After ‘terrible’ season so far, Rickie Fowler fires 64 at Travelers

Before his early exit from last week’s U.S. Open—and his first consecutive missed cuts since Summer 2022—Rickie Fowler reflected on his season. “I’ve basically played terrible this year; pretty simple and easy way to sum it up,” Fowler said last Thursday at Pinehurst. “I’m putting in the work, but I’ve been waiting to see some progress and actually capitalize on the next few weeks to position myself to play more in August.”

However, Fowler’s patience might be paying off. On Thursday at the Travelers Championship, he shot an impressive 6-under 64 at TPC River Highlands, tying for the early lead. Fowler’s putting was on fire, sinking over 124 feet in just 23 putts. He saved par with an 8-footer on his opening hole and didn’t bogey any of the other holes. He sank birdie putts from 14 feet (No. 16), 24 feet (No. 7), and 39 feet (No. 17), tallying six birdies overall.

Fowler’s putting has been a significant struggle this season, contributing to a lackluster performance with no top-10 finishes and only one top-20 in 16 starts. He ranks 131st in strokes gained putting, a sharp decline from last season’s 48th place, when he broke a long victory drought in Detroit and was in contention at the U.S. Open at LACC. Last year, Fowler was also seventh in strokes gained approach and didn’t fall below 77th in any of the four major strokes-gained statistics; this year, he’s outside the top 100 in all four categories.

“Last year, putting was something I could rely on,” Fowler said Thursday at the Travelers. “I’ve been trying to get back to that level, as well as improve other parts of my game. But I feel like a lot of it goes back to not putting well. Putting well frees up other parts of the game. When you’re not seeing putts go in, it adds stress—you feel like you have to hit greens, hit it closer, chip it close. The pressure mounts until you finally see some putts go in.”

Despite his challenges, Fowler feels his current struggles are not as severe as the three-year slump that dropped him as low as 111th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Though he’s currently 111th in FedExCup points, making him the only top-50 finisher from last season ranked outside the top 90, Fowler still holds onto a top-50 world ranking, entering this week at 49th.

“I’m significantly closer this year to where I want to be compared to a few years back,” Fowler said. “It’s disappointing knowing how close I am and not seeing a few key shots or putts go my way, which can change the momentum of a season or round.”