Staying on the PGA Tour (For Now), Rickie Fowler Off to Solid Start at Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio -- This week we learned who is making the leap to the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which debuts next week outside of London.

A name that was batted about for most of the year to potentially join the new tour was pitchman extraordinaire Rickie Fowler.

At 33 and with five wins on the PGA Tour, it would seem a little early for Fowler to jump to a new tour -- until you look at his recent success rate. Fowler’s last win came in March 2019 at the Waste Management Open, more than three years ago. Since then he has struggled, falling from seventh in the world rankings after that win to 112th after last week's T57 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.

During 2021 and 2022, Fowler has a total of three top 10s and none were win, place or show finishes, the longest such streak in his professional career, which started in 2009.

Might that suggest a change of scenery to the most-talked about golf tour in the world right now?

“I've been in talks with them for a long time,” Fowler said of LIV Golf. “It's something to definitely look at. At this point, it wasn't the right move or decision for us, but I'm not saying I'm for sure here or I’m going to go there. I’m going to just kind of leaving my options open and see how things play out.”

So, for now Fowler is staying on the PGA Tour and his efforts to become not only competitive again but even better than ever progressed in the first round of the Memorial Tournament with a 2-under 70.

It’s the first time that Fowler has had consecutive opening rounds under par since last July at the British Open and 3M Open. He shot a 69 in the first round at Colonial.

Fowler had a 103-degree fever on Wednesday night and was on the couch from 10:30 in the morning on Wednesday until 5:30 Thursday morning, drinking a lot of fluids and only getting off the couch to eat lunch and dinner.

“I'm definitely happy with it,” Fowler said of his 25th round under par at Muirfield Village. “I kind of did everything halfway decent, nothing was special.”

Fowler’s swing has always been a bit unorthodox and in his college years and early years on the PGA Tour, the swing held up with his body working a lot better than it has been over the last three or four years.

In his 12 appearances at the Memorial Tournament, Fowler has recorded 10 rounds under par, one at even and one over par, with a stroke average of 69.42.

Assuming a good night’s sleep as he fights the fever, if Fowler stays with his historic pattern he could be in the hunt on the weekend.

“Ultimately trying to be better or ahead of where I used to be,” Fowler said after his four-birdie performance on Thursday. “Obviously I don’t go through changes to try to stay the same or anything like that. So, staying as patient as possible. There's been times where it's been tough but pleased to start seeing that things are coming together.”