Fully Healthy Again, Rickie Fowler One Back of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Lead

Fowler trails Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune, as Scottie Scheffler is nine back with inclement weather in the forecast this weekend.

Rickie Fowler is one stroke back of the 36-hole lead at Pebble Beach. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Rickie Fowler finally feels fully healthy. 

In 2025, the 37-year-old had a shoulder injury that “was bad all last year, so I was just trying to manage and get through as best that I could.” In doing so, he still made the BMW Championship and the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, which guaranteed him a spot in each signature event. 

Therefore, Fowler didn’t have to play in the fall to improve his status, allowing him time to rest his shoulder. 

“Earn that time off and then be able to get into a position where I could get the body in a better spot and go play this year,” Fowler said. 

Now, through 36 holes of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first signature event of the season, Fowler sits at 14 under par, one stroke off Akshay Bhatia’s and Ryo Hisatsune’s lead. 

Since ending a four-year winless streak in July 2023, Fowler has seldom been in contention. In 2024, he had one top 10 in 23 starts and last year, nursing his shoulder, he recorded three top 10s in 21 starts. 

So far this season, Fowler seems to be on the upswing, with two consecutive T18 finishes. And in soft conditions Friday at Pebble, he ranked second in the field in strokes-gained approach. 

“​​O.K. finish last week [in Phoenix],” Flower said after a second-round 64, “but it’s been good to kind of shake a little bit of the rust off of having some time off and off to a good start here this week.”

One spot ahead of the six-time Tour winner on the leaderboard is Hisatsune, a 23-year-old from Japan who’s one of the hottest players in golf. He finished T2 at the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks ago and was T10 last week after holding the 36-hole lead and being one back entering Sunday. 

Bhatia, meanwhile, finished T3 in Phoenix after two missed cuts to start the season. He shares the lead thanks to an eagle on the par-5 14th in which he holed a shot in the rough from 47 feet. Later, he sank an 8-footer for birdie on his final hole of the day. 

“I think everyone’s always a little anxious—maybe not Scottie [Scheffler]—to start the year,” said Bhatia, the only bogey-free player through 36 holes. “So yeah, just [the American Express] are on golf courses I love, didn’t play great. Torrey Pines, golf course I love, didn’t drive it great. And then I just really, I don't know, I'm the same person, but just found some stuff in my golf swing, which was really nice. Found some stuff in my putting, which was really nice.”

Speaking of Scheffler, he’s T34, nine back after opening with a 72, his second opening round in the 70s in as many weeks. 

“I’d say 'inched’ would be the operative word there,” Scheffler said after second-round 66. “We’ll see how it shakes out at the end of the day. I mean, it’s going to take two pretty special rounds, really three special rounds, but you’re never out of it.”

However, with inclement weather in the forecast for the final round, making up ground over the weekend will be a tall task. 

“You’re going to really have to control the ball well, keep it under the hole and have good speed control,” said Jordan Spieth, who’s T10 at 10 under. “Pebble’s going to show more of its teeth the next two days and I still probably imagine the winning score to be right around 20 [under par].”