Rickie Fowler Admits He ‘Struggled’ With Injury in Secret Amidst Signs of Progress

Rickie Fowler arrived at the Wyndham Championship this week with quiet optimism. With a string of improved finishes and growing consistency, the 36-year-old is quietly building momentum just in time for the FedExCup Playoffs, currently sitting at No. 61 in the standings with 656 points as of the 3M Open. As he enters this week after showing recent signs of resurgence, he offered a glimpse into what might have been holding him back, and now, fans have a little more context behind his season’s ups and downs.

In a pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday at the Sedgefield Country Club, Fowler was asked if there was any kind of change that he made that turned things around for him in the last couple of months. Fowler admitted that he’s been managing a physical struggle behind the scenes, something he hadn’t previously disclosed publicly. “No, just working on getting the body feeling better,” he said. “Struggled with a few things. Yeah, just been in a better spot and been able to go out and play as much pain-free as we can. But that’s probably been one of the biggest things, just allow myself to go play,” Fowler continued to add.

That brief but telling comment was the first time Fowler acknowledged a physical setback this season. Outside of a short illness that led to his withdrawal from the WM Phoenix Open in February, he had not reported any injury issues. His admission comes amidst a slow but clear boost in his results, suggesting that physical health may have been a quiet but crucial factor in his performance this season.

After missing the cut at the 2025 Rocket Classic, a tournament he won in 2023, Fowler began to string together some encouraging results. He posted a top-20 finish at the John Deere Classic and followed it with a tied 14th finish at the Open Championship. Just last week, he finished tied 28th at the 3M Open and cemented his spot in the playoffs as he now stands tied 61st in the rankings. But it also means he will have to continue his current form even this week in Sedgefield. “Definitely nice to see some trending in the right direction, some good solid finishes. Yeah, looking forward to hopefully putting together a good little run and finish up the season,” Fowler continued to express in the press conference.

His comments now offer a more complete picture of the challenges he’s been navigating behind the scenes. And as the Wyndham Championship gets underway, Fowler appears to be in a better place physically and mentally. With improved form and renewed confidence, he’ll be hoping to close out the season on a strong note — perhaps, finally, with the kind of momentum he’s been quietly working toward all along. But what exactly was going on with Fowler’s performances this season?

Early season struggles for Rickie Fowler

Before the recent signs of progress, Rickie Fowler’s 2025 season has been marked by inconsistency and underwhelming results. Prior to the Rocket Classic, Fowler had only one top-10 finish in 2025 — a T7 at the Memorial Tournament. This finish earned him a spot at the 2025 Open and became a point of controversy because this was another one of Fowler’s many sponsor exemptions this year. He failed to finish inside the top 15 in any event leading up to the Truist Championship and missed the cut at the PGA Championship, one of the two missed cuts this season. For a player who had been part of the tour’s elite not long ago, the lack of strong finishes raised questions about both form and confidence.

The string of lackluster performances also put Fowler in the unfamiliar position of needing sponsor exemptions just to enter events. His declining status meant he could no longer rely on automatic qualification for many tournaments, instead depending on invitations — a sharp contrast to the peak years of his career when he was a consistent fixture near the top of the leaderboard. While he has had 6 wins in his entire career, his last win was at the 2023 Rocket Classic. For a player of Fowler’s profile who was World No.4 at one point (2016), it was difficult for fans to watch his decline. For a player who had been part of the tour’s elite not long ago, the lack of strong finishes raised questions about both form and confidence.