Rickie Fowler has drawn scrutiny for his FedEx Cup position with the six-time PGA Tour winner making his way into week two of the Playoffs after earning a significant chunk of points from Signature Events that he received sponsor's invitations into.

The American has had a very solid season and advanced into the top 50 ahead of the likes of Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau and Jake Knapp.

However, Fowler only made it in by 70 points, which is far less than what he earned in the Memorial Tournament - where he bagged 176 FedEx Cup points after receiving a sponsor's invite.

The Californian played exceptionally well at Muirfield Village to finish T7th and advanced into the top 50 after another excellent T6 finish at the FedEx St Jude Championship in week one of the Playoffs.

However, sponsor's invites are controversial in today's game and the majority of players who he beat out did not get the benefit of the invites.

Still, Fowler took advantage of his invites with great play and received the invitations due to his huge following and fanbase - which tournament organizers clearly believe will help drive TV ratings, media coverage and ticket sales.

I've had a number of emails after the original piece and our Facebook followers had a lot to say on the matter, too, with the majority of golf fans supporting Fowler and believing that he played well enough to justify the invites.

Here's what golf fans are saying:

"Sponsor’s exemptions have been around a long time. Rickie made the most of his opportunities and played very well at the St. Jude. Glad to see him doing well."

"Dude is golfing his ball."

"He qualified on his own ball, back off. Besides being a crowd favorite because he’s a nice guy!"

"He made use of opportunities given.....if anyone else did it we'd be celebrating them."

"What is earned is earned. So happy for Rickie, great golfer and wonderful role model for the game of golf."

"If you don't like results, change the requirements otherwise don't complain. He did nothing against the rules."

"Seize opportunities! F the critics! Keep it going, Rickie!"

"With so many vanilla players with not much personality, I’d probably fall on his side for being a big personality in the game, which the PGA needs given LIV have taken many of the star names. So if this gets him across the line then good on him. I'd rather watch him play than not play, or to watch guys I've never heard of. These need to serve their time and become names in the sport and then they will earn favours as Rickie has."

"Speith got the same "special treatment" and didn't make good on it. Rickie has struggled, but he played well enough to get back in. Good for him. Rickie still draws a crowd, therefore sponsors want to see him there."

"So you are suggesting that because he received a sponsor’s invitation (which is totally their privilege) he should then play poorly to disrespect that invitation? The fact that he played so well reinforces the sponsors decision to add him to such an elite field."

"Congratulations Rickie. Good for you. Nothing wrong with taking advantage of opportunities."

"Follow the money. Rickie sells tickets and is a fan favorite = sponsor exemption. That's it. He's a pretty damn good golfer too."

"He got through on handouts he didn't earn, hardly fair for any of the guys who are out grinding every week."

"Simple fix - don’t give any points to a golfer that attends an event through a sponsor invite. He still plays in the tournament but gets no FedEx points."

"Extremely fair [the criticism]. Rick didn’t earn a playoff spot, it was given to him."

"Sponsors believe Rickie can strengthen the field and increase the ticket sales. Sponsors are why The Tour plays where it does, they pay the bills, and have the right to decide who gets the exemptions."

"Only reason he made top 50, is because of all the handouts he got to play in elevated events this season, that he wasn’t qualified to play in. So yes, the criticism is fair…"

"Two things get you into signature events. Good play and “marketability.” Rickie was a tad weak on the first thing but you can’t argue that his popularity sells tickets and advertising."

"I like watching him play but and I think he's turned a corner but If he wasn't basically given 5 free checks through sponsors invites in the elevated events. He'd be home watching on tv like me."

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Rickie Fowler has made it through to the BMW Championship and week two of the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2023 and only the second time since 2019.

The six-time PGA Tour winner is enjoying a solid season on the PGA Tour with eight top-25s from 20 starts, but his rise up inside the top 50 of the standings after the FedEx St Jude Championship has been somewhat controversial and drawn criticism.

That's because Fowler has benefitted from a number of sponsor's invites into the big $20m Signature Events in 2025, where inflated FedEx Cup points are on offer.

The American did not finish in the top 50 last year so therefore did not automatically qualify for the Signature Events. You can also qualify by ranking in the world's top 30 or via the Aon Next 10 and Aon Swing 5, which reward good play, while another method into the fields is via sponsor's invite.

Each Signature Event has room for four sponsor's invitations, and Fowler received six invites into the eight tournaments this year.

Fowler's biggest week of the year in terms of Fedex Cup points came at a Signature Event - The Memorial Tournament. He finished T7th that week to earn 176 points. He also earned his way into The Open via his strong Memorial performance.

The Californian finished just 70 points clear of Chris Kirk in 51st position, who has been eliminated from the Playoffs and misses out on next year's Signature Events.

This slim 70-point margin essentially means that Fowler's sponsor's invites were a key reason why he progressed through to the BMW Championship - which means he has now qualified for all eight Signature Events next year by merit.

Fowler also earned 85 points at the Genesis Invitational off the back of a sponsor invite and 10.5 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, another of his Signature Event invites. Another invite came at the Travelers Championship, where he earned 21 FedEx Cup points.

It has caused controversy with some golf fans, with one user @TourPicks saying that it "just is not fair."

Arccos Golf's stats guru Lou Stagner agreed to the post on X, which has almost 400,000 views, saying "it just doesn't feel right."

Others will say that sponsor's invites are perfectly acceptable, as they are the organizations putting their money into the sport and have the right to invite whoever they please.

Rickie Fowler is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in golf with one of the largest fanbases, so inviting him may help to drive TV ratings, publicity of the event and ticket sales.

"Well, being that I got a handful of spots this year, which I'm incredibly grateful for, unfortunately I really didn't take advantage of many of those opportunities up until Jack's event," Fowler said on his sponsor's invites when asked about not needing them next year.

"Didn't play that well in any of them. Those elevated fields and maybe some more points, I didn't really get them.

"But it was great to have a tee time in them this year, and didn't really want to bank on that for next year.

"Yeah, nice to be in a position where we'll be able to be back in those and not have to write notes and calls and ask for favors."

Is Ricke Fowler criticism fair?

Fowler's critics are very fair, as the PGA Tour operates a meritocracy system where results are earned via scores shot on the golf course and not by fame or stardom.

