Ohio’s DUBLIN — On Friday afternoon, Rickie Fowler made his way straight to Muirfield Village Golf Club’s driving range. In fact, he was grinning. Which divulges a great deal about Rickie Fowler. There’s something about the guy.
Fowler had just finished the second round of the Memorial Tournament with a very embarrassing 10-over-par 82 after bogeying his last two holes on a challenging and windy day. Thus, his top priority was practice.
The six-time PGA Tour winner, who is ranked 46th in the world, has struggled at Muirfield Village. He’s been your typical Star Trek extra, you could say—destined to go down. He shot 81 to start the 2020 tournament and 84 in the final round in 2012 while paired with eventual winner Tiger Woods, who went on to win the Memorial five times.
When asked if the 76-score opener was in pain or was just having trouble with his game, Fowler smiled. “No, I’m alright. It’s only a game of golf. I was missing it,” he remarked.
Make no excuses. lacked it. And 82 occurs if it’s not available at the Memorial.
As the defending champion, Billy Horschel destroyed Jack Nicklaus’ course last year with an 84 and looked really hurt. In 2015, Tiger was lacking in the third round. The legendary player scored 85. There are 14 water-hazard holes in Muirfield Village (we don’t call them “penalty areas”), so a misplay can result in several double boxes (double bogeys or worse) on the scorecard. It was Fowler’s third.
On Friday, Muirfield Village was extremely dangerous due to strong winds and firming greens, which were caused by a sub-air system. When Fowler ventured into snowman territory, he wasn’t alone.
Adam Hadwin of Canada finished with a respectable 72 after opening with 66 and was still in the lead in the clubhouse. And he was so happy to be done. After failing to make the cut at the Canadian Open, Hadwin remarked, “It’s a tricky place to play.” “There are a lot of shots where accuracy is crucial.
To be honest, I’ll be surprised if another player claims that hitting the correct club was anything more than a guess. Really, that’s all we’re doing—we’re just making educated guesses,” he continued.
When you combine speculating about club implementation with speculating about club selection, there’s a greater than average likelihood that you’re not speculating about your chances of making money.
Commercial rock Rickie is in no pain. To leave Jack’s place early, as Fowler will do with a 14-over total, is something that nobody wants to do. That is two days without a milkshake in total. Fowler, 35, didn’t know exactly when he would leave, but he knew he would have to arrive in Pinehurst early for the 124th U.S. Open.
Should it provide solace, Fowler failed to make the cut in the 2014 Memorial, which took place at Pinehurst two weeks prior to the U.S. Open. In the end, he finished T-2. That’s it, then. Indeed, he replied, “We’ll see if that matters.”
A crowd of young fans gathered to get autographs from Fowler greeted him after he signed his scorecard. He hurried past them to reach the rehearsal space. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back to sign,” he said to the children chasing after him before he even made it to the ropes. He gave them a smile.
