Rickie Fowler at 30: The best is yet to come

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Step by step. In a game where answers can be hard to come by, Webb Simpson adopted that mantra after reading about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and even had those three words stamped on his wedges. RELATED: Leaderboard | What’s in Simpson’s bag? Control what you can control, keep moving forward, and have faith that good things will come. “It’s just a reminder for me to take care of the little things,â€� Simpson said after making his second birdie on the 18th hole in less than a half hour to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a playoff over Tony Finau. “And the big things seem to take care of themselves.â€� The victory was Simpson’s sixth, and first since THE PLAYERS Championship in 2018. It also came after four runner-up finishes since last summer. He moved to second in the FedExCup. Finau was bidding to win for the first time since the 2016 Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach. “He got the upper hand this time,â€� Finau said, “but I love that guy, and that’s one hell of a finish. If you’re going to birdie 18 a couple of times, you’re probably going to win.â€� Justin Thomas (65), Bubba Watson (66) and Nate Lashley (68) tied for third, three back. Simpson looked out of it when he hooked his drive into the water at the par-5 15th hole, and while Finau failed to convert on an eight-foot birdie try, the lead was still two with three to play. Finau, the 54-hole leader who recently moved from Utah to Scottsdale, seemed to be in control. “To me it came down to the putt on 15,â€� said Boyd Summerhays, Finau’s coach, “because anything can happen coming in.â€� Paul Tesori, Simpson’s caddie, reminded Simpson of exactly that after their misadventure on 15. “Step by step,â€� Tesori said as they sized up the last three holes. “Tony might birdie the last three and it won’t matter, but if we do our job, we might have a chance.â€� Simpson nearly hit the flagstick at the rowdy, par-3 16th hole, but missed his 18-foot birdie try. He drove the green at the short, par-4 17th and converted a tough two-putt to cut the lead to one. At the par-4 18th, Simpson converted an uphill, right-to-left putt from 17 1/2 feet to force Finau to make, which he couldn’t do, his 8 1/2-foot downhill birdie try sliding off to the right. Simpson birdied 18 from just outside 10 feet, on a similar line, in the playoff. It was over. In a span of three holes in regulation and one in overtime, the script had flipped. “I didn’t think it was over,â€� Simpson said of his thoughts walking off the 15th green, “but I thought I am really going to have to do something special to get back in it.â€�   Step by step. It was how the winner kept his head in the game after four runner-up finishes – The RSM Classic, Wyndham Championship, World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, RBC Canadian Open – but no wins since last summer. He told himself he was learning something every time, and that he hadn’t so much lost those tournaments as others won them. “I wasn’t in contention at Memphis when I finished second,â€� he said. “I had a great Sunday. Rory shoots 61 at RBC, J.T. Poston shoots 62 (at Wyndham). Tyler Duncan birdies 17 and 18 at RSM, which is incredible on those two holes. It could have been easy for me to get down, but as you look at those tournaments, guys played great and that’s the way the game goes sometimes.â€� His father, Sam, who died just over two years ago, used to tell Simpson: You hang in there. You keep at it no matter what life and your job might throw at you. “If you’re not ready for things to turn around,â€� Simpson said Sunday, “they probably won’t.â€� His solid play this week was no surprise; he had lost a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama in 2017, and had three other top-10 finishes at TPC Scottsdale. The course appeals especially to big hitters, which Simpson will never be – he’s outside the top 150 on TOUR in driving distance – but he makes up for it with pinpoint accuracy with his irons, first and foremost. Also, although few have probably noticed, he has gotten incrementally longer with the help of trainer Cornel Driessen. “He’s gained about eight yards in the air over the last two years,â€� said Tesori. “Transformed his body. He works out like a beast at home. I used to call him a skinny fat kid, and now he’s ripped. He’s stronger, more flexible.â€� The result: Simpson, who had done everything but win with six top-20 finishes here, was able to comfortably hit 3-wood off the 18th tee and know he’d have only a sand wedge remaining. “It doesn’t look like it, because he’ll never be able to do what they can do,â€� Tesori said, “but in his own way he has worked as hard as he could.â€� Step by step. At 34 years old and with six TOUR wins to his name, Simpson is really getting somewhere.

