This year Rickie Fowler finally turned his career tides, and emerged as the champion of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The $1,584,000 victory brought him fame and he now gets to enjoy the much deserved win. However, that was not the case two years ago.

In 2021, Fowler tried his luck at the event, but was overshadowed by the presence of Phil Mickelson who claimed the attention of spectators on the field by his presence, leaving Fowler a bit stung!

The allure of Phil Mickelson at the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic

In 2021, the center of attraction at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, held at Detroit Golf Club, was none other than Phil Mickelson. Just the announcement of his participation in the event had the ticket sales running up high. The high continued upon his arrival as well. For Fowler, it was a bit of a disappointment when the crowd that he was accustomed to having around, showed up for Mickelson instead, and he played ahead of him.

Fowler had admitted, “Once he finished playing, my crowd picked up a little bit. Nice to see that I’m maybe second to Phil (in popularity) in the field, maybe third. I don’t know.”

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However Mickelson’s appearance that week in Detroit was much sought because of yet another reason. That week, The Detroit News had published a piece about Mickelson and his gambling ties to a mob-connected Grosse Pointe Park bookie. Although the story didn’t accuse him of any wrongdoing, Mickelson made some tweets about the situation.

After the third round on Thursday, Mickelson declared that he wouldn’t return to Detroit after 2021. The next day the audience filled the club with the chants of “Come back Phil.”After Friday’s round, the six times major champion said that he would be coming back next year on the condition that 50,000 fans signed an online petition!

Fans soon obliged and the petitions were signed. Mickelson too returned the favor by donating $100,000 to the Detroit Children’s Foundation.

Rickie Fowler recognizes the influence of Phil Mickelson over the audience

That year, Fowler was a Rocket Mortgage pitchman who served as its unofficial host. Speaking about Phil’s massive impact at the event he said, “Having Phil here, I love that he came and wanted to support the tournament. He’s arguably one of the biggest draws there is in our game still, so wherever he goes, whichever town he shows up in, people are going to come watch.” 

Fowler understood the impact that Lefty has on the audience, and was thankful for his presence. “Definitely appreciative that he chose to come to Detroit, and hopefully we can get him back.”

Little did Fowler know that two years later, the crowd would be chanting his name at the club, and his victory at the same tournament will be such a celebrated one. He must finally feel compensated for his earlier loss! What are your thoughts on Mickelson’s hold on the audience? Let us know in the comments below.

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