Rebound rounds for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

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DETROIT – Given that he had delivered his opening tee shot in Wednesday’s pro-am at 7:20 a.m. – a tee time that had necessitated an arrival to Detroit Golf Club just after sunrise – and followed that up with a “Shot For Heroes� ceremony that introduced a vehicle by which more funds will be raised for a charity that is already up to $1 million, then put himself in front of a heartwarming presentation to 15-year-old Anthony Trudel at the request of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, by late afternoon Rickie Fowler could not be blamed if he were dragging. Instead, he talked with enthusiasm about two trails of rejuvenation – his golf game and with Dan Gilbert’s vision for Detroit. As for the former, Fowler shrugged off a second-round 77 at the recent U.S. Open that took him out of contention and chose to focus on success earlier in the season – a fifth career win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open that was celebrated with family and friends who had never seen him raise a PGA TOUR trophy, and four other top 10s. “So far, it’s been a fun year,� he said. But it’s the latter that motivates Fowler in a different fashion, a more personal way. True, he’s got a sponsorship deal with Quicken Loans and Rocket Mortgage that is profitable, but Fowler has come to admire Dan Gilbert (the 57-year-old founder of Quicken Loans) and the man’s dream to revitalize Detroit. Fowler said he saw first-hand the Motown life Monday night. “Got a solid five hours in downtown. It’s cool to hear the stories of how much it’s changed, not just over the last five to 10 years, but really in the last two,� said Fowler. “A lot of stuff going on.� And, be advised, that Fowler knows what it means to have “a lot of stuff going on.� Consider his dance card once his 18-hole pro-am, was concluded – more than five hours, by the way, that was spent inside the ropes with one Kid Rock. “Fun to be in his hometown,� laughed Fowler, who plays golf or has dinner with Kid Rock frequently in the Jupiter, Florida, area. “I’ve heard a lot about Detroit from him.� Fowler helped introduce the “Shot For Heroes� corner at Detroit GC where visitors can take two 60-yard wedge shots and donate to a cause that wants to end homelessness for military veterans. It was an appearance at the “Shot For Heroes� ceremony that was especially sweet, because Fowler has become involved with the Trudel story since he heard about it in the spring of 2018. He lives about an hour south of Fowler’s home in Jupiter and was diagnosed with a brain tumor during a visit to a hospital in Boca Raton. From there, Trudel was air-lifted to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and through Make-A-Wish, Trudel forwarded the desire to meet Fowler, one of his heroes. As a special guest of the Rocket Mortgage officials this week, Trudel spent time with Fowler Wednesday at Detroit Golf Club. The youngster hit balls, was gifted a new set of Cobra golf clubs, and learned that he’d be an honorary observer of Fowler’s second-round. “I told him to make sure he brings me some good luck and we’ll have some fun out there,� said Fowler. All of the duties, Fowler acknowledged, came with being “part of a tournament and kind of, I guess, in a little bit of a ‘host’ role.� But now 30 and in his 10th PGA TOUR season, Fowler has learned to effectively juggle his golf, his business interests and his personal life and when it comes to the proceedings this week, “it’s something I want to succeed.� There’s no reason it can’t come in conjunction with a level of golf that highlighted the earlier months of 2019 when in an eight-tournament stretch Fowler had a win, three other top 10s, and a spot inside the top 10 in the Officials World Golf Ranking. The goal going forward, he said, is simple. “Put myself in a good position for the (FedExCup) Playoffs,� he said. “I put myself in a great position early in the year, but you want to finish just as well as you started.�

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It’s been a long time since Tiger Woods has been in a winning position after the third round. Question is: How will he deal with the emotions Sunday?

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