He did not qualify for the Signature Events so should not have been allowed to play in as many as he did...although it is a tricky subject.

Sponsor's invites will always be a difficult topic as the events would not be what they are without the big corporate money backing them.

As I wrote earlier this year when we debated if sponsor's invites should be allowed in Signature Events, sponsors 'are well within their rights to add whoever they wish to their event.'

In an ideal world, a player should only be allowed one or two sponsor's invites per season to keep it fair for those who don't regularly receive invites, but the PGA Tour needs the sponsors on-side so there certainly isn't much that can be done.

If a Truist or a Genesis is putting up a $20m purse and wants Rickie Fowler there taking part, it would be a bold move from the PGA Tour to tell them no.

I believe Fowler has been fortunate this year to receive invites into so many events - there is no getting away from that - but there is a case that he is deserving of them. He is one of the biggest names in the sport and has had a very impressive career spanning 15 years.

He is also one of the most likeable figures in the game and him contending in or even winning the event would create far more headlines and media coverage than the majority of players.

Either the tour completely stops sponsor's invites into its biggest events or we just accept the reality that the corporations putting up the money are well within their right to add whoever they choose to their tournament fields.

Fowler has undoubtedly been lucky this year but you could argue that his luck has been well earned.

At this week's 3M Open, many of the players involved will be wearing black ribbons on their cap or polo shirts with the letters 'KH' inscribed.

KH are the initials of Kayla Hale - the wife of longtime Odyssey Tour rep Cody Hale - who died last week at the age of 38 after battling cancer.

As a mark of respect, competitors such as Rickie Fowler have donned the ribbon on course at TPC Twin Cities and will continue to do so throughout tournament play.

After carding a bogey-free round of 65 on Thursday, Fowler - who has used an Odyssey putter in the past - explained why he was eager to attach the token to his cap.

He said: "Yeah, I've known Cody for a handful of years. He's helped me quite a bit on putters when I've used the Odyssey products.

"Great guy and this [black ribbon] is... his wife was battling cancer for a while and was in remission, but it popped back up and she unfortunately passed I guess about a week and a half ago now.

"So he's someone that's... Cody's part of the family out here, and when you're part of the family, their family's part of the family, too."

Once the news was broken to PGA Tour players and officials alike, a GoFundMe page was set up to help the Hale family through this difficult time.

Cody Hale is not at TPC Twin Cities this week as he cares for he and his wife's two children, who are aged two and four.

Fowler continued: "You know, can't really imagine what they're all going through, him and his boys, but to be able to at least help out and show our support, I think everyone out here does a great job of that.

"Hopefully we'll be able to see him back out here soon. I know he loves being out here with all of us. At this time I know he wants to be home with his boys. Hopefully they can get through this."

First-round leader, Adam Svensson - who broke the course record via an 11-under 60 on Thursday - was another player to join in the cause.

He said: "Yeah, I've known Cody for a couple years now. It's very tragic what happened. Just something to know that we're here for him."

The Open Championship was not quite a last chance for Ryder Cup hopefuls to impress, but it may have been a missed opportunity for some big names to press their claims to make their respective teams.

This seems especially true for Team USA more than Europe - with Luke Donald looking like having a far more settled side with many of the 12 that won in Rome in 2023 set to return.

The big 10 for Europe seem almost assured and make our very own Ryder Cup team predictions pretty settled in terms of the visitors in New York, with Sergio Garcia the 'biggest' name likely to miss out.

One of the Hojgaard twins or Matt Fitzpatrick could be others who miss out but they're likely the only big decisions to make - while for Keegan Bradley he has some Ryder Cup stalwarts nowhere near in good enough form to warrant a pick.

Brooks Koepka

One of America's biggest alpha males, Brooks Koepka has played in four Ryder Cups, won eight points and is unbeaten in singles with a 3-0-1 record when going man-to-man.

But he's just not been himself this season, missing three cuts from four in the Majors and not managing to win on LIV Golf - with just two top 10s ahead of the latest round in the UK.

He's nowhere near qualifying so Bradley would be taking it all on trust that he could find something back at Bethpage, where he won the US Open, but that'll be a huge gamble in this form.

Patrick Reed

Three Ryder Cups, eight points from 12 matches including a perfect three-for-three in singles and a match of the century contender against Rory McIlroy - Patrick Reed has excelled as Captain America over the years.

A fallout with Jordan Spieth and move to LIV saw him miss out on the last two, and after coming third at The Masters and winning on LIV he's fallen away this season and missed the cut at The Open.

Bradley may feel he lacks experience in his side and having Reed around would certainly add a swagger, and raise the temperature and the atmosphere even higher at Bethpage - but he'd be the ultimate wildcard pick.

Dustin Johnson

OK, so it's not really a surprise but Dustin Johnson doesn't look like he'll make the side - making his perfect 5-0 record from Whistling Straits possibly his last action from five Ryder Cups.

Outside the top 100 in the standings, he missed three out of four cuts so surely won't be anywhere near Bradley's thinking unless he's planning a major curve ball for the Europeans.

It's a shame as DJ was dynamite in his perfect 2021 outing - and the best thing about him is that his matches are decisive, as he's never halved a Ryder Cup match with his record being an impressive 12-9-0.

Rickie Fowler

If you had sponsor invites into the Ryder Cup Rickie Fowler might get in! He rode the system nicely to get into The Open and finished T14, but barring a late season charge his race looks run.

He's a five-event veteran in the Ryder Cup, but Fowler's record doesn't breed confidence as he's only won three of his 17 matches and 5.5 points overall.

A huge crowd favorite, yes, but at 42nd in the standings and with that record chances are he'll have more chance being at Bethpage as an extra vice-captain than as a player.

Tony Finau

A nice symetrical won three, lost three record from Tony Finau's matches across two Ryder Cups, but he missed out in Rome last time and is just outside the top 20 in the standings again after a so-so season.

Down in 67th on Data Golf shows he's not been playing that well either, with just that spark missing from his play. He won four times in the 14 months before the last Ryder Cup and still didn't make the team - he looks to stand no chance this time.

Max Homa

Max Homa played really well in his Ryder Cup debut in Rome, winning 3.5 points after being trusted to play all five matches, but his form has fallen off a cliff since.

