Rickie Fowler has been granted a sponsors exemption to appear at this week’s Genesis Invitational. The 33-year-old American has slipped to 118th in the world rankings and has endured a difficult start to 2022, missing the last three cuts, the most recent of which was in last week’s WM Phoenix Open. Nevertheless, Fowler remains a popular player known for attracting significant endorsements, so his involvement in the tournament is sure to prove attractive.
In 2014, Fowler appeared to be fulfilling his potential with top-five finishes in all four Majors – a feat only matched by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Although a first Major victory continued to elude Fowler, his stock remained high two years later, when he climbed to World No.4 after finishing second at Phoenix and winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Another Major near-miss in 2018 saw Fowler come within a shot of taking Patrick Reed to a playoff in the Masters before settling for runner-up. The following year saw Fowler win the WM Phoenix Open. However, the years since have seen his fortunes steadily decline.
There were reminders of Fowler’s capabilities in 2021, most notably with a tie for third alongside compatriot Keith Mitchell at The CJ Cup in Las Vegas and a tie for eighth in the PGA Championship. However, those top-ten finishes have proved increasingly elusive for a player once expected to follow a similar career trajectory to four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy. The fact that Fowler competed in last year’s PGA Championship was down to a similar exemption, and he spoke of his struggles the week before the tournament, saying: "It's been humbling. You learn a lot when you're at tough points. These are things that can make or break you. They test you. I'm still upright and moving forward.“
Despite Fowler’s inclusion in this week’s tournament, there are no guarantees that he will compete in next month's Players Championship, while that low ranking may also prevent him from playing in this year’s Majors. Nevertheless, if he can repay the sponsor’s faith in him with a strong performance this week, there will be renewed hope that maybe this time Fowler will have the impetus to fulfill the potential that seemed his destiny at the start of his career.
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