LAS VEGAS – Rickie Fowler has always run well in America’s Playground.
He lived here for a year after turning pro. Loves the abundant entertainment options and some of the best restaurants the world over, including Carbone at the Aria Resort and Casino, where he celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Allison Stokke, on Monday. And he’s played well here, notching two top-10s in four starts in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Now he hopes the city serves as an elixir for his ailing game.
Fowler has been in a funk since winning the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open, his fifth title on the PGA Tour and ninth worldwide. In 33 starts since, he has but five top-10s. In nine starts since the PGA Tour resumed play in June after a 13-week break due to COVID-19, his best finish has been a tie for 12th in the Rocket Mortgage Classic and he’s missed four cuts.
He’s fallen to No. 41 in the official world rankings, his lowest rank since 2013.
His struggles in large part can be attributed to swing changes he’s been working on with John Tillery for nearly a year as they try to fix his transition and use his body more to put the club in the proper positions instead of consciously trying to put the club in the right positions.
His trusty putter also has tested his resolve.
“It definitely has been tough,” Fowler said Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s start in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin. “Anyone that goes through changes or even just dealing with struggles, low points, it happens at some point for everyone.”
But Fowler remains steadfast in the changes he’s making. He still trusts the work he and Tillery are doing will pan out, especially with the transition during his downward swing that would keep him from letting the club get too steep.
“I’ve never doubted it just because there has been some rounds or some tournaments here and there where seeing the work kind of come through,” Fowler said. “Just haven’t been able to piece everything together and really put it into a really efficient, consistent form yet. But that is coming.
“We’re just beating down the door.
“It’s a place I’ve been before, so we’re just trying to go back and get that transition how we want it. From there, once we get that down, we’ll be able to work on some other stuff. But at the same time, it’s definitely been very tough mentally just trying to keep pushing forward. I know what I’m capable of. But it’s part of golf. It’s probably the most humbling game out there. Sometimes you just got to keep putting the foot forward, putting the work in, and keep at it.”
As for his putting woes, Fowler has no explanation.
“I’m not sure how to really like explain why (the putting) was struggling,” Fowler said. “I felt like I was hitting a lot of good putts and it was just more the fact that putts weren’t going in. Times where putts would tend to lip in, decided to lip out.
“I was putting great at home, playing well. Get to tournaments and putts just wouldn’t go in. So definitely have spent more time over the last few months on it.
“Just kind of look at it as an off year.”
But Fowler seems to be in the right place to salvage 2020.
“It’s a fun place to come back to,” said Fowler, who tied for fourth in the 2018 Shriners in his most recent start here. “I like where (my game’s) at, especially coming to a place where I’ve played well, had success.
“I’m still working on the same stuff and trending in the right direction. It’s just going to take a couple solid rounds, good solid week, and we’ll be off and running.”
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