He's missed cuts by the bucketload and didn't even make the last two Majors of the season, so he's got no chance sadly until he can at least find some of his best form.

As we still wait on how men's pro golf will look in the future, Rickie Fowler offered a glimpse of his vision of a more slimlined PGA Tour with no Signature Events.

Fowler is playing in the Rocket Classic in Detroit this week - always a popular event but one that this year is without the likes of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.

That's because it follows the US Open then a Signature Event in the Travelers Championship and comes just before players start to think about heading across the Atlantic for the Scottish Open and Open Championship.

Fowler's last victory came at the 2023 Rocket Classic so he has a strong affinity with the event, so was asked if it could possibly become a Signature Event in the future or have a kinder spot in the schedule.

The 34-year-old's response was more considered, and involved the future of the PGA Tour as a whole, which he believes should be smaller with fewer events and tour cards to make every event more important.

"It's tough," said Fowler. "It will be interesting to see how things shake out and, you know, do Signature Events - if you're looking long term - do just all events become big events and guys just play a pretty similar schedule and not take many weeks off?

"You know, it's hard, you can look at the Tour in so many different ways. I feel like there needs to be less events, less cards, the Tour gets elevated, the product is a little bit more - there's more continuity from what you would say a top event to a lower level or an opposite field event."

Fowler is not among the truly elite on the PGA Tour right now, needing sponsor invites to make the Signature Events, but even so he feels for the good of the game it should be streamlined.

And that means having the Majors and The Players as the standouts, with the rest of the PGA Tour tournaments all big ones and no alternate or elevated events muddying the waters.

"You know, sometimes it's tough, you have to remove yourself from your current situation, but I don't think the PGA Tour should necessarily have secondary or opposite field events," said Fowler.

"I think the PGA Tour product is the PGA Tour product. So there's a lot you could go into, but to me a PGA Tour event should be a PGA Tour event and it shouldn't be necessarily, well, this one's elevated or this is an opposite field.

"And then it goes into you're talking about scheduling and where you're at based on if it's elevated or not or Majors. The Majors and The Players are the core events or the big events that are on the schedule, and golf fans to non golf fans, those are the ones that they know about those, they know what those are.

"How we elevate PGA Tour events outside of that, and so then it may not become a thing where are you sandwiched or not, and maybe not as big of a scheduling difficulty if there's all those different kinds of events."

Rickie Fowler says his excellent start to the 2025 Truist Championship can partly be credited to those who doubted whether the American deserved to be playing in next week's PGA Championship.

The World No. 125 - who was given a sponsor's exemption into the sixth PGA Tour Signature Event of the season - also landed an invite into the second Major of 2025, causing critics to openly share their displeasure at the decision.

Nevertheless, the six-time PGA Tour winner began to answer his doubters with aplomb at Philadelphia Cricket Club courtesy of a seven-under 63 on Thursday.

Fowler's sparkling first round featured eight birdies and just one bogey, consequently turning out to be his lowest round since a 62 during January's American Express.

It placed him high up the leaderboard and just two strokes behind early leader, Keith Mitchell after his brilliant nine-under 61.

Despite having no wins since 2023 and suffering a gradual slide down the Official World Golf Ranking, Fowler retains full faith in his ability and says the negative reaction he received only stands to help him kick on.

He said: "The negative stuff, I would say, kind of helps me in a way because it fuels me to kind of go out and prove people wrong."

Referencing a Sports Illustrated player poll prior to his victory at TPC Sawgrass 10 years ago, Fowler continued: "I feel like there was something prior to the 2015 Players saying I was the most overrated player, and that worked out all right that week.

"I've been happy with where my game's been at for quite a while. I just haven't really seen the product of the work I'm putting in or what I feel like I can produce. This was a little better today."

Fowler is yet to crack the top-10 in any of his nine PGA Tour starts this year and has been forced to rely on invitations to a handful of the other big tournaments on the schedule - such as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.

The 36-year-old's presence at Quail Hollow next week should not be too much of a surprise, however, given his first PGA Tour success arrived at the Charlotte course back in 2012 and he was T5th at the PGA Championship the last time it was staged there in 2017.

Although Fowler would clearly prefer to be qualifying for tournaments off his own back, the Oklahoma State University alumnus suggested aiming to repay the faith show in him is another little incentive to do well both this week and next.

Fowler said: "Obviously, you want to come out and prove yourself [after in invite]. I haven't been playing all that well last year and the start of this year. It hasn't been very far off...

"For the tournaments to give me the opportunity to come play. A number of exemptions this year, which I'm very, very happy for and appreciate it from the sponsors and the tournament directors.

"Yeah, you want to come out and play well. So off to a good start and looking forward to keeping it rolling."

'Play better' has been the advice from the haves to the have-nots on the PGA Tour for a while now.

Anyone who complained about a lack of opportunity into the Signature Events or was frustrated about the reduced number of full cards on offer from 2026 - the response often contained those two short words.

Rickie Fowler expressed the same simple message after he was overlooked for a sponsor exemption into the Arnold Palmer Invitational recently.

The six-time PGA Tour winner - with earnings of over $51 million throughout his career - had been given starts in the Genesis Invitational and Pebble Beach Pro-Am just before that, though, and was hardly complaining about a snub from the Palmer family.

The immensely-popular pro was simply making the point that if his results over recent weeks and months had been more encouraging, he wouldn't have had to worry about writing letters to organizers.

Midway through the Cognizant Classic, Fowler was asked about the Signature Event rejection, to which he replied: “At the end of the day, play better. It would be a lot easier just having played well last year and earned my way into these events.

"Been very fortunate and very thankful to Steve and John at Pebble and AT&T to get a spot there and Tiger and Genesis to get the one at Torrey. But it’s tough to try and get all of them. Being able to get some of them is great.

“Yeah, it is what it is. Like I said, at the end of the day, play well and that’ll take care of it. Obviously I’m bummed that I won’t be there next week. It’s a special event, and obviously I had a very special relationship with Mr Palmer. But we’ll see. We’ll see if we can get a trophy this week, and that would take care of that.”

As it turned out, Fowler finished the week T18th despite being in contention a couple of times - a result which continued his underwhelming record of having only managed one top-10 in a PGA Tour event since winning the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic (2024 Zozo Championship).

