Rickie Fowler and wife Allison announced on Tuesday that they will be filling out their foursome in August.
The Fowlers revealed on social media that the couple is expecting their second child, to join big sister Maya, who was born in November 2021.
Fowler tells Golfweek the due date is Aug. 4 and if all goes well he expects to play in the British Open in mid-July and then wait for the birth of their second child. Fowler said he’s going to be a “girl dad” again.
Allison was showing a baby bump at the Masters last week. She served as caddie in the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday along with Maya, who stole hearts playing with Sammy Spieth, Jordan Spieth’s first born.
Fowler, who has an AJGA bag tag for Maya on his golf bag, talked on the Netflix documentary “Full Swing” about the importance of family and what it meant to have his wife and daughter at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July when he ended his four-year winless drought.
“I’ve always wanted to win having Maya around,” he said in the second episode of season 2 of the Netflix show. “Just being able to have the videos and pictures in that moment, that will be a special one, and hopefully there will be plenty more and ones that she’ll remember.”
Congrats to the Fowlers on their happy family news.
What a great moment for Rickie Fowler and his family.
What a win for Rickie Fowler, but as he said on Sunday, there’s more to life than winning a golf tournament.
The golfer delivered his first victory in 1,610 days — yup, it’s been over three years since his last win — when he won a playoff in the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday. His wife, Allison Stokke and daughter Maya were there to witness it, and the whole thing was fantastic.
CBS cameras caught his post-win kiss with his wife, and then during his interview while holding Maya, he had this to say: “At the end of the day, getting to hold her and hang with Maya and my wife … yeah, winning’s great but there’s a lot more to life than that.”
The golfer known for dominating a bunch in the 2010s and for his fashion choices has had a heck of 2023 so far. And that includes the fact that he’s a dad now with wife, Allison Stokke Fowler, who gave birth to their daughter Maya in 2021.
Take a scroll through Rickie Fowler’s college and PGA Tour career.
Rickie Fowler, a California native, attended college golf powerhouse Oklahoma State where he became the No. 1 amateur in the world and won the 2008 Ben Hogan Award as the nation’s best male collegiate golfer.
Fowler turned professional in 2009 and won PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors a year later. Since then, Fowler has won five times on the PGA Tour and twice on the DP World Tour, with his most-notable win coming in 2015 at the Players Championship.
Take a scroll through Rickie Fowler’s career in golf, from the world’s No. 1 amateur to one of the biggest stars on the PGA Tour.
“It makes it a lot easier when you have people on your side.”
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rickie Fowler is doing just fine.
His golf game remains a work in progress, although he’s optimistic even following his 2-over 72 Thursday at the Honda Classic that puts him in danger of missing his fourth cut in five events. But the first-time dad is loose, relaxed and enjoying time with his family, despite recent struggles on the golf course.
“I’ve always been good at looking at things as far as … there’s a lot more to life than just playing golf and what happens out here,” the Jupiter resident said before his opening round.
“It makes things a lot easier when you’re playing well but playing poor golf doesn’t mean that you’re unhappy or things at home are bad or anything like that.”
Fowler and his wife, Allison Stokke, welcomed their first child into the world, daughter Maya Fowler, on Nov. 18. Rickie took off two months before getting back on the road and continuing to search for the game that once had him at No. 4 in the world.
But that didn’t mean he was released from those daddy duties. When Fowler rejoined the Tour on the West Coast, the entire family was in tow. Rickie and Allison backed their bags, and Maya’s, too, taking their daughter on her first road trip, starting in La Quinta, Calif., with stops in San Diego; Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Pacific Palisades.
“It was very nice to be able to have them on the road for those five and a half weeks with all of us being together,” Rickie said. “It’s not easy traveling with a little one, hopping around houses to hotels and different stuff like that.
“It’s definitely a big change. I have to be a little more efficient with time and how it’s spent, when and how and where.”
[vertical-gallery id=778188529]
Fowler’s dip has him at his lowest world ranking (121) in 12 years. His last win was three years ago at the Phoenix Open. Since, he has 20 top 25 finishes and 21 missed cuts.
