IT was the kind of barnstorming finish that grandstands were invented for. Rickie Fowler’s closing six holes at The Players’ Championship a year ago was a fearsome charge that used to be the reserve of the Light Brigade.
The Californian took just 17 shots to cover his final six holes as he propelled himself from being a mere footnote in dispatches to the big lead story as he eventually triumphed in a play-off over Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner.
Those last six holes – birdie, par, birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie – have been chiselled into Sawgrass history but, in this game, you can’t afford to live in the past.
This week, the 27-year-old world No 5 will defend his title as the season moves on to golf’s so-called "fifth major". For Fowler, that victory a year ago finally hoisted him into the rarefied air of big game winners. Up until then, he had almost been deified and doubted in equal measure. He was burdened with the expectation of being golf's next superstar after an early PGA Tour triumph but questioned for not immediately backing that success up. Fowler also watched his contemporary, Rory McIlroy, surge to new heights while he was elbowed into the shadows by the emergence of Jordan Spieth. It’s a fickle old game, of course.
Since a rather cheap, low-level magazine poll of PGA Tour players identified Fowler as one of the most over-rated players on the circuit, he continues to have the last laugh.
“I think it may have been a big story line media-wise or outside, but it was something that was pretty laughable from the players' side looking in, especially on mine,” he reflected. “I think I was ranked 10th in the world at the time … so they really nailed that poll.”
Fowler, galvanised by his Players’ Championship success, would march on from Sawgrass and win the Scottish Open at Gullane and the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship. He underlined his reputation as a truly global campaigner with victory in Abu Dhabi at the start of 2016 but a consistent start to the new season was derailed somewhat by a missed cut at the Masters, where he opened with a crippling 81.
“That’s been the only real hiccup,” he added. “But I've played very consistently. I've had some good finishes, I've had chances to win. I got the win in Abu Dhabi early in the year. It's definitely been the fastest start to the year, my best start that I've had so far in my career.”
Fowler may already have that unofficial ‘fifth major’ in his locker but the main aim remains one of the four grand slam titles. In 2014, his worst finish in the majors was a share of fifth at the Masters. “A major is still No 1 on my list,” he said. “I want to win multiple majors but to do that I've got to get my first one. One has already passed but we've got three left this year.”
Another Sawgrass success next weekend wouldn’t be a bad platform upon which to build for a major moment.
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