Apparently travelling in a different direction, form-wise, the living embodiment of the 'Play Better' mantra currently seems to be Michael Kim.

The American was floating around just outside the top-100 when Fowler was picking up his most recent PGA Tour title and remained there for a while before sliding backwards thanks to six missed cuts in eight starts (he WD from one and ended T24th in the other) between July and late-October last year.

But, for one reason or another, it all seemed to click for Kim at the Shriners Children's Open where he ended T5th. His subsequent three results in the FedEx Cup Fall series read: T30th (World Wide Technology Championship), T12th (Butterfield Bermuda Championship) and T11th (RSM Classic).

Having barely maintained his playing rights in 117th on the FedEx Cup points list, the 2018 John Deere Classic champion later overcame a rough first three appearances in 2025 to change his career prospects for the better.

First pointed out by the No Laying Up podcast on X, Kim booked his spot in the Genesis Invitational (Signature Event) through the Aon Swing 5 - largely thanks to a surprise T2nd finish at the WM Phoenix Open. He had missed the cut in two of his three starts during January and was T43rd in the other.

From there, Kim took his chance at the Genesis and recorded a highly respectable T13th before repeating that result the following week at the Mexico Open. Kim's fourth week of play in a row generated a T6th finish at the Cognizant Classic - ultimately booking his place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational via the Aon Next 10 initiative.

At Bay Hill, Kim performed brilliantly and secured $1 million - a little more than 10% of his career earnings in one fell swoop - via a fourth-place result. As it stands ahead of sixth start in a row, at The Players Championship, Kim is eighth on the FedEx Cup points list and right on track for more big pay days in the near future.

So for all those pros who might be unhappy at what they feel is a two-tier PGA Tour beginning to develop, Kim is living proof of the answer - play better.

Fans of Rickie Fowler will not have to wait very long to see their man back in competitive action again after the Californian confirmed he is planning a fast return to the PGA Tour following his withdrawal from the WM Phoenix Open last week.

Fowler pulled out of the event at TPC Scottsdale through illness on Friday morning after carding a three-over-par 74 in the opening round - a day which the 36-year-old admitted was a struggle.

He is the latest high-profile name to cut a tournament short due to feeling unwell, with Sweden's Ludvig Aberg struggling over the second half of the Farmers Insurance Open a few weeks ago prior to ultimately pulling out before round two at the subsequent AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

However, luckily for Fowler, his issue did not appear to be as serious as his European counterpart's. In a post on Instagram earlier this week, the six-time PGA Tour winner shared that he was feeling better following a few days of rest and heading over to Torrey Pines in preparation for the Genesis Invitational.

Via an Instagram story, Fowler said: "I'm bummed I had to WD this week... I was battling the flu Thursday and come Friday morning I wasn't in a position to play. The WM Phoenix Open is my favorite event of the year so I can't wait to be back next year!!

"With a lot of rest we are off to the Genesis Invitational and looking forward to picking the clubs back up."

Fowler's upcoming start arrives via one of four sponsor's exemptions alongside Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Gary Woodland at Torrey Pines' South Course.

The 2015 Players champion has already been given one sponsor's exemption on the PGA Tour this season. That arrived at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where Fowler ended T53rd.

He will hope for a better result this time around at the event which has been moved from Riviera Country Club to Torrey Pines due to the highly-destructive recent wildfires in Los Angeles.

2019 champion Rickie Fowler has withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale prior to the start of round two, the PGA Tour announced.

Fowler struggled to a three-over-par score of 74 on Thursday and was due to begin Friday's action from the back nine at 10:15am ET alongside Sahith Theegala and Billy Horschel.

However, Theegala and Horschel will now go off as a two after the World No.85 pulled out of the tournament due to illness. It is the fourth time in the past five events that Fowler has failed to play all four rounds of the 'People's Open.'

This was the six-time PGA Tour winner's third start of the season following appearances at the American Express - where he ended T21st - and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T53rd).

He has also featured in both of New York Golf Club's TGL defeats, scoring one of the club's two points so far in a singles match against The Bay's Shane Lowry.

Fowler's WM Phoenix Open withdrawal arrived less than a day after he turned many heads and sparked plenty of conversation in regard to his wardrobe choice.

On Thursday, Fowler rocked up to the course wearing the Puma Golf x Realtree collection - a full camouflage outfit inspired by the latter, which is a hunting brand.

Realtree - which has collaborated with the likes of Nike, Crocs, and Guess before - helped put together a full look which contained Deep Forest camo polo and golf pants with the 5-Panel golf cap, some polarized sunglasses, a black belt, and white Puma Golf shoes.

Fowler - whose most recent victory arrived at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic - has been sponsored by Puma since 2009 and is well known for wearing orange on Sundays.

Discussing the fashion choice, Chris MacNeill - director PLM Apparel & Accessories for Puma Golf - said: "The collection was born out of a desire to celebrate the love golfers have for outdoor adventures, just like hikers, campers, hunters, fisherman, and others who feel more alive than ever when they spend time in nature.

"We're also seeing camo patterns like Realtree transcending just the outdoor industry and becoming popular in sport, culture, and fashion. We have the perfect athlete in Rickie to make a bold statement on the course, so it was a natural fit to bring this camo into golf.

"WM Phoenix Open is one of the most relaxed and fun tournaments on the calendar - it's also one of the most watched and attended. We felt like it was a great mix of attention and atmosphere to make a statement in a place where golf is at its loudest."

January is often the time we see players make moves in the equipment sector, with some big names opting to change manufacturers for 2025.

Currently, we have seen Max Homa make the switch to Cobra clubs, Puma shoes and Lululemon apparel, and now, prior to his first start of the year, it has been reported by Golfweek that Rickie Fowler will no longer be using TaylorMade golf balls or gloves, with a text from Fowler also confirming that he has signed a deal with Ernst & Young, after previously working with Grant Thornton.

Signing a multi-year deal with TaylorMade to play their golf ball and wear their glove in 2019, it was reported that the deal ran out at the end of 2024, with Fowler, who is no longer listed on the TaylorMade website, now set to use a 2023 Titleist Pro V1 golf ball and Cobra golf glove for the time being.

