and double down on his commitment. We expect he will. — By Ben Everill FANTASY INSIDER: He’s so fine, he blows our minds. Every draft leaguer would salivate if he fell to this position in his or her draft. The knocks are obvious – “only” four PGA TOUR victories and still without a title in a major – but let the mainstream narrative criticize him for that. You know better. You understand that he’s going to antagonize the top of the leaderboard often enough to warrant one plunge after another. His consistently strong record speaks for itself and he’s been bettered in the all-around ranking by only four golfers in the last two completed seasons combined. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Fowler recently made equipment headlines by putting a game-improvement long iron into play at the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where he finished T4. The 4-iron is Cobra’s new King F9 Speedback iron, made for maximum forgiveness and distance. Fowler says he uses the iron as a weapon off the tee. As for the rest of his irons, Fowler employs a custom set of King MB Forged irons with tungsten weights added to the sole and toe of the club; his custom irons are so popular that Cobra recently released a retail version of the irons in a mixed set of CB/MB irons. Fowler also has switched into the new King F9 Speedback driver; he plays it at 43.5 inches, with a Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ shaft. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: Nobody can shake up the golf fashion scene quite like Fowler. He has the unique ability to go outside the box with fresh and creative looks while also possessing the thoughtfulness to respect the traditions of the game. He continues to use his style and modern take on golf apparel to bring a new generation of players to the fairways. At this point, we should expect the unexpected from Fowler. Let’s sit back and enjoy his fashion statements in the new year. — By Greg Monteforte

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