Golf fans weren’t going to follow Ricky Fowler on Thursday as he wore the same clothes he did. It was a thing in 2010 when Fowler, 22, rode his relaxed dirt-biking roots and boy band complete with orange top-to-toe outfits and a flat-brimmed hat to massive popularity.
Fowler, now 34, a husband and father, was still dapper in the first round of the US Open Thursday at the Los Angeles Country Club, but he wasn’t flashy in a soft blue-gray pullover with white trim that matched his white cap, pants and boots. .
The crowds were somewhat underestimated as well. Nine holes into his round, which had started on the 10th hole, a packed grandstand politely applauded when Fowler putt a birdie to tie for the championship lead by three. One fan exclaimed, “Keep it up, Ricky.” But the reaction was not quite like the wild rave caused by the much younger, long-haired Fowler.
Finally, as he paced his final nine holes, volume began to mount. With five birdies and four putts in the nine closed holes, Fowler shot an eight-under 62. It was the lowest round in US Open history. Soon after, Xander Schaffel was matching her.
That didn’t change the soft smile on Fowler’s face as he embraced a group of friends and colleagues afterward. They watched his last several struggles on the golf course—the “dark days,” as he once called them—and admired how his form never changed.
“He was always the same guy,” said Justin Rose, who played with Fowler on Thursday and shot a disappointing 76. “It was fun watching Ricky today. It was the highlight of my day. Good for him.”
Thursday’s result came as a surprise to Fowler, but not a shock. He had been predicting some kind of recovery for months. Once the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, Fowler dropped to No. 173 last year. In 2014, he had finished in the top five in each of the four Grand Slams. By 2022, he had played in just one PGA Championship, finishing tied for 23rd.
People wondered if he’d pull into the LIV Golf Circuit just to get a big last paycheck while his name still meant something. But Fowler stayed with his PGA Tour mates Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, with whom he had a day off at the beach, and persevered. He can be seen regularly on his own, grinding on the field or practicing putting on his own in the late afternoon or evening during tournaments.
Last month, after several encouraging results, Fowler jumped back into the top 50 in the rankings, which qualified him for last month’s PGA Championship. Fowler spoke as if he had turned a corner.
“Back to this stage, I mean, it’s never fun,” he said. “But in many ways, I really enjoyed it. I learned things about myself. Not that I lost faith, but I almost came to embrace the grind.”
To that end, Fowler would have been forgiven if he had strolled around the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday with a giant grin that never left his face. But interestingly enough, Fowler was mostly stoic, flashing a thin smile once in a while. As he sank a three-foot par on the final hole — the rising and prominent ninth hole — he barely raised his right hand to acknowledge the cheers from a nearby grandstand.
After being interviewed, Fowler kept his cool. He insisted he wasn’t actually comfortable with the LA Country Club layout for most of their practice runs.
“Then, yesterday, two things finally clicked and that gave me confidence,” he said, acknowledging that he didn’t hit three of his first five holes (with one bogey mixed).
Having started his tour just after 8 am PST, Fowler reached the middle of his tour before 10:30 when a late-arriving fanbase did not fill the stands or line the aisles. But when Fowler parried the first, second, and third holes (his 10th, 11th, and 12th holes were all played), crowds found Fowler’s biggest on the golf course. They have been treated to a show.
On the par-4’s driveable sixth hole, he hit a long iron to 51 yards and then rolled a wedge putt to eight feet and sank that putt for birdie. On the par-5 8th hole, his drive found the devilish Barranca to the right of the fairway, but he saved himself with a brave chip back to the fairway. “I tried not to think about it and it took a long time in that recovery,” he said. His pitch on the green left a 13-foot left-to-right flyby that Fowler sank with aplomb.
A record-low US Open score was on the table with a closed draw, which Fowler also made look easy, despite having to sink an underhanded finishing putt.
“This week is off to a good start,” he said after a moment — nonchalantly, as if it were all his performance.
Later, he will reveal otherwise. Asked to describe his journey from 173rd in the world to a record-setting run at the Nationals, Fowler said: “It was definitely long and hard. Staying in that position for a lot longer than you want to. But it makes it worth it after that and getting back to where you are.” We are now “.
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