The move signals an end to Fowler and TaylorMade's partnership, with the player having a big influence on TaylorMade's PIX design on its TP5 and TP5x golf balls.

Released in 2021, the PIX was a culmination of a year-long collaboration with Fowler, as the ball provided a ClearPath Alignment aid to help with aiming on the greens. Featuring 12 orange and black strategically placed triangle-shaped graphics, the six-time PGA Tour winner used it before switching back to the standard TP5x.

Using the 2023 Titleist Pro V1 and Cobra glove as an equipment free agent, it’s not the only change made by Fowler in recent times. At last year's Open Championship, the 36-year-old was seen using his trusty Odyssey Jailbird putter but, at the very next tournament, the Sanderson Farms Championship, he was seen using a L.A.B. Golf DF3 mallet putter.

Starting his 2025 at The American Express, Fowler will be hoping that the changes in equipment will improve his form, with the American yielding just one top 10 all season in 2024, with that coming at the ZOZO Championship.

Six-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler has announced the birth of his second daughter, Nellie.

The ever-popular player took to Instagram to confirm the news, where he posted an image of him and his wife Allison Stokke and the couple’s first daughter, Maya, along with the new arrival.

He included the message: “My Family!! Right where I’m supposed to be. Welcome to the crew Nellie.”

Fowler first became a dad on 18 November 2021, and both two-year-old Maya and Allison were with him at April’s Masters Par-3 Contest, which he won. The same week, Fowler announced he would become a father for the second time in the summer.

He again used Instagram to post a photo showing him with Allison and Maya, who were both dressed in Masters white caddie boiler suits, and wrote: “Maya with shoes ready for her baby sister…we’re excited to be a foursome later this summer!”

He later told Golfweek that the baby was due on 4 August and that he would take a break from golf after The Open, which was held in July, to await the birth.

That plan explains Fowler’s decision not to tee it up at this week’s Wyndham Championship. The Sedgefield Country Club tournament marks the last chance for players to reach the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings and qualify for the first of the three Playoffs, the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Before this week’s tournament, Fowler was 104th in the FedEx Cup standings and still mathematically in with a chance of qualifying for the Playoffs. However, with the possibility of the Playoffs no longer in the picture, Fowler can enjoy some time with his new daughter before the FedEx Cup Fall stage of the PGA Tour season begins in September.

It's no secret that, since his victory at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic, Rickie Fowler has, somewhat, struggled for form, with the American picking up just one top 10 finish in the last 12 months.

That result came at the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed event alongside Lexi Thompson, with Fowler's best solo finish, since his victory, coming at the Tour Championship - A tie for 16th place

Many have wondered where the drop in form could have come from and, following a first round 66 at Detroit Golf Club, scene of his first PGA Tour win in four years, Fowler has revealed that he is battling a twitch in his putting, with the six-time PGA Tour winner even going as far as to call it a "yip".

Speaking to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Thursday, Fowler stated: “I would say over the last few years I’ve dealt with a little bit of my right hand having a little bit of twitch at times, which you could call it some sort of a ‘yip’, or there’s all kind of names for it."

Obviously, the dreaded 'Y' word, which is enough to send a shiver down any golfer's spine, was picked up on by Lewis, who pushed the American further on the matter, with Fowler adding “I’m fine saying it. When people have dealt with that, it makes it tough to trust hitting good putts. 

"I was hitting a lot of putts that would start on line but it was more of a speed thing. Going back to cross-handed felt like it locks my right hand and wrist a little bit more to where I was able to use that as the driver purely for the touch and feel.”

Gaining three strokes on the greens in his first round, Fowler switched putters to much success in 2023, with the 35-year-old opting for an Odyssey Versa Jailbird that took the professional world by storm throughout the year.

In 2024, especially over the last month or so, Fowler has opted to experiment with his putting grip, something that he has done regularly throughout his established career. “I was trying going back to conventional and regular length for a little, then cross-handed the last three weeks or so,” stated Fowler. 

“But it just seems to have helped a little bit with feel and touch, and that’s a big thing. Obviously starting the ball on line but controlling speed is another variable when it comes to putting, so I feel like I’ve done a good job the last couple of weeks, not only hitting my lines but hitting it with the proper speed...

“I think a big part of freeing myself up and allowing myself to play better golf starts on the greens, and it helps when I’m making putts which, last week, I started to see that. I feel like when I’m putting at least up to my standards or at least average, it kind of frees up the rest of the game. So looking forward to hopefully leaning on the putter a little bit more going forward and allowing the others to kind of fall into place and see the ball-striking stats come back up.”

Following his six-under first round, Fowler fired a level-par 72 to remain at six-under-par so sits in a tie for 38th going into the weekend. His third round gets underway at 10.48am (EDT), with Fowler paired alongside Ryan Fox and Matt Kuchar.

Rickie Fowler's recent love affair with par-3s continues. 

Having won the Par 3 Contest at this year's Masters earlier in the month, the American enjoyed another memorable moment as he made a hole-in-one on a buddies trip with long-time friend Justin Thomas.

To make it even better, the feat came while the pair were playing a round at the ultra-exclusive Pine Valley, ranked amongst the best courses in the United States.

First reported by Golf Digest, the hole-in-one came on the third hole, with Fowler hitting a 7-iron into the 182-yard hole. As well as Thomas, NFL legend and former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was also watching on as he played with the duo.

Pine Valley's notoriously strict phone policy - akin to that of Augusta National - meant that video of the hole-in-one was unlikely to emerge. 

However, footage has since been posted online from a member of the group, showcasing Thomas jumping on Fowler's back in celebration as the ball drops into the cup. Check it out:

Despite professional golf's hectic schedule, Fowler and Thomas - as well as fellow countryman Jordan Spieth - have often made time for a quick buddies trip over the years.

In 2022, the trio were captured in Ireland playing rounds at Tralee Golf Club and Lahinch Golf Club prior to competing in the J.P. McManus Pro-Am. The following year they were seen teeing it up for some evening links at the iconic North Berwick before the Scottish Open at the nearby Renaissance Club.

Judging by the celebrations caught on camera, Fowler's ace may go down as one of their most cherished memories yet.

Rickie Fowler and his wife Allison have announced that they expecting the arrival of their second daughter this summer.

