When Rickie Fowler splashed his tee shot into the water on Marco Simone’s par-4 16th during Sunday singles at the 2023 Ryder Cup, everyone watching knew the match was over there and then. In simpler words, and if I may, Americans were cooked. They started the day in a deep hole, fought hard, but still needed a miracle finish to break 30 years of losing on European soil. And when Fowler made that ridiculously unimpressive shot, it left him scrambling for par. On the other hand, Tommy Fleetwood drove the green and lagged his eagle putt to tap-in distance.

And then came the moment that has since then left the golf world abuzz. And will continue to do so every two years at this event. Rickie Fowler did not make Fleetwood putt from two feet, eight inches, to be exact. Instead, he conceded the birdie. And the Ryder Cup. This concession has since haunted many, dividing the otherwise solid golf fan base. A big “what-if” moment etched in golf’s history.

Why the backlash?

Now, if you are reading about this incident for the first time and are not aware of the stakes that run the Ryder Cup, you might wonder why Fowler was criticized by fans, especially US fans. See, conceding short putts has always been part of golf, especially in match play. Anything inside three feet is usually waved away with a nod and a “that’s good.” Even in the Ryder Cups, players do give putts to keep the pace moving. But it’s the context that matters.

The moment this incident took place takes the cake. This wasn’t the fifth hole of a casual Saturday match at the club. This was the final round of the Ryder Cup, and this concession was the one that mathematically sealed Europe’s victory.

Plenty of voices criticized Fowler. NBC analyst Paul Azinger said Fleetwood “would certainly have to make the putt.” Golf Digest‘s Rick Gehman admitted he’s normally generous but insisted he’d “need to see a three-footer for the Ryder Cup.” Former pro Aaron Oberholser tweeted bluntly: “Rick, you gotta make him putt it.”

Obviously, the fans were the first to storm the internet with their displeasure. Some thought it was classic Fowler – sporting and generous. Others felt that he robbed the Ryder Cup of a proper finish. One fan wrote, “If it’s the 5th hole, sure give it. But for the Cup, you gotta see that.” Others noted that Robert MacIntyre had missed a similar short putt only minutes earlier. You see, Ryder Cup pressure makes hands shake, even on putts pros who bury 99 percent of the time.

And that’s the heart of it. Yes, Fleetwood was almost certain to hole it. Statistically, he makes 99.7 percent of putts inside three feet. But the Ryder Cup is not about statistics all the time. It is known for its pressure, nerves, and moments that years later become legend (like this one did). Would Fleetwood have missed? Probably not. Could he have? Absolutely.

The Nicklaus comparison

The debate inevitably drew comparisons to the most famous concession in Ryder Cup history: Jack Nicklaus conceding Tony Jacklin‘s two-footer in 1969. That gesture tied the match and led the US to retain the Cup. But it became a defining moment of sportsmanship. Nicklaus himself later said he didn’t want Jacklin to miss under that pressure and carry the scare forever.

It sounds very same, but there’s a difference. Because again, here comes context. Nicklaus conceded to defuse the hostility after a week of tension among the teams. He was making a statement bigger than the match. Fowler’s concession wasn’t symbolic like that, though some might say it was practical. Many joked that he did this to get the Nicklaus–Jacklin Award for sportsmanship.

That joke bites, but did he need that award (the award went to Europe’s Justin Rose)? Rickie Fowler has long been considered one of the nicest guys in golf. And in his defence, if one were to speak, he was already in the water, way out of the hole. Fleetwood had two putts to win, and the odds of him messing it from that range were vanishingly small. Conceding by Fowler, in a sense, meant acknowledging the reality.

Assistant US captain Jim Furyk defended Fowler after the fact: “There were a lot of other matches that didn’t go our way. That putt wasn’t the difference.” Ernie Els echoed the match, noting that Fleetwood was never going to miss twice. “I think the guy’s [Fleetwood] going to make it nine out of 10 times.” Fleetwood himself admitted afterward that he was “quite pleased” with the concession.

The bigger picture

Having said all that, Fowler shouldn’t have conceded. Why? Because this wasn’t just a single match. It was a team event. If this had happened at Augusta or Pebble Beach, concede as much as you want to Rickie. But here, every American point mattered, every half point kept the door cracked, however slightly. Even if the odds were slim, it wasn’t Fowler’s call alone to decide if the Cup was done. By conceding, he ended the story right there. Fleetwood did say, “I was probably more relieved than anything.” That tells you that the pressure was real. Imagine the story if he had twitched and lipped it out? It is unlikely but not impossible.

But it’s also not just about the putt. It is also the message that the American team should’ve carried. A concession like that says: it’s over. And maybe it was, but you want your players fighting until the final putt drops. You want your opponent to earn the clincher, not be handed it. Letting your opponent physically hole the winning putt is part of the Ryder Cup theatre, part of what makes this event unforgettable. Fleetwood deserved to putt it and take the victory through his own hands, rather than by his opponent’s whim.

Rickie Fowler’s gesture was definitely pure sportsmanship, no doubt about that. There is nothing wrong with that in a vacuum. But in Rome, on the 16th green, with the iconic gold Cup on the line, the right was to make Fleetwood putt it. Sometimes golf requires being a gentleman. Sometimes it requires making your opponent stand over a three-footer with the weight of Europe on his shoulders.

Fowler chose the first. I think the team needed the second.