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 Much more significantly, through, his thrilling playoff win after
four extra holes at the TPC Sawgrass thrust his name back into the
conversation about the players most likely to dominate the game at
the highest level over the next decade.
Fowler has been bracketed with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason
Day as golf's most exciting 'young guns' but doubts had surfaced
after he started this year with a solitary career win on the PGA
Tour despite several close calls along the way.
An anonymous player poll conducted by Sports Illustrated revealed
last week that the young American and England's Ian Poulter were the
two most overrated golfers on the U.S. circuit.
Regardless of the survey's merits, Fowler used the results as strong
motivation as he stormed to the top of the Players Championship
leaderboard with an eagle-birdie-birdie finish in regulation before
sealing victory in the playoff.
"Given the fact that ... Rickie Fowler, by some of his peers,
anonymously was called out as being overrated, I cannot remember a
more 'in-your face' victory in any other endeavor, in any other
sport," said Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee.
After earning the winner's cheque for $1.8 million at the unofficial
"fifth major" by adding a second PGA Tour title to his career
resume, Fowler readily admitted that the player poll had given him
timely motivation.
"I laughed at the poll, but if there was any question, I think this
right here answers anything you need to know," the 26-year-old told
reporters.
"I was always looked at as only having one win on tour, and I always
felt that I needed to put myself in position to win more often, and
I did that last year," said Fowler, who claimed his maiden PGA Tour
win at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.
"I wasn't able to end up as the last guy standing then but it feels
good to be back in that position, and I'm hoping to be back in the
same position more often."
FRUITS OF HARD WORK
Last year, Fowler became only the third player after Jack Nicklaus
and Tiger Woods to finish in the top five at all four majors in the
same season, the result of hard work and improved ball-striking in
association with his swing coach Butch Harmon.
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"This 'overrated' thing that came out ... it motivated him," Harmon
told Golf Channel. "You've got to hand it to him. He just keeps
fighting. That's what I love about this kid. He's got no quit in
him."
Fowler climbed to ninth in the world rankings following his victory
at the TPC Sawgrass, and Harmon expects his pupil to now work even
harder at his game as he strives for greater consistency in golf's
big events and many more tournament wins.
"You've got to put in more time and you've got to work harder at it
because everybody that's trying to beat you is working that hard,"
Harmon said of Fowler who tied for second last year at both the U.S.
Open and British Open.
"He's dedicated. The fact that he'd only won one time (before last
week) really bothered him because he knows how good he is. The rest
of the world knows how good he is now, and now we have to keep
validating that and keep winning."
Expect Fowler, world number one McIlroy, Masters champion Spieth and
emerging Japanese talent Hideki Matsuyama -- as long as they all
remain fit -- to be regular contenders at the majors for at least
the next decade.
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
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