It was the year 2015 that established Rickie Fowler as one of the brightest upcoming stars of golf. And, boy, what a way to let everyone know that! On May 10 of that year, he stunned the golfing community with his finish at the Players Championship. In the final round at the TPC Sawgrass, he played the last six holes in six-under-par and forced a three-hole aggregate playoff against Sergio García and Kevin Kisner. But the ultimate display of talent? That came when he stuck his tee shot at golf’s most difficult 17th island green to just over five feet and rolled in the birdie putt to seal the deal.

“He took a poll that called him overrated and shoved it right back in their faces,” Johnny Miller of NBC had commented. Miller was referring to an anonymous players’ poll that went live just days ahead of the event to find out if Fowler was the most overrated golfer on the tour. Majority agreed. So here came Fowler’s answer. “I always believed in myself,” Fowler said after lifting the trophy. “This one just proves it to everyone else.” He kept winning, but, the majors kept slipping off. Yet, the best in the business did not lose confidence in him.

Rory McIlroy had said in 2018. “It’s not a question of if, just when.” However, it is the “if” that prevailed in the following years. The elusive Majors never graced him and his career saw one of its worst moments at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. He won it. But how? In the final round, he squandered a lead of four strokes. Thankfully he regained that, eventually winning by two strokes. Albeit bad, it was the last time he would taste victory until the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2023. Now, Fowler stands at a crossroads in his career, facing a pivotal moment that could define his golfing future. And in this critical phase, he made a decision that could have a significant impact on his hopes of competing at Augusta this year.

As it stands, Fowler is yet to qualify for the prestigious Masters Tournament at Augusta National, the site where he once came heartbreakingly close to winning, finishing second in 2018. The road to Augusta for this year is clear: win one of the upcoming tournaments leading up to the Masters. That list of must-win events includes the Valero Texas Open, the Texas Children’s Houston Open, and the Valspar Championship. However, with Fowler announcing that he will skip the Valspar Championship, his chances of earning a spot at Augusta are quickly narrowing. His best bet now lies in the Texas-based events—win either of those, and a return to Augusta could be on the horizon.

Rickie Fowler celebrated a victory just a few hours ago. On Monday night, the New York Golf Club triumphed over the Los Angeles Golf Club in the TGL, securing their place in next week’s final. LAGC had one last chance to make a comeback on the par-3 14th hole. Fowler hit his tee shot to within 9 feet of the pin, while Tommy Fleetwood responded with a shot that landed just 5 feet away. Fowler missed his putt, but Fleetwood’s attempt lipped out, resulting in a tie on the hole. This outcome sealed the 6-3 victory for NYGC and earned them a spot in the league finals.

Now the finals will align with the Houston Open, one of the chances Rickie Fowler has to qualify for the Masters. When they were asked how it fits into their schedule during the post-round presser, Fowler said,

“I’m not in Augusta so I need to play better on the real golf course to work on that.”

His teammate Xander Schauffele still wants him to win both the PGA Tour event and the TGL and also motivated him for the same.

“Just got to win it all, Rick, and we’ll see you there,” he said. To which Fowler confessed, “Maybe a win next week might give me some momentum to go win a tournament.” Just days back, Fowler missed out on another chance to move up the world ranking when he did not receive an invitation for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Back then, he had accepted that he needed to improve his performance.“At the end of the day, play better,” Fowler said at the Cognizant Classic. “Yeah, it is what it is. Like I said, at the end of the day, play well and that’ll take care of it. Obviously, I’m bummed that I won’t be there next week. It’s a special event, and obviously, I had a very special relationship with Mr. Palmer. But we’ll see. We’ll see if we can get a trophy this week, and that would take care of that.”

While Fowler’s performance on the green remains concerning, he has some achievements to sport off it. He was just picked up as a candidate for the PGA Tour’s Platers Advisory Council’s co-chairman. He will have to run against Maverick McNealy and Keith Mitchell in the voting. As stated by the PGA Tour, the two leading vote getters will take over from Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson as the Player Directors of the PGA TourPolicy Board starting January 1, 2026.

Meanwhile, this year, there are a lot of big names that are yet to qualify for the Masters. Some are pros and some are amateurs who made it big on the Tour.

Luke Clanton has yet to achieve the Masters qualification

The World No. 1 amateur has surprised many by not being among the five non-professionals in this year’s field. Clanton, despite his impressive ranking, hasn’t earned an automatic qualification. However, he still has a chance to make it, with a couple of notable PGA Tour events on the horizon, including the Cognizant Classic and the Valspar Championship. While he didn’t secure a win at the Cognizant Classic, he still has the Valspar Championship to look forward to. His performance in these events could be the breakthrough he needs.

If he manages to secure a victory in either of them—having already placed second twice on tour—or climbs into the top 50 in the world rankings, Clanton could find himself competing for the prestigious Silver Cup and Green Jacket.

Currently ranked 93rd in the world, the Florida State standout is not far off from making a serious push toward the majors. Recently, Clanton captured his fifth college title, further cementing his reputation as a rising star in the sport. With a bit of luck and a strong performance in the coming events, Clanton’s dream of competing for golf’s most coveted prizes might not be too far from reality. Will he manage to break through and secure his spot among golf’s elite? Time will tell. Stay tuned!