Last year during Darren Clarke's victory at the Open at St.George's I wrote a piece on the Friday afternoon whilst I watched the pairing of Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler fight the elements as well as each other. Many suspected the newly crowned US Open champion to rip up the Southern England course.
Yet McIlroy was found to be guilty of extreme naivety as his plan of bombing the ball down the course and overpowering the links did not come to fruition. Yet you saw the younger (by a year) Fowler, a young man still learning his trade navigate the alien links course with poise and character. He used shots of originality and creativity more akin to fellow countryman, Phil Mickelson, as he carded a sub-par round to move into contention.
Eventually Fowler fell away as Darren Clarke marched to his first major victory but the composure Fowler showed on his Open debut, made some heads turn and made some friends on these European shores. He already came to prominence as the first US PGA tour rookie to be selected as a wildcard Captains pick for the Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010. He birdied the last four holes of a foursome tie to gain a halve point which almost became important as America nearly overturned a large deficit.
Yet he had still not won a tour event in America. That all changed as he got his maiden US tour win at Wells Fargo, Quail Hollow winning a three man playoff with D.A. Points and one, world number one Rory McIlroy birdied the formidable pin position with hole 18 to garner a deserved win.
Heads were turned by again the composure and assuredness beyond his years that Fowler showed; he goes about his business quietly and does not draw attention to himself; the only time he does is with his Sunday best - a top to toe orange outfit in honour of his alma mater, Oklahoma State University where he got his college education.
Yet Fowler, a 23 year old Californian, has made many friends on tour who like the way he treats people and is for want of a better word, approachable. An odd trait in a world that is at times strictly private and cut off from the layman and common fan - many players once they get the big money, get the big house, the course in the back garden, the flashy cars. As if they live in Hollywood, or is that Holywood.
Fowler now can look to enjoy the remainder of his season, and be considered a contender for many tour events and maybe even the majors. He has the length for the US Open, the composure and imagination for the links of Lytham St.Annes in July, whilst the PGA in August remains a pin a tale on a donkey contest.
Also in late September is the Ryder Cup - an event that needs young blood - an event that Fowler has already performed admirably in, and will look to regain the Samuel Ryder trophy and he will be a member (automatically or a wildcard by captain, Davis Love III) of a team that is starting to take shape - US Masters champion Bubba Watson, consistent Hunter Mahan, Phil Mickelson, USPGA champion Keegan Bradley and a guy with the initials TW if he turns out of his current dead end.
There seems to be a resurgence occuring in America in terms of golf interest thanks to Watson's popular Masters win, but 16 of the 20 US tour events thus far have been won by Americans - whilst the European team whilst good in years go by seems more than likely to be built upon the trifecta of McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. Stalwarts such as Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter are out of form and not figuring in the business end of tournaments. The team will take shape once the summer of majors is out of the way, and the team usually consists of those in form so do not fret just yet.
However, should Fowler and other Americans continue this purple patch of tournament wins then the Ryder Cup in Illinois may be a long weekend (Sept 28-30th) for Jose-Maria Olazabal and his compatriots.
Showing posts with label Rickie Fowler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rickie Fowler. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Fowler in Bloom
Watching the Open on the BBC this week has been an illuminating experience, for all the current noises being made by the European tour of having the best players - and pleasingly Darren Clarke, Miguel Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn were flying the flag searching for their first major, along with PGA champion Martin Kaymer - but the most interesting thing to witness has been the play of the American tour, and how they dominate the huge leaderboards at Sandwich this week.
Every time the Open comes round, it is hoped that a homegrown Brit will win the Claret Jug, yet it seems more and more likely that again we will go without. Following the world 1 and 2 missing the cut along with luminaries like McDowell, Poulter and Harrington. The hopes rest with Darren Clarke, the only Irishman to not win a major it seems and his start on Saturday's round with a two shot lead was good, but you fear he may blow up and cannot sustain the challenge due to a mental block or a question of stamina.
But going back to the presence of Americans on the leaderboard - 2009 US Open champ Lucas Glover, now sporting a 1909 beard along with Chad Campbell, Dustin Johnson, Davis Love III and Tom Lehman are all there, all well known along with lesser lights Webb Simpson, K Stanley and Jeff Overton, as well as the perenial nearly man Phil Mickleson.
However, due to the luck of the draw the eyes of the world's golf media have had to follow the game of Rickie Fowler. I say luck of the draw as he has played all three rounds with the flavour of the month, Rory McIlroy - expectations were that McIlroy will add this homegrown Open to the procession at Congressional last month. And that Fowler would wilt under the pressure. It could not be more different.
Whilst McIlroy has been erratic, up and down and looking at a +5 finish after three rounds; Fowler has blown me away with his maturity and application on this famous links course. On Saturday, playing in the worst of the weather, were a round of 74 would be considered par on a par 70 due to high winds and heavy rain. Fowler surprised us with his invention and general demeanour.
