I’m glad he finally said something about it. I am glad someone in golf finally said it. After all these years, after all this trash talk from cowardly jealous ‘anonymous’ sources on the PGA and Twitter trolls living in their parents’ basement. Someone finally snapped back at them, and it was none other than the man himself, Rickie.
This year we saw what we all know and love, that is, Rickie Fowler playing great golf. Golf at a level we, Rickie stans, all knew he was capable of. It was a rough few years watching him struggle mightily on the course. I will never forget the 2020 PGA Championship, when he had a tap-in for bogey from about 5 inches and he flubbed the tap-in, resulting in a double bogey 6. That, I would have considered rock bottom for Rickie.
However, through all the struggles, through all the hate, his demeanor never wavered. He never changed who he was as a person. He never stopped signing endless autographs for every single patron seeking them, young or old. He never slammed his clubs, he never got caught on a hot mic, like many others. Rickie stayed Rickie no matter how bad the golf he was playing was.
There has always been this animosity on the PGA Tour against Rickie Fowler and his popularity. A lot of hate that, even when his golf wasn’t at the level it should be to warrant massive crowds and endless endorsement deals, they kept rolling in one after another. Rickie’s popularity on the PGA Tour has never dropped and he has always been in the likes of conversations (popularity-wise) with guys like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
There have been cries of him being brand conscious and worrying about his brand more than his golf. Which to me personally sounds like a political way of saying ‘I’m jealous of him.’ Maybe Rickie is brand conscious, maybe he is fake, although he should go to Hollywood if he is faking this because he would have about as many Oscars as Tiger has majors by now if this is all an act.
To me, it is quite a simple concept for all those who cannot wrap their heads around why Rickie is so popular. Why he gets endorsement deals when his golf game is in the sewer. IT’S BECAUSE HE IS A GOOD PERSON. He is a respectful person. He doesn’t share his personal life too much but has made comments on how his grandfather taught him this respect and empathy for others. Tip of the cap to Rickie’s grandpa because he did a hell of a job. Regardless of if it is an act or not, when the lights are on and it is time for him to come and do his job, he excels at it. He does it better than anyone else in the world. Let’s be honest, when Tiger was in the prime of his career, he was an @$$&*%$. It wasn’t until his career started coming down the other side of the peak we started seeing more of this ‘fun Tiger’. But I am not here to knock on Tiger, I love Tiger, that was his process and he is a GOAT. But Rickie Fowler is one of the few athletes that realize he is able to make such a good living playing a kids game, because of the people who show up to watch him play. He never forgets about the fans.
Rickie has always put the fans and the game first, he always has a good attitude and that is what people want to see. There is a story where one year a scheduling conflict was going to keep Rickie out of playing at Bay Hill. Arnie’s tournament that is loved by so many. In today’s day Rickie could have just shot Arnie a text or even had one of his handlers do it. Instead, he drove the 3 hours from Jupiter to Orlando to tell Arnie in person. That is a man of respect and honor. They want to be able to relate to that pro golfer, because god knows none of us can relate to how he plays the game of golf, even when he was at his worst!
I understand the jealousy from other pros, I am sure I would be jealous too. But the problem is whether it’s an act or not. Rickie puts a lot of time and hard work into being who he is. Being business savvy enough to realize how to build his brand. He has been doing it since day one when he came onto the scene in the all-orange Sunday fit.
It is quite simple, if you want to build a brand on the PGA tour, look no further than Rickie Fowler and what he does. Because it’s not that hard, he doesn’t do much, he just is a good person, who has a ton of respect for the game, the contestants, and the patrons. We can all take a page out of Rickie’s book in our daily lives. Be a good person.
THREE OFF THE TEE 
Leave a comment