Rickie Fowler coronation put on hold

Rickie Fowler is getting back in the conversation.

As for getting back in the winner’s circle at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, with its unique circular trophy, it wasn’t to be.

“Yeah, kind of bittersweet,” Fowler said after signing for an even-par 70 to finish 14 under par, one back of winner Keegan Bradley (68), at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. “Obviously wanted to get the job done and I felt very good going into today.”

Fowler, 33, was hoping to win for the first time since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open. He had dropped to 176th in the world to start this season, and to shake things up made difficult personnel changes with a new caddie and going back to his old coach, Butch Harmon.

It seemed to pay immediate dividends when Fowler finished T6 at the season-opening Fortinet Championship last month. He missed the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas, but that gave him more time to work with Las Vegas-based Harmon.

Attempting to become the first sponsor exemption to win since Martin Laird at the 2020 Shriners Children’s Open, Fowler took a one-shot lead over Bradley and a two-shot lead over Andrew Putnam into the final round of the ZOZO, the PGA TOUR’s only tournament in Japan. His lead disappeared in a hurry.

Putnam birdied two of the first three holes, while Fowler played them in 1 over par. Bradley surged ahead with birdies at the fifth and sixth holes.

Meanwhile, Fowler, who was looking to end a win drought of 1,351 days, was fractionally off with his wedges and short irons, leaving himself few good looks at birdie.

“Felt, you know, probably as good as you can feel out there,” he said. “Final round, haven't been there a whole lot in the last couple years, really just didn’t give myself many opportunities until the end. And I hit some darn good putts that it was like there was a cover over the hole.”

Fowler made two birdies and two bogeys to finish T2 with Putnam (68), one behind Bradley, 36, who also hadn’t won on the PGA TOUR in years (2018 BMW Championship).

The good news for Fowler is he now has two top-10 finishes in his first three starts this season.

There were glimpses of progress under coach John Tillery – a T3 at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT almost exactly a year ago – but that was Fowler’s only top-10 finish last season. He made just 13 cuts in 22 starts and continued to miss majors, mired in a vexing mid-career slump with no end in sight.

As the second week of the FedExCup Playoffs went on without him at the BMW Championship in August, Fowler went to Baker’s Bay in the Bahamas with his wife and daughter. He didn’t bring his clubs but found a rental set and worked on a few things as he reassessed his career.

He didn’t want the mutually agreed upon split with caddie Joe Skovron; the two are best friends. He remains a big fan of swing coach Tillery. But after a largely fruitless three years, it was time for a shake-up. For a caddie, Fowler went with Ricky Romano, another friend from his hometown of Murrieta, California. (Romano is four years older than Fowler and four years younger than Skovron.)

For a coach, Fowler went back to the tried and true. He and Harmon were together for five-plus years in which Fowler reached a career-high fourth in the world and won the 2015 PLAYERS Championship, one of his five PGA TOUR victories.

The putts didn’t fall in Japan on Sunday, but a sixth victory now seems closer at hand than it has in years.

“It’s just finally in a position where we're building momentum and building more confidence,” Fowler said. “I feel like in the last few years there would be times where kind of take a step forward and just was never really able to build more momentum than for one week at a time.

“In a great spot,” he continued, “and finally in a position where things are starting to kind of snowball and head in the right direction all together.”