Who Is Rickie Fowler’s Caddie?
Rickie Fowler's current caddie is a man called Ricky Romano, who came onto the bag we believe around the CJ Cup in South Carolina in October 2022. Romano has been a caddie since 2012 and has worked with several players including Ben Crane, Jason Kokrak, Aaron Wise, Sung Kang, Charlie Beljan, Arjun Atwal and Nate Lashley.
He is from Murrieta, California and is quite the player himself, because at one point back in 2018 he had a handicap of +3. He also played golf at the University of Houston and during his junior year on the team, they won a total of eight tournaments at the Division I level.
Speaking with The Caddie Network Romano said; "I’ve played the game of golf since I was 3 years old. I’ve played at every level including six years professionally. I currently carry a +3 handicap. I feel the strongest part of myself as a caddie is reading greens, decision-making and course management."
In that same interview he talked about his other hobbies outside of golf too; "Bass Fishing is my passion along with golf. My biggest bass to date is almost 12 pounds. The biggest fish I’ve ever caught was a 564 lb. Thresher Shark. It’s still the Oceanside Harbor Record to this day. I also enjoy surfing and following the World Surf League. Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning are my favorite surfers."
Previously Fowler did have long-time caddie Joe Skovron on the bag but before the start of the 2022 FedEx Cup playoffs, the two parted ways and Fowler brought Ben Schomin, Tour Operations Manager for Fowler's leading sponsor, Cobra Puma Golf, onto his bag.
"It was a team decision," Fowler told the Associated Press at the time. "Decided to go different ways. It could be the best option currently. By no means does this mean it's the end of the road. He's like a big brother to me."
"It is different," Fowler told the AP. "In 13 years, there's been only one other week, my rookie year, when I had someone else on the bag. One of our assistants from Oklahoma State, Donnie Darr, he caddied for me at the Memorial. Outside of that, Joe has been my guy."
After shooting 65 in the opening round of the FedEx St Jude Championship, Fowler was asked if the new caddie setup played any part. He said; "It was going to be more about me taking ownership and putting more of a workload on myself and more accountability. I still had plenty of his voice and one-liners and stuff in my head, so he [Skovron] wasn't on the bag, but he was definitely present."
Fowler and Skovron at The Players (Getty Images)
This termination of the Fowler-Skovron partnership was a surprising one partly because they are lifelong friends.The career highlights they have shared together include: Fowler’s Ryder Cup debut back in 2010 at Celtic Manor, marching together during the Rio Olympic Opening Ceremony in 2016, a number of victories around the world and several top finishes in Major Championships.
In an interview with the Journal of Excellence in issue number 14 in 2011, when Skovron was asked about the relationship between himself and Fowler he said, “I don’t think I would be a caddie just for the pay cheque.
"I think having an emotional investment in the person and really caring about them and their success is important rather than just the basics you get from their success. The big caddie/player partnerships that you can think of or that you look at have become friends and whether they were friends before or become friends after I think the relationship is an important part in the trust factor and knowing that your caddie has your back in any circumstance.“
To learn more about Rickie Fowler, take a look at our pieces on Fowler's what's in the bag setup, and who his wife Alison Stokke is.