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Here are nine tidbits from the final round of The RSM Classic that gamers can use down the road. Austin Powers: As I pointed out after Friday’s round, Austin Cook is a known quantity among pro gamers. His result today, his first PGA TOUR win in only his fourth career start with a TOUR card, is still an eye-opener as he only had 13 previous starts on TOUR. He becomes the fifth player in eight editions to win in his first start at this event. I’m not a detective but I’ll suggest the absence of course form shouldn’t deter gamers at this event. He led the field in birdies (23) and only made two bogeys, both while holding the 36 and 54-hole leads. He bucked the recent trend on putting, finishing 11th in putts per GIR. He had plenty of chances as he hit 60/72 greens (T2). He’s exempt for the rest of this season and the next two that follow so load up! J.J. is OK: It’s never easy to follow up a round in the low 60’s especially in the final round on Sunday. J.J. Spaun rewarded gamers that recognized he was on the boil recently with a round of 66 that included a final birdie to take second alone. That putt might not have won him the tournament but it was for a nice chunk of cash and he made it. It’s his best finish on TOUR, and like Cook, he’ll be disappointed to have the break arrive as he’s 33-under in his last three events. Looking ahead, he cashed T9 at Torrey Pines and T4 at TPC Scottsdale as a rookie last year. Life of Brian: With T4 (2014) and solo third this year, Brian Gay has cashed handsomely in two of his last three tries on Sea Island. The last time he was here Kip Henley was on his bag. Henley was on Austin Cook’s bag this week in the winner’s circle. Gay’s not going to any to win any long drive contests but, at 45, he usually keeps it down the sprinkler line and can really putt (third, putts per GIR). Dawgs Barkin’: Former UGA Bulldogs Kevin Kisner and Brian Harman both fulfilled gamers’ prophecies this week as they shared T4. It’s now three top 10’s in the last four here for Kisner and two in the last five for Harman. Kisner’s layoff from the Presidents Cup didn’t seem to bother him much while Harman chalked up his third top 10 in as many starts in the new season. Canadian bacon: Ben Silverman couldn’t channel his inner Mac Hughes this week, but his 66 on Sunday (T8) gave the Canadian his second top 10 in five events in his rookie season on TOUR. He had his first child in July and named him Jack Palmer. He won three weeks later in August. So is this a continuation of “Nappy Factor” or is he just a very solid player? I can’t answer that today but he’s gotten my attention! Zach Johnson finally cracks the top 10 in his eighth try. He stuck all four rounds in red figures to bang out his third consecutive top 23 in the new season. He hasn’t won since St. Andrews in 2015 but he’s a monster, if he plays, at Waialae (Sony Open). C.T. Pan seems to be settling in nicely on the bermudagrass on Sea Island. He cashed T6 last year and returned this season to collect T13. He’s 26-under-par during that span. Like Spaun, he also likes a bit of Torrey Pines as he was T2 last year for his best finish on TOUR. A year Wise-r: Former NCAA champion Aaron Wise has the exact pedigree that gamers are looking for: winning. In May of 2016 he won the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Q-School and followed that up with his NCAA title. Two months later he won a Mackenzie Tour event. Last June, he won in his eighth start on the Web.com Tour. His T13 this week gives him four top 25’s in 13 career TOUR starts. Giddy up. What jinx?? William McGirt survived my “keep an eye on the backdoor” mention after yesterday’s round of 65. His 66 on Sunday moved him up five more spots to T8. He closed the 2017 portion of the schedule T25, T10 and T8. This was his best finish since T3 at Harbour Town last April, another seaside course on the Atlantic Ocean. 

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