It has been a while since Rickie Fowler has played golf.
Three months ago and on a different continent, Fowler finished 71st in the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Since then, he hasn’t played any competitive golf, but he does have a new addition to his family.
He and wife Allison welcomed their second daughter, Nellie, in early August.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed being able to help out as much as possible, and going from one to two, you can kind of do the one together versus — obviously Allison is on top of all of Nellie’s stuff as well as Maya, but she can’t be in two places at once,” Fowler said.
One of the areas Fowler said he has stepped up in? The kitchen, where he said he has made a few good briskets recently.
“I feel like the cooking game went to another level,” Fowler said. “I felt like I was decent before, but my wife and I used to cook a lot together, and having a little one that she kind of had to be on duty at all times with, that put a lot more of the cooking duties on me.”
On the golf course, Fowler is setting up for a busy October. He will play three of the next four weeks, making stops at the Shriners Children’s Open and Zozo Championship in Japan later this month. But first, he’s playing the Sanderson Farms Championship, the second tournament of the PGA Tour’s eight-event fall schedule.
Fowler admitted he’ll try to shake off some rust, though he hopes there’s not too much to get rid of. The tournament wasn’t originally on Fowler’s schedule – he has never played at The Country Club of Jackson – but he decided to head to Mississippi thanks to the repertoire the course and tournament had earned from fellow PGA Tour players.
“I guess the last month and a half or so I’ve gotten back more into working on the game and getting ready to come here,” he said. “It was odd packing, back to life on the road. Typically traveling with the family, it made more sense to come solo.”
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Last season wasn’t the best for Fowler. He missed out on the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and he sits 108th in the FedEx Cup standings. His status isn’t in the air for next year thanks to his victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2023, but that’s why he’s trying to find his groove heading into next year.
Part of that process is some new equipment in the bag. He’s testing out a DF3 putter from L.A.B., which is in the bag for the first time, as is a TaylorMade mini-driver, which is replacing his 3-wood.
“Ultimately we’re all trying to get better, as am I, and see if there’s little things we can piece together to continue to move forward,” Fowler said.
“The putter I’ve been doing some testing with for I guess almost two months now. I wouldn’t be putting something into play if I didn’t think there was a real potential benefit.”
Rickie Fowler swings his daughter, Maya, while walking to the No. 9 green with his wife, Allison Stokke Fowler, during the 2024 Masters Par 3 Contest at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: USA TODAY)
Fowler has enjoyed being home the last couple months and spending time with Allison and their new family of four. He said older daughter Maya has been great as a big sister, even when she does test the limits of what dad and mom let her get away with.
But golf never left his mind, and he’s ready to find his groove and start preparing for a strong 2025. That process begins Thursday.
“It feels good to have that time off, kind of refresh, rebuild a bit,” Fowler said. “Excited to come back out. It was definitely a different feeling packing and getting ready to come here versus just going to another tournament. It kind of feels a little bit like a fresh start.”
