Rickie Fowler has been grinding all season, racking up four top-10s and showing some real momentum. But up until last week, he still didn’t have a spot locked in for golf’s last two majors, and that has changed now.

Fowler has now secured entry into both the 2026 U.S. Open and the Open Championship. A RickieLegion Instagram post confirmed both qualifications, noting Fowler had locked up his place at two venues where he carries real history. Shinnecock Hills is a course where he has contended before, including a record-setting 62 at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club that reminded the sport what he was capable of. Royal Birkdale is links terrain, his preferred format, and a venue where he has made the cut before. The U.S. Open berth came via the OWGR Top 60 cutoff on May 18, when Fowler was among the players added to the Shinnecock field. Royal Birkdale followed through Open qualifying pathways.

That sigh of relief is well deserved. At the Valero Texas Open in April, Fowler shot a 70 and a 75, but missed the cut by just one shot. That meant he lost his chance to play in the Masters. Last year was even tougher. He missed both the Masters and the U.S. Open, lost a playoff at Kinsale, and then his shoulder kept him out for the rest of 2025. Playing in majors used to be routine for Rickie, but suddenly it became a real challenge.

Fowler’s always been open about how much the majors mean to him. He’s got 13 top-10s in 54 starts, but that first win is still out there. He loves links golf, and Birkdale isn’t just another stop for him. It’s the kind of place where he usually brings his best. Remember Royal Liverpool in 2014? Runner-up. Royal Portrush in 2019? Top six. The Open itself hasn’t really been the issue. It’s getting into the mix late on Sunday that’s been the tough part.

The 2026 season suggests the rest of the game is catching up. Fowler has made 10 of 12 cuts, with finishes at the Truist Championship (T2), Miami Championship (ninth), RBC Heritage (eighth), and Arnold Palmer Invitational (ninth). He sits 18th in SG: Total with a putting stroke running at +0.464 per round. CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis put it plainly after his Truist finish:

“I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of @rickiefowler on the leaderboards this summer.”

His fan base had already reached the same conclusion. One supporter posted:

“Whether or not he’s towards the top of the leaderboard or not, tournaments are more fun when Rickie’s in the field.”

That loyalty? It’s stuck with him through every up and down. And you can bet it’ll be there at Shinnecock and Birkdale this summer too.

Rickie Fowler has rebuilt from this point before

Fowler has been here before, fighting his way back from the edge of qualification. He missed the Masters three years in a row, only to return in 2024 after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic. This season follows a similar pattern, but the difference is in the numbers. His strokes gained stats in approach, putting, and total all sit inside the tour’s top 20. These results have come at different events and on different courses. This is not a one-off performance. This is a game that is working.

Birkdale fits Fowler’s game. He has always favored links golf, and his runner-up finish at Royal Liverpool in 2014 stands out in his Open record. When the Open was last held at Birkdale in 2017, he made the cut and played the weekend.

Fowler has been clear about where this is all headed. “I still believe I have a major in me,” he said in 2023. “I know I can get there.” CBS Sports analyst Shane Bacon is watching the same evidence and reaching the same conclusion. After Fowler’s Truist runner-up, Bacon said:

“Rickie wins this year. I think Rickie gets a win this year. Maybe post Open Championship or maybe between the Open’s is a place I’d look at.”

Now Fowler returns on his own terms. Qualification is settled. The real question is what he does once play begins.