Even before Rickie Fowler teed off at Muirfield Village, it was clear something was wrong. His voice sounded congested and nasal during his conversation with former PGA Tour pro turned golf commentator Robert Damron, a fact that did not go unnoticed. The Rickie Fowler Tracker, an online account on X known for breaking Fowler-related news, confirmed the development.

“I’ve been told Rickie has been dealing with some sort of sinus infection that has been going on for 4-5 weeks now,” the official post from the account read. While it is not affiliated with the PGA Tour, the account has previously reported several Fowler-related developments before they became public. They were the first to hint at his split with long-time sponsor, Farmers Insurance, in 2024. The six-time PGA Tour winner has indeed been dealing with a sinus infection for a while. As these infections go, they do tend to affect one’s equilibrium. The effect was evident at the Memorial too.

He carded 79 on Thursday, picking up four double bogeys, which nullified the brief advantage he gained with an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. In the second round, Fowler once again struggled out of the gates, carding three bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine. At the time of publication, Fowler is well outside the projected 4-over cutline. In fact, Fowler’s struggles with sinus infection and common cold can be traced back to Quail Hollow in May.

At the Truist Championship, he played with a fever over 102 degrees and a sinus infection. He opened with a 74 but recovered quickly, shooting 63 in round two, 69 in round three and 65 on Sunday, finishing runner-up at 13-under. It was no mean feat for someone who said he felt loopy playing through a burning fever.

“There were times I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to hit the hole from a few feet,” Fowler said on Friday at that time, “so it was nice to be back in a better spot physically today.”

But it looks like the infection from that week persisted and was never fully resolved. This infection has come up before. Reportedly, he faced similar struggles with sinus infection at Bay Hill in 2024; his condition did not get much better at TPC Sawgrass either.

Even during the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, he was benched on Saturday reportedly because of the same health problem. At that time, Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis said Fowler was dealing with a sinus infection all week. He played two matches while sick and lost both. Surprisingly, Fowler’s 2025 season had similar stories of physical setbacks that continued into his 2026 season.

Health Challenges Rickie Fowler Has Faced Since 2025

During his 2025 season, he played 21 events, made 18 cuts, and had three top-10 finishes, which, on paper, seem decent, but the strokes-gained data tells a different story. He ranked 95th in Strokes Gained: Approach and was 75th in SG: Total. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship, and his best results were T7 at the Memorial, T6 at the FedEx St. Jude, and T7 at the BMW Championship.

These were just enough to finish 32nd in the FedExCup and keep his spot in the Signature Event field for 2026. In November 2025, during a round with golf influencer Grant Horvat, Fowler summed up his 2025 season.

“I had some shoulder issues all year. Luckily, I played well enough to earn some time off. Yeah. I only hit balls a few times, and then I’ve probably played about six rounds now. Still a little slow.”

At the WM Phoenix Open in February 2026, he told the media he dealt with bursitis, fluid buildup, and inflammation throughout last year. He needed medication every week just to play. In September, he received ACP injections and took six weeks away from the game.

By May at Quail Hollow, his body finally felt better than it had in over a year. Then the fever hit, and it looks like his sinus infection has returned, and it’s affecting his performance. The shoulder injury was behind him. The sinus issues, however, have proven more persistent.