Allison and daughter Maya accompanied Fowler at the traditional Par 3 Contest at The Masters, which he duly won the day before the big event at Augusta National.

“Been around plenty of the little kids over the years, but a little different when we have our own out there,” Fowler said at Augusta. “So special way for us first time having my daughter with my wife and I, and something we'll always have.”

All the talk was of Scottie Scheffler’s wife Meredith about to give birth, possibly during the tournament, but there’ll also be another PGA Tour offspring coming with a second Fowler daughter due in August.

Fowler told Golfweek his second daughter is due on 4 August, just a couple of weeks after the Open Championship at Royal Troon – so we may have more speculation over a Major baby similar to Scheffler at The Masters.

Fowler announced the news on Instagram, writing: “Maya with shoes ready for her baby sister…we’re excited to be a foursome later this summer!”

After four years without a win, Fowler ended his trophy drought at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year, with Maya in attendance making it even more special.

“To finally get one finished off, Maya may or may not really ever remember it, but at least we'll have some special images to help her remember today,” Fowler said in Detroit after his victory.

Maya Fowler and Jordan Spieth’s son Sammy were born just four days apart and are “basically best friends” according to Fowler – and his second daughter will have a buddy in Scheffler Jnr once they’re old enough to take to the Masters Par 3 Contest.

We’ll see if having another new arrival on the scene will give Fowler a boost on the course in the coming months.

Rickie Fowler won the 2024 Masters Par 3 Contest with a score of five-under-par, and attention now turns to the question of whether he can seal the double and slip on the Green Jacket come Sunday evening.

Nobody has won the par 3 contest and the Green Jacket in the same week, but Fowler clearly fancies his chances after registering a score in the Wednesday family affair. Many of the golfers essentially disqualify themselves by letting friends and family play shots, treating it as just a fun walk.

However, Rickie played out the entire nine in an impressive 22 strokes to take the title by two strokes from Sepp Straka, JT Poston and Latin America Amateur Championship winner Santiago de la Fuente.

He played alongside close friend Jordan Spieth and Fred Couples, with toddlers Sammy Spieth and Maya Fowler seemingly having a whale of time running about the short course in their Masters caddie jumpsuits.

“The tee sheet fills up pretty quickly, and Jordan and I saw Freddie’s name on the list and figured he’d be able to put up with the little ones running around,” Fowler said. “It’s a perfect threesome we’ve got.”

The former World No.4 is back at Augusta for the first time since 2020, making his way back to The Masters after of an excellent season last year. He won his first title in over four years, finished T5 at the US Open after a 62 on day one and moved back inside the world's top 50.

He comes into the week after a slow start to the year, though, with his best finish only being a T35th from six starts.

"It hasn't been great as of late. I haven't been driving it well, and that's something when you're not driving it well, you're kind of starting from behind the 8-ball," he said on his game.

"I feel like we're starting to get that sorted, and excited to be back in a good spot. I've been kind of making progress and heading the right direction.

"It's nice to be at a place that I've had success and love playing. It's one of my favorites. There is a little more room off the tee, which compared to last week can be a benefit. 

"'m looking forward to that and seeing if we can get something going and get something sparked.

"Like I said, I play this golf course well. I see it well. I love being here. There's a lot about how you feel at a place that can definitely help you play well."

Fowler has played in ten Masters tournaments, making the cut on nine occasions. He was 2nd in 2018 to Patrick Reed and also T5th in 2014.

The Californian tees off at 10.06am local time on Thursday morning alongside Patrick Cantlay and Min Woo Lee. That is if weather doesn't affect the first round, with the Masters weather forecast showing thunderstorms for day one.

Rickie Fowler narrowly avoided missing the cut at The Players Championship but his second round of 69 was significantly better than the 74 he produced on Thursday. 

However, in the third round, he failed to build on the previous day's three-under effort as he headed back to the clubhouse tied for 72nd after a disappointing 76. That was not helped by an incident on the 16th hole, where he shouted at a fan after he was apparently distracted mid-swing.

Fans were reminded by Fowler’s caddie Ricky Romano to put their phones on silent mode before the six-time PGA Tour winner took his tee shot, but those requests appeared to have gone unheeded.

Fowler drove his ball 288 yards onto the fairway, but he clearly wasn’t happy with one fan. Immediately after completing his swing, he turned and pointed at the fan and shouted: “You! What are you doing?” as he took several steps towards the crowd before heading away. That led to Romano saying to the fans, “Come on, I just said something.”

The tense moment appeared to have rattled Fowler after his second shot landed in the water. It then got worse for the American, whose fourth also failed to clear the water. After another drop, Fowler recovered brilliantly with his sixth to land six inches from the hole to huge cheers before settling for a double-bogey seven.

Fowler then completed his round with a pair of pars to finish four-over for the day, with the 16th hole the glaring blemish in a round that also featured three bogeys and a birdie.

Fowler has endured a tough start to 2024, with a T35 at the Genesis Invitational his best finish from seven starts before this week’s event. That dip in form has come after a resurgent 2023 that included victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. 

Even then, Fowler, who is generally seen as one of the most popular players on the Tour, didn't have an entirely smooth ride with the fans. At The Open, he revealed one fan had heckled him by calling him a "coward" after pulling out of a potential investment in Leeds United soccer club.

Tiger Woods is not the only player who wears a certain color on a Sunday – his compatriot Rickie Fowler has also been doing it for some time, albeit not for quite as long as the 15-time Major winner.

Woods’ final-round color, of course, is red, and this is partly down to the fact that he attended Stanford University, where the color is red.

Fowler has a similar reason for choosing orange, with the tradition being a nod to his days at Oklahoma State University, where the primary colors are orange and black.

“I started doing that while I was in school. Obviously not many guys wear orange, so it was a way to be my own man out where,” the American once remarked about his color choice.

“A few of my Oklahoma State teammates wore the same colors, so at the time it was a bit of a bonding thing.

“But nobody really does it on Tour. I like to think of it as my own personal style.” 

It’s certainly proved a hit with Fowler fans, many of who can be spotted cheering on their hero wearing similar orange outfits at tournaments, whenever the popular Californian is playing.

Fowler’s orange tops and pants are normally quite loud on a Sunday, but the multiple PGA Tour champion is no stranger to a colorful ensemble on other tournament days.

