Did Rickie Fowler Dig His Own ‘Major’ Grave After Exiting John Deere Classic?

He looked up with a smile and raised his putter in front of the enthusiastic fans. This was Rickie Fowler’s reaction after winning the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Reasonably so, since the win helped him receive an exemption on the men’s circuit and qualify for the majors. Fast forward to now, and he hasn’t had the best of years this season. The golfer failed to defend his title and isn’t part of the field for the upcoming John Deere Classic.

Moreover, the circumstances surrounding his participation in the FedEx Cup playoffs seem bleak. Fowler is currently at T93 on the standings and would require a lot more points if he were to get into the top 70. Unfortunately, if this situation continues to worsen, it will inevitably cast doubt on his participation in the 2025 major championships.

The consequences of Rickie Fowler’s actions

Currently, the golfer sits at No. 52 on the OWGR, down from his starting position of No. 23 at the beginning of the year. This, coupled with his spot in the FedEx Cup standings, undoubtedly poses a threat to his appearance at the upcoming majors in 2025. Moreover, his finishes at the events, including a T30, a T63, and a missed cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, and the U.S. Open, respectively, also fail to card him a spot as per the rules.

That’s not all. When it comes to the 2025 majors, especially the one at Augusta National, only the top 50 golfers, PGA Tour winners in 2024, or those who qualified for the TOUR Championship are allowed exemption from the same. If Fowler continues his out-of-form run, then he will be pushed out of the top 100, putting his entry into the PGA Championship in danger as well.

In the case of the 2025 U.S. Open, if he places himself inside the top 60 on the OWGR, then Fowler will be automatically exempt from the major. However, only the top 50 players on the world rankings will gain entry into the 153rd Open, making it challenging for the golfer to qualify if he doesn’t secure some wins soon.

Ironically, the athlete didn’t seem to lose all hope. He could have very well jumped high into the rankings, both FedEx and OWGR, had he appeared for the John Deere Classic and emerged triumphant at the same time.

If Rickie Fowler had won the John Deere Classic

The Official World Golf Rankings will award a figure of 40.37477 points to the winner of the upcoming event at the TPC Deere Run. This would have added to Fowler’s current number of 104.29404 points, increasing it to a total of 144.66881, allowing him to jump inside the top 50 on the rankings.

If Fowler had emerged victorious at TPC Deere Run, then his total FedEx points would have come to a figure of 868. With the 500 FedEx points that are set to be awarded to the winner of the event, he would have jumped to the top 70 in the standings, giving him more room to breathe in. The PGA Tour Pro genuinely lost out on this opportunity!