And Thursday was a snapshot of how it’s gone of late for Fowler. With birdies on No. 3, 4 and 6, Fowler was 3-under entering the ninth hole. He gave all that back, and then some, on the next three holes with a double-bogey on No. 9 and back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11.
He was back to even after a birdie on No. 14, but a double on the par 5 No. 18 sabotaged the round.
At the Farmers Insurance Open one month ago, Fowler followed a 66 in the opening round with a 76 and missed the cut.
“It was really only a couple of swings and this golf course,” he said Thursday. “A couple of swings that maybe go the wrong way on the wrong hole and yeah, they bite you pretty quickly.”
Those swings occurred on No. 9 and 18. Fowler’s tee shot on No. 9 didn’t clear the water, and his second shot on No. 18 found a watery grave short of the green.
“You’re not going to get around 72 holes perfectly clean,” Fowler said. “At the same time, you don’t want to go around and play super-defensive trying not to make mistakes. You still got to be aggressive, you got to go play golf, take some risks, make sure they’re calculated and accept consequences when you do make a bad swing.”
Fowler’s optimism is admirable through a precipitous drop. It’s not long ago he was top 10 in world, winning the Players Championship, finishing second in the Masters, playing on Ryder Cup teams and in the FedExCup Playoffs.
Last year, he missed out on the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time in his career and did not quality for the Masters or the U.S. Open and needed a special exemption to get into the PGA Championship.
[vertical-gallery id=778250495]
Something that allows him to remain optimistic is a support group that includes such peers as Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and the late-night conversations that can turn into therapeutic skull sessions on the road.
“We all talk about different stuff and how guys are doing, especially Jordan and I,” Fowler said. “I was kind of going (into his slump) as he was starting to come out. It’s part of golf. In a way it’s part of life, as well. Everyone that’s played at a high level has gone through the ups and downs. There’s no one that’s ever stayed at the top. It’s part of it.”
Spieth started the 2016 season No. 1 in world and was low as No. 92 early in the 2021 season. The climb back has been as swift. Spieth was No. 12 by the summer of 2021 and currently sits at No. 14.
“I’m clawing my way out,” Fowler said. “I would have liked it to have happened a little sooner than it has. But being there with your friends that have gone through it or going through it together, I know they have my back. I’ve always had their back. It makes it a lot easier when you have people on your side.”
And a newborn who reminds him to keep things in perspective.
Fowler and his wife, the former Allison Stokke, announced on Thanksgiving via social media they had their first child, Maya.
Rickie Fowler is hoping the 2021-22 season is the beginning of a magical second act in his career.
It’s certainly off to a wonderful start.
Fowler and his wife, the former Allison Stokke, announced on Thanksgiving via social media they had their first child, Maya, on November 18, with the message: “My heart is full!!”
After falling to 125th in the Official World Golf Ranking and missing the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time since 2009, Fowler has been in solid form to start the new PGA Tour season.
He missed the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open in his first start in the new campaign, but then finished T-3 at the CJ Cup and has a pair of top-50 finishes in his last two starts. He has rocketed back to No. 81 in the OWGR and stands in the FedEx Cup’s top 50 through the first two months.
“She’s great. Everything’s gone very well. It’s a lot easier on my end, obviously. She’s pregnant and has to put up with me,” Fowler said. “I’ve heard from a lot of people that when the baby is born is when the light bulb goes off. Allison is leading the charge, as far as getting everything ordered and what not, and I’m trying to play a good supporting role.
“I help her out any way I can. There are plenty of people out there that try and give you their opinion on what to do and what not to do, but at the end of the day, we’re the two on-site and we’ll work together and move forward.
“The thing that makes me feel a little more comfortable, because this is something new, I feel we can do it. And we both come from great families and that has trickled down. But it’s going to be a big change.”
“Life comes at you fast at times and you deal with it best you can.”
LAS VEGAS – Rickie Fowler celebrated his two-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Allison, on Tuesday night.
The two are expecting their first child – a girl – November 30.
And he’s concentrating on delivering a rebirth to a career that’s gone wayward.
In other words, Fowler has a lot on his mind.