The orange might stay hanging up in the wardrobe until the final round, but the former Players champion has quite a collection of bright styles in his Puma collection.

However, it’s probably fair to say that he usually doesn’t go full on head-to-toe orange like he did when he was in his early twenties.

These days, with Fowler in his mid thirties, he’s more likely to display his love of the Oklahoma State University colors with an orange belt, cap or polo shirt.

As for Woods, who announced a new clothing brand called Sun Day Red, in partnership with TaylorMade in February, he has an additional reason for wearing red.

“She thought being a Capricorn that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments,” Woods explained.

Fowler doesn't have his own clothing brand... yet. 

Rickie Fowler has not enjoyed the most ideal of starts to the 2024 PGA Tour season following a T56 finish at The Sentry before missing the cut at the recent American Express - won by amateur Nick Dunlap.

Part of the reason for that is down to his driving, which - according to a variety of driving stats provided by the PGA Tour - has been among the poorest of everyone who has teed it up in the first two tournaments. 

At this early juncture, Fowler ranks 165th in driving distance, 95th in driving accuracy, and 154th in strokes gained off the tee. Compared to the 2022-23 campaign, Fowler was 39th in driving distance, 113th in driving accuracy, and 77th in SG: Off The Tee. 

So, in a bid to help with his driving issues and return to the kind of form everyone knows he is capable of, the 35-year-old has taken an unusual step.

First shown by Ryan Barath on Instagram, Fowler's Cobra Golf Darkspeed LS driver was spotted during the American Express with three white vertical lines drawn down the face. The purpose of the markings, according to Barath, was to help Fowler with alignment at address.

And as the lines were only drawn on with a white permanent marker and not made up of a foreign substance that would "unduly affect the performance of a ball; the flight, the spin, all the performance of the ball," Fowler was fine to use his club as it remained conforming to USGA Rules.

Hideki Matsuyama fell foul of Rule 4a(3) at the 2022 Memorial Tournament and was disqualified, though, after an official was made aware of markings on the Japanese player's three-wood that breached PGA Tour regulations.

PGA Tour Senior Tournament Director, Steve Rintoul, said images of the club were posted online and his team only learned of them after Matsuyama had used the wood on the first tee. If the former Masters champion didn't use the club, he could have kept playing.

After the 2022 disqualification, Rintoul said: "There is a substance that has been applied to the face by a gentleman that works on Hideki's clubs. Rule 4a(3) within the equipment rules speaks to applying a substance to the face could unduly affect the performance of a ball; the flight, the spin, all the performance of the ball.

"Those markings were placed there by his club guy to help with alignment. Assistance with alignment by placing a small Sharpie mark on the face or small Sharpie line on the face is certainly allowed.

"But what was done there with that substance which is very much like a whiteout substance we would use at home, was a coating that was not only in the grooves but was very thick along the face, and now he's applied a substance to the face, which renders the club non-conforming. Under 4.1a under the rules of golf, a player is disqualified if he uses a non-conforming club."

Matsuyama's fellow competitors certainly took notice of the ruling, as around six months later at the Tournament of Champions (now known as The Sentry), Xander Schauffele was seen with white permanent-marker lines drawn horizontally along the face of his new Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver at regular intervals. 

Schauffele wanted to give the look of grooves on the club face, something he was unable to see originally as a result of the driver's subtle aesthetic. According to GolfWRX, Schauffele's caddie said: "Xander likes to see the face so he added sharpie lines (it’s not paint!)" 

And as previously mentioned, because marker lines do not affect the ball when making a stroke, they are legal. Paint, however, could and is therefore a banned substance.

Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler are known for enjoying their golfing trips together, but they’ve also been living it up on their arrival in the UK as they started preparations for the Open Championship in style.

The three PGA Tour stars along with their wives first of all had a dream weekend in London, taking in the tennis at Wimbledon before enjoying a few beers around the capital.

From there, it was up to Scotland and some practice out on the links at the glorious North Berwick before the trio tackle the Genesis Scottish Open at nearby Renaissance Club.

And taking advantage of the summer conditions in Scotland, Thomas and Spieth joined old buddy Smylie Kaufman on the tee at 8pm at North Berwick with still plenty of light to work with.

Fowler was also a visitor at North Berwick a bit earlier as the club’s social feed posted a video of him tackling the course before he returns to Royal Liverpool – where he finished second to Rory McIlroy the last time Hoylake hosted the Open in 2014.

There's also been some serious work being put in with Spieth being shown at the Renaissance Club where the three Americans will look to get in some tournament links golf ahead of the Open.

Then from Scotland it will be full steam ahead to the Wirral Peninsula and the 151st Open Championship - an event Spieth won at Royal Birkdale not too far away up the coast from Hoylake.

Fowler went close at Royal Liverpool before so should fancy his chances after he recently got back to winning ways and also after getting into contention at the US Open.

Thomas really should have the game to excel at links golf given his shot-making ability but it's never really happened for him in the Open, with just one T11 finish his only one inside the top 40 in six attempts.

All three should at least tee off at the Scottish Open in good spirits given their adventures in London, which although a little bit more grown up than their golf boys spring break adventures a few years ago, still seem like their having the time of their lives and enjoying the trappings of being some of the best golfers on the planet.

I’m a former mini tour player who loves his golf equipment and even though we have pieced together all the deals in one place with our Amazon Prime Day hub page, I thought I would offer some advice as to what I believe are some of the best deals to be had out there on items that will improve your game and make you look better while doing so! 

So let’s start with the big dog. Some of the best drivers of 2023 are discounted during prime days this year including the TaylorMade Stealth 2, as played by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. 

More savings are to be had on the Cobra Aerojet, the driver Rickie Fowler used to claim his first victory on the PGA Tour since 2019. Having a good driver with modern technology really does matter and both of these drivers have plenty of forgiveness while also producing fast ball speeds. The perfect combination to not only hit it 50 yards past your playing partners, but also be down the center cut. So whether you're a Cobra fan or just a Rickie fan, this is a great deal to be had and you can now purchase this club at 15% off.

You know what the old saying is, ‘drive for show, putt for dough’, well now we’ve identified some drivers to help you from the tee, let’s take a look into what is going to help you hole more putts.

