Rickie Fowler is only two shots back of the lead at the RBC Heritage after an opening 65.
Eighteen Aprils ago, Fowler, then 19, made his PGA TOUR debut at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Fowler’s Impressive First Round
Fowler birdied five of his first seven holes at Harbour Town. He hit four approach shots to within 9 feet and drained a 38-foot birdie putt to go along with it. Fowler bogeyed the par-4 ninth hole after landing his approach shot in the bunker behind the green. He went bogey-free on the back nine and added two more birdies on Nos. 12 and 17, sticking his approach to 8 feet on the par 3.
His most entertaining moment was a par save on the par-5 15th hole. His drive settled by a tree and he had to play lefty to punch out.
Fowler said, “Always excited to come to this place. Going back, having my first start here a long time ago, it’s a fun golf course to play. … It’s always a special week, but also want to be in good form because I feel like I can play this golf course well. Nice to get off to a good start today.”
Gaining Ground
Fowler was tied for fourth overall in Strokes Gained: Total. This is a bump from his season average of 36th.
While he started the season strong with four top-20 finishes in five starts, he missed two straight cuts in Texas to sit out his fifth Masters in the past six years. “We’ve had a few slow weeks, and I felt like I just wasn’t getting much out of it,” said Fowler.
Extra Preparation Pays Off
The time off last week allowed him to arrive at Hilton Head on Sunday and get some extra preparation in.
From Monday through Wednesday at Harbour Town, Fowler hit the most captured shots (561) of any player, per the PGA TOUR’s TOURCAST Range. Fowler also led all players on Wednesday with 215 shots and spent almost two hours grinding it out.
“Really didn’t have great stuff the last few days and just put some time in to try and get into a better spot,” said Fowler. “Was getting maybe a little wipey on irons, and around here in the trees and with the wind, hitting the back of the ball with a square club face is pretty key when you’re trying to control your numbers when the wind is kind of bouncing around. I was just kind of struggling with hitting my windows with proper flight and contact.
“I feel like it’s a ball-striker’s golf course. That’s why I was putting some work in the last couple days because I know you can’t really whiff it around here. … I obviously sent some videos to Butch. Some of it was just getting in a spot where I was comfortable and being able to
Fowler has a wife, two daughters and an illustrious career under his belt.