Rickie Fowler Ends an Impressive 15 Year Long Farmers Insurance Streak, Weeks After Sponsorship Ditch

Rickie Fowler once again sets up an upset for his former partner. The PGA Tour Pro and Farmers Insurance cut their ties just weeks ago. This time, as per the official confirmation, Fowler is going to give the Farmers Insurance Open a miss as well.

The field includes defending champion Max Homa, in what will be his first outing after the Sentry. Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay, all of whom are currently at La Quinta for the American Express, will travel to San Diego next week. However, Rickie Fowler’s name was missing from the 156-man field of the West Coast Swing’s second event.

The sighting of the 35-year-old has been a norm at Torrey Pines for the past 15 years. Whether the decision is due to his sponsorship troubles is not clear. But surely it will be a little strange to not see the veteran golfer tee up at the event he has graced since 2009. Rickie Fowler, courtesy of a playoff victory at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic, was allowed to enter the field.

Notably, the Murrieta-born star has not been able to sniff victory at the tournament, with the T5 finish in 2010 being his best show. Fowler, In fact, failed to make the cut for a stretch of three seasons between 2015 and 2018. In his last outing, the six-time PGA Tour winner posted 72, 72, 67, 72 to bag an 11th-place finish. 

The 35-year-old is currently vying to make the cut at the American Express, where he is in the 89th spot on the leaderboard. It has been an eventful few weeks for the PGA Tour pro. When the veteran golfer teed up in Hawaii for the Sentry, the familiar logo of Farmers Insurance was missing from his apparel. 

Rickie Fowler lost a long-time partner

The Jupiter native told Golfweek that the financial giant was not looking to extend the contract. There has been a leadership change at the top, revealed world no. 26. Interestingly, Farmers Insurance will not sponsor the San Diego event after their contract with the PGA Tour expires in 2026, the Sports Business Journal reported.

Rickie Fowler, on the other hand, didn’t sport the familiar Rocket Mortgage logo as well. However, on that front, the six-time PGA Tour sounded secure, as he said they have been talking about an extension. The sponsorship shakeups also kick-started the rumor mill. The whisper was that the six-time PGA Tour winner was planning to join LIV Golf. Asked about the matter, Fowler shot down the question with, “Zero plans to go anywhere.”

Read More: The Sentry 2024: What’s in Rickie Fowler’s Bag?

Adrian Meronk, the DP World Tour Player of the Year, Ludvig Aberg, and Collin Morikawa will also tee up at Torrey Pines, the course that has been host to the San Diego event since 1968. Naturally, Rickie Fowler is the glaring absence in the full-field event.

Watch This Story | LIV Golf News: 3 Major Takeaways as the $3B PGA Tour-PIF Merger Deadline Gets Extended, as Per Reports