After a six-week mini-fast in which he lost 5 pounds of body fat by cutting down carbs and fruit, eating healthy and working out, all the while laboring hard on his game and attending to his wife’s wants and needs, Fowler will make his first start of the season Thursday in the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin.
He’ll do so coming off his two worst seasons since he turned pro more than a decade ago. Last season, Fowler, 32, whose most recent of nine worldwide victories came in the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, had just one top-10 in 18 starts and didn’t make the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009. He has dropped to 125th in the official world rankings, his worst ranking since 2009. In the past two campaigns, he’s amassed only eight top-10s in 56 starts while missing 18 cuts.
“Life comes at you fast at times and you deal with it best you can,” Fowler said Tuesday at TPC Summerlin.
Rickie Fowler reacts to a missed putt on the 9th hole during the first round of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)
The most important change to deal with is impending fatherhood. Fowler said all is well on the Allison and baby fronts and they are both counting down the days.
“She’s great. Everything’s gone very well. It’s a lot easier on my end, obviously. She’s pregnant and has to put up with me,” Fowler said. “I’ve heard from a lot of people that when the baby is born is when the light bulb goes off. Allison is leading the charge, as far as getting everything ordered and what not, and I’m trying to play a good supporting role.
“I help her out any way I can. There are plenty of people out there that try and give you their opinion on what to do and what not to do, but at the end of the day, we’re the two on site and we’ll work together and move forward.
“The thing that makes me feel a little more comfortable, because this is something new, I feel we can do it. And we both come from great families and that has trickled down. But it’s going to be a big change.”
As was his offseason plan. Fowler last played in August in the Wyndham Championship. After a week off, Fowler commenced on a two-prong attack to improve his physical state and the shape of his game. He wasn’t wiping the slate clean; instead he was following a new template.
For six weeks, he attacked workouts, his practice, and a change in his diet.
And he stuck to it.
Carbs and fruit were both a no-no during the week.
“And I love fruit,” he said.
Instead, he finished off plates featuring high protein, high fat and a lot of greens. On the weekend, he’d opt for leaner protein and less fats. His cheat day was Sunday when he had a little ice cream, some popcorn.
He also had a lot of tea at night, which helped him stay away from snacking.
“I was finally able to have a few drinks over the weekend, but I didn’t have too many, because going six weeks eating clean, I didn’t want to push it,” Fowler said. “It wasn’t the most fun. But it was a good stretch and it was about holding myself accountable, with Allison helping out on the nutrition side, and my trainer looking over the physical aspect.
“It was a good way to clean out. I’m fresh and ready to go.”
And he remains steadfast in sticking with the swing changes he started working on two years ago. Despite always being optimistic, the slump has challenged him on and off the golf course. But he is confident a return to good days are ahead.
“We’re in a good spot. It’s not fun having big chunks of time of when it’s not your choice. Looking forward to changing that,” said Fowler, who is playing this week and then will play consecutive weeks on sponsor’s exemptions in the CJ Cup just down the road from TPC Summerlin and the Zozo Championship in Japan. “What we have been working on swing side, equipment side, everyone is on the same page. That last two years, it’s not where I’ve wanted to be out here.
The former top-10 player has seen improvements in his game, and he and wife Allison announced life is even better with a baby on the way.
Rickie Fowler has seen an uptick in his golf game with three top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour in recent events, including finishing tied for eighth at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
He announced Monday on Instagram that life is getting better off the course, as well. Fowler and his wife, Allison, are expecting a baby girl to be born in November. Fowler married Allison Stokke, a former track and field athlete, in October of 2019.
The 32-year-old Fowler made the announcement with the line “Reservation for November … Fowler party of three” with the hashtag #girldad.
After being in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for years, Fowler has dropped as far as No. 122 earlier this year. But private matches with Michael Jordan have boosted his game, Fowler said recently, and his play has improved. He is back to No. 91 with his sights on continued improvement.
On hand are Jena Sims (Brooks Koepka’s girlfriend), Paulina Gretzky (Dustin Johnson’s wife) and Allison Stokke (Rickie Fowler’s wife).
