For most of the 2025 season, Rickie Fowler fought through undisclosed pain that forced him to take a hiatus for nearly five months before returning to the Tour at the American Express in 2026. But now that he’s back and carrying better momentum than last year, he has shared what was actually holding him back throughout last season.

“My body and shoulder feel a lot better than they did last year. So it was nice to be able to play the way I did during the summer and grind that out, ultimately get inside the top-50 to kind of secure some starts for the year. So to have that time off to kind of rest, work on some things, be a dad at home, I enjoy it. I was excited to get back out,” Fowler shared after climbing the AT&T leaderboard at round 2.

“It was definitely nice to see some solid golf at AmEx, went bogey free for three days over the weekend there. Some more decent, you know, OK finish last week, but it’s been good to kind of shake a little bit of the rust off of having some time off and off to a good start here this week.”

Fowler’s 2025 campaign was a silent battle where his performance metrics suffered significantly. The report showed he’s dropped from gaining half a stroke per round to losing strokes (-0.117), and his approach play also fell over 100 spots. And physically, Fowler was battling with persistent bursitis, fluid buildup, and inflammation in his left shoulder. It complicated a long-standing SLAP tear he has managed since high school. 

To remain competitive, he admitted to being on pain medication (such as Advil) all year just to take the edge off.

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Despite these, he managed to finish T-6 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and T-7 at the BMW Championship to secure his status for the 2026 Signature Events. But after the 2025 FedExCup Playoffs, Fowler stepped away from the game for roughly five months.

Now, since his return, Fowler’s performance has been better than he played in the last few seasons. In the American Express, he opened with a 67 and a 63, eventually finishing T18. Most impressively, he played the final 54 holes bogey-free. After that, Fowler secured another T18 finish with a total of 9-under at the WM Phoenix Open. He saved his best for last, firing a final-round 67, featuring three consecutive birdies on holes five through seven.

Currently, at the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Fowler is a primary contender at the season’s first Signature Event. He fired a 6-under 66, including a spectacular eagle on the par-5 2nd hole. Then, an 8-under 64 on day 2, moved him into 2nd place, trailing only Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatsune (-15) with a 14-under total.

Fowler never publicly disclosed the extent of his injuries during the 2025 season. It was only when he noted how good his shoulder felt in early 2026 that journalists asked for clarification.

He said, “My shoulder was bad all last year, so I was just trying to manage and get through as best that I could. I definitely earned the time off with sneaking inside that top-50, so that was a nice bonus. So that was what I was trying to work towards, as I said, earn that time off and then be able to get into a position where I could get the body in a better spot and go play this year.”

The news of a pain-free Fowler is massive, and it allows him to plan his peak performance for the upcoming Major championships with total confidence. And at the current Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Fowler is positioned to best his previous record. He finished T53 in 2025 and T47 in 2024.

While the full truth is out now, there were breadcrumbs dropped during Fowler’s return.

How Fowler rebuilt his game during the injury hiatus

Back in early February at the WM Phoenix Open, Fowler first hinted at how “worrying” his health actually was. He confessed that he had been on heavy pain medication for the entire year. The bursitis and fluid buildup in his shoulder were so severe that they required constant management to stay competitive.

“I was dealing with some bursitis and fluid and had some inflammation there. Basically hurt all last year. Was on pain meds all year. Did some PRP injections in September, so I had six weeks where I really didn’t touch a club,” Fowler said during the WM Phoenix Open.

Realizing that he could no longer push his body to the limit, Fowler began changing his daily habits. He moved away from high-volume practice sessions and focused on quality over quantity to save his fragile joints. His sessions are now designed to sharpen his feel rather than wear him out through repetitive rotations. And this new approach is showing results.

And along with a new body and routine, Fowler brought an entirely new arsenal of tools to the course. He swapped his old gear for Cobra’s new OPTM X driver and 3DP MB irons for better stability. The 37-year-old even returned to his trusty Scotty Cameron putter and switched to a UST LIN-Q shaft for consistency.

Perhaps the biggest change for the six-time Tour winner is the mental shift toward a much more patient perspective. He is no longer chasing the swing of the week and relying on quick fixes, but is focusing on playing well without hurting himself.