There has always been the theory that Fowler (a 20 year old, 2nd year Pro) who has not won on the PGA tour as yet, would not have the imagination to play a links course, where humps and ridges change your shot pattern, but Fowler is proving to be a shot maker. After two par rounds on Thursday and Friday, Fowler definitely saw Saturday as moving day, at only four shots off the joint lead held by Clarke and Glover, any player at Par or one over would consider they had a chance to win come Sunday, if Saturday was not a complete disaster.
And as Tom Watson showed earlier on Saturday, if you apply yourself a good round can be had - a 74 from the 61 year old, left him at +4 .
In contrast, the play of McIlroy was distinct. The 2011 US Open champion's driving let him down, wide right , wide left playing from wet rough leaving no control of the ball, whilst Fowler was accurate off the tee and having birdie opportunites which he gobbled up at the 15th and 16th, whilst McIlroy's putting (vital at Congressional) has let him down. Fowler has managed the course as well as the conditions, he has not looked ruffled by proceedings and in hindsight his round on 16th July, could be considered one of the great rounds in Open history.
And let us not be surprised by the presence of an American winner on a Links course - the names on the Claret Jug of the last 20 years include, Mark O'Meara, Justin Leonard, Tom Lehman, Todd Hamilton, David Duval and Ben Curtis. All not great names, but nevertheless like Fowler showed the need to adapt to a situation and make the best of bad situations, and in that great American tradition show a bit of bravado when the going gets tough and to back your own ability.
Tiger may be out of the picture, but as Davis Love III plays alongside many of his team for the 2012 Ryder Cup he must be happy with the shift towards a team who will be gung-ho and firing on all cylinders.
Every time the Open comes round, it is hoped that a homegrown Brit will win the Claret Jug, yet it seems more and more likely that again we will go without. Following the world 1 and 2 missing the cut along with luminaries like McDowell, Poulter and Harrington. The hopes rest with Darren Clarke, the only Irishman to not win a major it seems and his start on Saturday's round with a two shot lead was good, but you fear he may blow up and cannot sustain the challenge due to a mental block or a question of stamina.
But going back to the presence of Americans on the leaderboard - 2009 US Open champ Lucas Glover, now sporting a 1909 beard along with Chad Campbell, Dustin Johnson, Davis Love III and Tom Lehman are all there, all well known along with lesser lights Webb Simpson, K Stanley and Jeff Overton, as well as the perenial nearly man Phil Mickleson.
However, due to the luck of the draw the eyes of the world's golf media have had to follow the game of Rickie Fowler. I say luck of the draw as he has played all three rounds with the flavour of the month, Rory McIlroy - expectations were that McIlroy will add this homegrown Open to the procession at Congressional last month. And that Fowler would wilt under the pressure. It could not be more different.
Whilst McIlroy has been erratic, up and down and looking at a +5 finish after three rounds; Fowler has blown me away with his maturity and application on this famous links course. On Saturday, playing in the worst of the weather, were a round of 74 would be considered par on a par 70 due to high winds and heavy rain. Fowler surprised us with his invention and general demeanour.
There has always been the theory that Fowler (a 20 year old, 2nd year Pro) who has not won on the PGA tour as yet, would not have the imagination to play a links course, where humps and ridges change your shot pattern, but Fowler is proving to be a shot maker. After two par rounds on Thursday and Friday, Fowler definitely saw Saturday as moving day, at only four shots off the joint lead held by Clarke and Glover, any player at Par or one over would consider they had a chance to win come Sunday, if Saturday was not a complete disaster.
And as Tom Watson showed earlier on Saturday, if you apply yourself a good round can be had - a 74 from the 61 year old, left him at +4 .
In contrast, the play of McIlroy was distinct. The 2011 US Open champion's driving let him down, wide right , wide left playing from wet rough leaving no control of the ball, whilst Fowler was accurate off the tee and having birdie opportunites which he gobbled up at the 15th and 16th, whilst McIlroy's putting (vital at Congressional) has let him down. Fowler has managed the course as well as the conditions, he has not looked ruffled by proceedings and in hindsight his round on 16th July, could be considered one of the great rounds in Open history.
And let us not be surprised by the presence of an American winner on a Links course - the names on the Claret Jug of the last 20 years include, Mark O'Meara, Justin Leonard, Tom Lehman, Todd Hamilton, David Duval and Ben Curtis. All not great names, but nevertheless like Fowler showed the need to adapt to a situation and make the best of bad situations, and in that great American tradition show a bit of bravado when the going gets tough and to back your own ability.
Tiger may be out of the picture, but as Davis Love III plays alongside many of his team for the 2012 Ryder Cup he must be happy with the shift towards a team who will be gung-ho and firing on all cylinders.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)