Jena Sims is a beauty pageant winner, actress, non-profit organization founder and social media influencer with nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, and she was sitting alone at a picnic table Saturday waiting for her boyfriend to make the turn at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Memphis has become a constant since she began dating Brooks Koepka. She’s been here four years in a row. The first time, she had to be discreet because they hadn’t announced publicly they were a couple. The second time, they had a memorable visit to meet the kids at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The third time — last year — Koepka won the tournament.
This time her visit comes in the midst of a pandemic that’s completely altered the atmosphere surrounding this event in ways both obvious and subtle.
“I actually get to watch Brooks play golf because usually he’s got such big crowds,” Sims said, “but I miss the ‘Hush Y’all’ signs.”
There is, of course, nobody to hush out here this year. When Phil Mickelson and Justin Thomas and Koepka were charging up the leaderboard during moving day, there were no roars that echoed throughout TPC Southwind.
Jena Sims, girlfriend of Brooks Koepka, watches from the sidelines Saturday during the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf tournament at TPC Southwind
As third-round leader Brendon Todd (12-under) battled with Rickie Fowler and Byeong Hun An in the final threesome, their emotions were largely subdued.
But this week, when the PGA Tour came to Memphis and most of Memphis wasn’t allowed to be there, is also the first week the Tour’s WAGs (wives and girlfriends) are allowed back on-site since resuming play in June.
So roaming around the grounds the past few days were prominent WAGs like Sims, and Paulina Gretzky (daughter of Wayne, fiancée of Dustin Johnson and owner of 798,000 followers on Instagram), as well as former track and field star Allison Stokke (Rickie Fowler’s wife).
The golfers’ spouses were, in most cases, the only members of the gallery this week. For the last two months, they’d been just like everyone else, forced to watch the PGA Tour on a screen somewhere else.
“This is way more fun than the app,” said Meredith Scudder as she followed her fiancé, Scottie Scheffler, around TPC Southwind.
They still had to deal with restrictions that wouldn’t have been in place without the precautions being taken due to COVID-19. They weren’t given COVID-19 tests upon arrival like the golfers and caddies. They just had their temperatures taken and got asked a few questions about their recent health before entering the property.
Rachael Todd, wife of golfer Brendon Todd, right, and Allison Stokke, wife of golfer Rickie Fowler watch from the sidelines Saturday during the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational golf tournament at TPC Southwind.
It means WAGs still aren’t allowed in the clubhouse as part of The Tour’s bubble policy.
But Sims, for instance, said she took and passed a COVID-19 test last Friday, “out of courtesy for Brooks because I’d been traveling.”
Stokke, meanwhile, spent the first two rounds walking and chatting with Jon Rahm’s wife, Kelley Cahill. On Saturday, Stokke was with Rachel Todd as their husbands dueled for the tournament lead.
Fowler said Stokke hadn’t missed an event pre-pandemic, and so perhaps it’s no coincidence that he’s playing his best golf in a long time with her on the course again.
[vertical-gallery id=778056652]
“It’s definitely been nice to have them back out. Hopefully that’s permanent soon,” Fowler said. “They’re a part of our bubble whether they’re getting tested on a regular basis or not. My wife and I are together every day, so I’d like to have her out here.”
Some, like golfer J.T. Poston’s girlfriend, still get so nervous watching they “try to stay as far away as possible,” Kelly Cox said, standing on the cart path, a good 50 yards from where Poston was putting on the 9th green.
Others, like Kevin Streelman’s wife, found the experience of walking around TPC Southwind with no spectators around to be both “bizarre and peaceful.”
Courtney and Kevin Streelman have been married for 12 years. During most summers, when their two kids are out of school, Courtney can be found on a golf course watching her husband play the game he loves.
So when the PGA Tour informed golfers recently that their spouses were permitted at TPC Southwind this week, the family went to Alabama first to pick up Courtney’s parents and bring them to Memphis, too. They’re on babysitter duty while the Streelmans are back on the course together again.
“For our day-to-day lives, it’s been great,” Courtney Streelman said. “For me to be back out here walking with him, it feels more normal.”
Given how much is different right now, here at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, here in Memphis, and all over the country, we all could use a little more normal. Even the best golfers in the world.
You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto
