“Fantastic Player, but…”: PGA Tour Pro Rickie Fowler Gets Confined to a Mere Trophyless Title as He Still Scours for Glory

The 2023 Ryder Cup will be itched down in history as one of the most nerve-racking seasons of the biennial series. Europe emerged as the winner, retaining their seventh winning steak in their homeland and defeating America by a score of 16½-11½. The matchplay this year saw some commendable performers from both sides. While some players added stars to their Ryder Cup records, some just didn’t seem to make a huge difference to the scoreboard, one such case among them was that of the PGA Tour golfer Rickie Fowler.

Fowler made a buzz on the Roman grounds, not just because of his performance but also because of retaining the ‘nice guy’ title. Now, however, it seems that this reputation on the mean golf Twitter streets might be impacted until he wins a major. Here is more on what the golf world has to say.

Rickie Fowler’s current and only revered title

In the 2023 Ryder Cup, Team USA’s Rickie Fowler conceded a putt in his pivotal match against Tommy Fleetwood, allowing Europe to win the tournament. Fowler’s concession came when Fleetwood had a birdie putt of three feet on the 16th green, and Fowler was yet to hole out for par.

While Fleetwood might not have missed, Fowler’s decision prevented him from having the chance to win the trophy with his putt. 

Dan Rapaport, a reporter at Golf Digest took to Twitter to share his thoughts about the incident and Fowler’s nice-guy reputation. The writer said, “Rickie’s legacy as The Nice Guy grew 10x this week” while referring to Sunday’s events.

Yet, his records at the prestigious event laid bare. “…Now 3-9-5 in Ryder Cup. Fantastic player, but until he closes out a major that’s gonna be his reputation—at least on the mean Golf Twitter streets.” 

Fowler’s performance at this year’s Ryder Cup has put him at a spot where his nice guy reputation might be costing him a standing as a credible player in return. To understand the Sunday events better, here’s a little context on Fowler’s Ryder Cup performance. 

Breakdown of Fowler’s 2023 Ryder Cup performance

Rickie Fowler, a former Ryder Cup champion, has a decade-long history of playing for Team America. In his Ryder Cup career, the player has secured 3 wins, 9 losses, and 5 draws. 

Read More: Moments After Paige Spiranac Blasted Team USA’s Bad Move, Rival Hailey Ostrom Challenges Captain Zach Johnson on Brutal Rejection

At this year’s matchplay, Fowler only played 2 matches: one foursome match on Friday and the Sunday singles. Fowler ended up losing both the matches to his European opponents.

In the Friday fourball, he played with Collin Morikawa against Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka, and the European counterparts won 2&1 over the American pair. In Sunday singles, Fowler was second last in the line-up and played against Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood won 3&1, and by this time, Team America had little hope left in the match. 

As the players gear up for their next challenge, what are your expectations from them individually? Let us know in the comments. 

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