Rickie Fowler cemented his official comeback with a PGA Tour win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, defeating Adam Hadwin and Colin Morikawa in a playoff and finishing at 24 under.
Resplendent in bright orange, the relief was palpable as Rickie Fowler made birdie on the playoff hole, touched his putter on the green and looked skyward. Then he smiled. The 34-year-old golfer was a PGA winner once again.
It had been four years since his last win on The Tour, and this time he wanted to savor the moment.
After several victories had slipped through his fingers, including the heartbreaking loss at last month's U.S. Open where he ended up T5 after holding the lead. That same month, Fowler was also in contention at the Memorial Tournament and Travelers in Cromwell, CT, where he ended up T9 and T13 in the final rounds. After edging close in all three tournaments, it was starting to look like the popular golfer might have a closing problem.
And there was doubt that his highly anticipated comeback would yield the ultimate result: a win on the tour.
But all that disbelief was chucked out the window with the six-time PGA winner's result at the Detroit Golf Club. Rickie Fowler has entered the winner's circle again, and the pressure of translating massive talent into an official victory was painfully clear.
"It's just nice to have this one out of the way," Fowler said, collecting his first trophy since 2019's Waste Management Phoenix Open, via ESPN. "I'm obviously going to soak this one in and celebrate a bit.
"Yeah, it's just been a long road."
Even more special? The Rocket Mortgage win was Fowler's first as a father, making the victory even more meaningful as he held his two-year-old daughter, Maya, during his post-match interview.
Rickie Fowler ends title drought with Rocket Mortgage win
"It's hard to really put it all into words," Fowler said to CBS interviewer Amanda Balionis, via Sports Illustrated. "Obviously a lot of good stuff this year, been playing some really good golf. I knew it was just a matter of time with how I've been playing. I've had a couple tough weekends where I've had a chance. U.S. Open didn't get it done.
"But at the end of the day, getting to hold her, getting to hang with Maya and my wife. Winning is great but there's a lot more to life than that."
But there's no question that Fowler's been on an upward trajectory since last year. Having fallen out of the T100 in the OWGR's, the fan favorite has been inching up the list again and placing within the T50 for the first time in three years, after his stellar showing at the Charles Schwab in May of this year.
During that time, Fowler's been through swing changes and both a new coach and caddie. Throughout it all, the charismatic player held onto belief, even as he struggled.
"You never really know with this game," Fowler said, according to the Detroit News. "You definitely learn to appreciate the good times when you're playing well. You hope the struggles don't last, but sometimes they last longer than you would hope for.
"I knew what I was capable of, but it's tough when you're struggling for that long for a period of time. But I knew it wasn't far off.
"Just kind of had to keep putting the time in, keep grinding, keep pushing."
That grind, on Sunday, finally paid off.
The Open is the next major, taking place July 16-23, in Merseyside, England, where Rickie Fowler is sure to be one of the major contenders at The Open.
