Can YouTube Sensation Rick Shiels Beat Rickie Fowler?

(Image credit: YouTube @RickShielsPGA)

published 22 December 2022

YouTube sensation and Golf Monthly top 50 coach Rick Shiels took on PGA Tour star Rickie Fowler at Medalist Golf Club in Florida - his home course - in the latest of Shiels’ 10 shot challenges.

The challenge was to see if he could beat Fowler by starting at 10-under par while the American started at level par in a straight-up stroke play match up over 18 holes around the stunning, private Floridian course.

Shiels has previously taken on this challenge with three other professionals, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, and Tommy Fleetwood, losing to all three and despite Fowler having a relatively quiet last few seasons on tour, it would be an exceptional difficult task trying to beat the five-time PGA Tour winner around his home club.

It's the latest of many high-profile videos filmed on Rick Shiels' YouTube channel this year, which has amassed over 2.4m subscribers. He also filmed with Sir Nick Faldo, Tom Watson and Good Good in 2022 among many other big names.

Check out the video below to see how the Englishman fared against Rickie Fowler:

An ominous start saw Shiels slip back to six-under after two holes, while the deficit was already down to just five after three, following an early Fowler birdie.

The American also hit two eagles during his round and despite Shiels’ slow start, the challenge went all the way down to the wire. He ended up bogeying the final hole and Fowler faced a birdie putt to win, which he sank and condemned Shiels to the narrowest of defeats.

Fowler hasn’t won on tour since claiming the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open and his struggling form meant he eventually missed the Masters in 2020 for the first time in a decade, along with failing to qualify for the US Open or the Open Championship during the same year.

The early stages of his 2023 season have already offered some positive signs that he can return to winning ways, with the 34-year-old coming T2nd at the Zozo Championship in October.

He shot a third round 66 to head in the final day one shot clear of Keegan Bradley at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo, although the 2011 PGA Championship winner would eventually prevail and Fowler would have to settle for second.

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Ross Kilvington is a freelance writer from Scotland who has had his work published by acclaimed publications such as Nutmeg alongside popular online blogs including the Gentleman Ultra, North Section and Engrossed in Football. Ross holds a passionate interest in golf and tries to play as often as possible, although having two daughters under the age of four means his quest to break 80 will have to wait a little bit longer. He writes about golf in his spare time, most recently having an article published in the Golf Memories anthology Mind the Links, which was released in July with all proceeds going towards Alzheimer charities. With a handicap that floats between 13-14, highlights are few and far between on the golf course, with an eagle on the par 4 16th at Kinghorn one that stands out (it doesn’t matter that it was only 290 yards!).

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