‘Has to Stop’: Rickie Fowler Under Scrutiny Over His Entry Into $20 Million PGA Tour Tournament

Last month, when Rickie Fowler was asked if he would be one of the 156 men competing at the PGA Championship, he wasn’t exactly sure how he qualified for it… His world ranking had slipped to No. 125, and that meant that he did not fulfill the benchmark (top 100) to be on the 2023 Ryder Cup team. Turns out he got a special exemption for the major. That’s also how he got into the Truist Championship—a $20-million event, which was his fourth sponsor exemption. While his inclusion in both events came under scrutiny, Fowler will continue to enjoy his season as he has received a seventh sponsor exemption this year!

The Travelers Championship, being held at Cromwell, Connecticut, will witness the golfer compete once again in the last signature event of the season that promises a reduced field and a bigger bag. The $20 million prize pool is one of the highest on the Tour, and along with the fact that there is no cut line, so all players involved will get a chunk of the prize money regardless of their position. It also comes with an increase in FedEx points, which could boost a player’s chances of being retained on the PGA Tour next season.

And because the event is important, golf fans believe there were other names who should have been included in the event in place of Fowler. For instance, ‘TrackingScheffler’ on X wrote, “Just found out that Tom Kim isn’t in the field for the Travelers this year… sorry, but the loser of the playoffs of the previous year should be given a sponsors exemption over Rickie Fowler / Gary Woodland any day of the week.”

Truth to be told, Tom Kim has received a sponsorship exemption for the event. Luke Clanton, Fowler, Gary Woodland, and Kim will all participate because they have received exemptions. In fact, Kim’s inclusion makes complete sense, considering Scottie Scheffler topped Tom Kim in a playoff last year to win for the sixth time. And in the process, he became the fastest golfer to grab six wins in a PGA TOUR campaign since Arnold Palmer in 1962.

Kim had opened with a 62 in the first round last year, but this year, he will attempt to walk away with a win. Yet, when it comes to Fowler’s inclusion, golf fans are simply not sure he deserves to be on the list. What did they say about him?

Rickie Fowler’s selection invites fans’ ire!

“Rickie sh-t has to stop,” one fan exclaimed. Another fan also concurred, tweeting, “Agree with this.” This has been going on for a long time in the case of Rickie Fowler. The American golfer received a total of seven sponsor exemptions this season so far, including one for the PGA Championship. All other sponsor exemptions have come at the signature events, where Fowler could fight for increased FedEx points in a bid to retain his PGA Tour status for next year.

The worrying trend pushed another social media user to comment, “Fowler on a sponsor exemption,” with a GIF of a Futurama character saying ‘I am Shocked.’ The worrying part of the trend is that Fowler’s inclusion is more or less fixed at any top golfing event, regardless of whether he qualified or not. This will prevent another promising golfer from competing for a chance at a title and possible PGA Tour status for the next year.  Another user felt the same way, stating exasperatedly, “Another invite for Fowler.”

That opportunity could have gone to another promising golfer, who is trying to make his mark on the PGA Tour. However, some balancing is being done. Remember this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational? Well, Sam Saunders, the grandson of the tournament’s namesake, decided that Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Gary Woodland would not receive sponsor exemptions. Why?

As per his confession, he wanted professional golf to be “balanced and fair” and was simply “protecting and growing the game of golf as a whole.” So instead, exemptions were given to Rafael Campos, Mackenzie Hughes, Min Woo Lee, and Justin Rose. Yet, fans can’t help but notice how Fowler has been receiving a lot of exemptions regardless. “Rickey gets a lot of love for not going to LIV when he probably should have,” one social media user wrote. Do you think exemptions should be limited? Let us know in the comments below.