Tiger Woods‘s iconic red Sundays are well-known, but he’s not the only golfer with a signature color, Rickie Fowler has been rocking orange on Sundays for years, paying homage to his alma mater Oklahoma State University. The tradition has become a distinctive part of Fowler’s personal style, with fans even joining in by wearing bright orange outfits to tournaments. But what inspired Fowler to start this orange trend? Well, how did the orange thing start? Well, I think Fowler can explain that better than anyone.

In the latest Instagram video by No Laying Up Podcast, Rickie Fowler gets real about his early days on the golf scene. He talks about how surreal it was to suddenly be thrust into the spotlight, with fans going wild for his signature orange style. The hosts ask him if it was overwhelming to handle all that attention, and whether he deliberately crafted his image as the “orange guy” with a certain brand. Fowler responds, “You know when I was turning pro and they [Puma] had gotten into golf a few years prior… I liked their stuff, I liked that there wasn’t a bunch of guys that wore it.”

Fowler’s response is super down-to-earth. He explains that teaming up with Puma just felt right, the timing was perfect, and he loved their vibe. Plus, he was drawn to the fact that not many other golfers were repping the brand, so he could really make it his own. And as for the orange thing, well, that’s just a nod to his Oklahoma State roots. Fowler’s all about keeping it real, and it sounds like his fans responded to that authenticity. He shrugs it off, saying, “Maybe the kids just saw that I wasn’t trying to be anyone else. That was me, like, I’m not faking it. Here I am. Let’s have some fun.”

Many don’t know but Fowler was actually an inspiration to one of the LPGA legends.

Rickie Fowler was an unexpected golf icon

For Michelle Wie West, golf wasn’t always the cool sport it is today. Despite being a prodigy on the course, she faced bullying as a kid because golf just wasn’t considered cool. As she recalled, “Back in the day, golf was not cool. I feel like golf recently got cool.” Even Tiger Woods’ dominance in the late 1990s didn’t quite trickle down to make women’s golf more popular. In fact, Wie West notes that Woods wasn’t even cool in high school, saying, “Tiger wasn’t cool in high school.” She also mentioned that even Rory McIlroy wasn’t amusing enough in his early twenties.

So, who made golf cool for Wie West? Surprisingly, it was Rickie Fowler who paved the way. With his stylish hair, hats, and colorful clothes, Fowler brought a fresh vibe to the sport. Wie West credits him with making golf cool for young golfers, especially in school and college. As she put it, “I feel like Rickie made it cool. Rickie made it cool to be like a young golfer in school and like to play college golf.” She also gives a nod to Justin Thomas, but for her, Fowler was the one who made golf appealing to a new generation. What do you think? Is Fowler cool in your opinion? Let us know in the comment section below!