Rickie Fowler is back with more power and more maturity
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He was one of the revelations of 2014, a stand-out at the Ryder Cup and a new poster boy for American golf. With top-five finishes in each of last year’s Majors (fifth at Augusta, second in the US Open and the Open, third at the US PGA, leading total scoring at 32-under), Rickie Fowler has proved he’s got substance to go with the style. Now all he needs to do is win one…
Q Are you delighted with the majors in 2014 – or a bit gutted?
It’s tough looking back, because I really wanted to get a win last year. But in terms of my goals for the year, I took care of everything apart from that. I made the Ryder Cup team, played through the FedEx Cup play-offs and was in contention in all four Major championships.
Q Did being in contention in those four Majors make you a better player?
Things happen, but when you start worrying and showing fear, you’re going to go downhill. Looking back to where I was as an amateur and the progress I’ve made, I still kind of feel like a kid, but as far as my golf goes, I’ve definitely matured – and most of that happened in the last year.
Q What’s the aim for 2015?
A win is definitely in order. The only tournament where I’ve been in a great position was the PGA Championship. I really felt like I had it and that was the one that really hurt the most.
Q How do you rate your Masters chances?
Last year at Augusta was always going to be an outside shot. I still wasn’t 100% comfortable being in contention for a Major. I did a lot of things well last year and feeling as comfortable as I did at the PGA Championship, carrying that forward to the Masters will be the biggest key. I felt very different from Augusta to the PGA last year and I know I can play Augusta as I’ve put up good numbers there before. I’ve putted well there, now I just have to go out and do it.
Q Much has been made of a Rickie v Rory rivalry… is he the man to beat?
Rory is definitely a step ahead of me – or four Majors ahead! At times, when he is on top of his driving game, that is when he is very tough to beat. When he does that, it frees up the rest of his game to go and play some fairly effortless golf. When he’s on, at present it’s something that I can’t match up with, as far as distance goes. I don’t feel like my game is any weaker than his, but I’m definitely going to have to go out and show him that I’m around. He’s not going to back up. If someone is going to beat him, they are going to have to earn it.
Q Are you in a better state to compete this year?
I’ve learnt that you can’t be afraid. Confidence is something that Rory definitely doesn’t lack. It’s not that he’s cocky, but he knows the game that he has and he believes in it, as he should.
Q What’s Butch Harmon like to work with?
I’ve been putting in the hours, doing a little fine-tuning on my game. Working with Butch has been a big influence for me, both mentally and physically. He’s made me more efficient, allowing me to create more speed and hit the ball a bit harder. Last year I picked up seven yards or so on drives, so that’s pretty significant. I’m a lot more prepared to go tee it up on a Thursday than I’ve ever been, which is partly down to my mental process and actually believing in the swing stuff we’ve been working on.
