This was the week for Rickie Fowler. After several months of doubt and criticisms, the 2025 Rocket Classic was where he could have proved himself. The Detroit Golf Club features a very scant field, without any of the big names, with the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and many others choosing to sit out the event right after the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship.

And to Fowler’s advantage, he has won here before. In 2023, the Oklahoma State University grad broke his drought of 1610 days when he won the then-Rocket Mortgage Classic after surviving a tough playoff contest against Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa. It seemed that stars were finally aligned in Fowler’s favour. Until it wasn’t.

Fowler failed to make the cut at the Michigan event. By a whopping four strokes. In a contest where birdies were everywhere, the American golfer could not contain his bogeys, carding identical scores of 71 across Thursday and Friday, finishing with a score of 2 under par. Disappointing does not cut it for the charismatic golfer.

Fowler took to Instagram to pen a note for his fans. He shared a photo posted by the tournament’s official Instagram page and added the following note. “Short week… too many dumb mistakes and not enough offense… always love being in the 313 though! @rocketclassic”

This short week will be preying on Rickie Fowler’s mind as he will rue the chances he missed. Especially considering that he had a real shot at clinching the title at Detroit and breaking another of his long droughts.  Fowler will tee up at the upcoming John Deere Classic, where he is again facing a scant field. He will hope to not repeat the mistakes from the Detroit Golf Club, especially considering that he needs some good momentum heading to the Open Championship.

Rickie Fowler awaits the fourth major of the season

The 2015 PLAYERS Championship winner’s only top 10 finish this season was at the Memorial Tournament, where he carded a T7 finish with a 1 under par score. That also came with an unexpected bonus prize. Fowler qualified for the Open Championship after being the highest finisher at the Memorial, not otherwise exempt. Fowler and Brandt Snedeker shared seventh place at 1 under, and Fowler won the tiebreaker as the higher-ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking.

“This week still could have been a lot better, but definite positive is going over to Portrush. That’s one I’ve wanted on the schedule. I had a great time when we were there the last (time) and had a decent showing as well,”  Fowler stated after earning the qualification. The direct qualification comes at a time when Fowler has been getting criticised for his repeated exemptions from big events on the PGA Tour.

Fowler had finished 71st in the 2024 Open Championship. This time around, he will hope to build good momentum and ensure a strong finish at the Royal Portrush Golf Club. Do you think Fowler can make an impact at the Open Championship?