The TaylorMade Spider GTX putter is on offer in four different colors and four different hosel types, all available at a huge discount of 29% off. This is a putter that is made from lightweight aluminum and has a back weight to lower the center of gravity and therefore provide more forgiveness when putting - let’s be honest, something we could all benefit from. The Spider GTX is not only one of the best TaylorMade putters, but one of the best putters in general that has been released over the past year and to be able to get it for such a good price, really is a steal.

Now you have a putter that will help you putt better, how about we get some practice in using the PuttOUT Premium Pressure Putt Trainer, a training aid that can be found at up to 28% off while the Prime Day sales are active. This device is so easy to set up and can be used on a green as well as at home on a putting mat or carpet. I have one of these at home and while it’s difficult and sometimes frustrating to get the perfect weight and balance on the target hole, my pace on the greens certainly improved as a result. There are plenty more training aids on offer during the Amazon Prime Days, and we put them all together here so you can take advantage of all that's on offer now.

The short game isn’t just about the putter, not even the best players in the world hit the green every time and so you’ll want to have some of the best wedges to help chip and pitch it close. The Cleveland RTX-6 wedge can be found for up to 11% off over the next couple of days. This wedge has had weight has been saved in the hosel to be redistributed elsewhere to make it more forgiving with longer wedge shots than the previous model. Brooks Koepka used the RTX-6 wedges in lofts of 52°, 56° and 60° to claim victory at the 2023 PGA Championship held at Oak Hill Country Club.

Finally, a bit of kit that is stylish but also can massively help you with your game, the Samsung Galaxy 5 Golf Watch. At 22% off this is a bargain with all the features it has to offer the user. The Galaxy 5 golf watch gives accurate yardages to the pin like all the best golf GPS devices, tracks your workouts, sleep and can even conduct a body composition analysis.

So there you have it, a quick round up of all the Prime Day deals that I think are great value and are going to help you play better golf! Don’t forget to check out our Amazon Prime Day live blog, where we'll be updating all the latest and best deals as we find them.

The United Kingdom swing of the summer has arrived for the PGA Tour, as this week’s Genesis Scottish Open will lead right into next week’s Open Championship. As has become a tradition, this week’s event serves as a warm-up for the fourth and final major of the season, as many of the world’s best will be on hand for it. 

While this field isn’t necessarily stacked, some heavy hitters will be in attendance, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leading the way as Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay trail just behind. Defending champion Xander Schauffele will also be on hand.

Let’s dive into the top five in my 2023 Genesis Scottish Open power rankings.

Before we get into our picks for the Genesis Scottish Open power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Genesis Scottish Open selections this week.

Genesis Scottish Open Odds

Genesis Scottish Open Course - Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland, United Kingdom

Located in northern Scotland, North Berwick is a links-style course that as yo would expect, features deep bunkers and tall fescue rough. It also features larger-than-average greens, requiring approach shots dialed in from the beginning. With the total length coming in at just over 7,200 yards, distance won’t be an issue but the brutal rough demands accuracy off the tee. 

Genesis Scottish Open Power Rankings

Scottie Scheffler (+650) (Bet $100 to collect $750) For the best Scottie Scheffler odds go to DraftKings

It’s almost being taken for granted just how impressive Scottie Scheffler has been as of late. In 18 events played this year, he’s finished in the top 25 in 17 and top 10 in 14. Since the RBC Heritage in mid-April, he’s finished no worse than T5.

Rory McIlroy (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850) Head to DraftKings for the best Rory McIlroy odds

Speaking of a guy that’s somehow quietly red hot, Rory McIlroy has finished T9 or better in five straight events to this point. With the Open just around the corner, look for a quality run-up for Rory.

Patrick Cantlay (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) DraftKings has the best Patrick Cantlay odds

Patrick Cantlay hasn’t played professional golf since the Travelers Championship, where he finished T4. One of the best all-around players in the field, he’s a real threat to win this week.

Xander Schauffele (+1400) (Bet $100 to collect $1,500) Go to DraftKings for the best Xander Schauffele odds

The defending champ also has a top 10 at this event the year before, and Xander Schauffele comes into this one playing great golf. In his last ten starts, he’s finished top 25 in all of them. 

Rickie Fowler (+1800) (Bet $100 to collect $1,900) DraftKings has the best Rickie Fowler odds

Who in this field is going to have more juice behind him than Rickie Fowler? Coming off an incredible win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, don’t be surprised with a strong showing here.

In July 2023, Rickie Fowler ended a four-year wait for a PGA Tour title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The victory was watched and praised by many and ended what has been a tough few years on the professional circuit, with Fowler rekindling his form of old.

Currently, he has finished inside the top 10 eight times on the PGA Tour, including coming close to winning his first Major at the US Open. Obviously, the performances are down to the work with coach Butch Harmon, but also the equipment Fowler has put in the bag, one of which is the impressive Aerojet LS driver, a model that is currently available with a significant discount. Having looked through some of Amazon's Prime Day golf deals, it's one of the best we've found, with the LS now available for under $470.

It is one of the best Cobra drivers we've tested and improves on what we loved in the LTDx Driver. As the name suggests, the technology that's been built into this club is designed to help it deliver more speed to your game. How you may ask? Well, Cobra has implemented a more streamlined shape in its design in a bid to help golfers swing through the ball faster.

• Read our full Cobra Aerojet LS Driver Review

While Fowler might not be the biggest hitter on the Tour, he is notably second best for his driving efficiency. That means he is one of the best players around when it comes to the amount of energy he can transfer to the ball using his club head speed. 

That certainly says a lot about the Aerojet, with its compact club head delivering lots of ball speed while also significantly reducing the amount of spin on the golf ball compared to its sister clubs, the Cobra Aerojet and Aerojet Max. 

One thing we did notice about this club was that it sounds a little muted at impact compared to some of the best golf drivers we've tested. Depending on your preferences, we thought that may be preferable for faster swinging players, who might not want too much of a metallic sound at impact. It also comes with a large sweet spot, a HOT Face and a PWR-BRIDGE, which Cobra say helps to aid the energy transfer between the club and the ball. 

• Check out his full set-up - Rickie Fowler What's In The Bag?

As we know, Fowler loves to wear some of the coolest designs in the game and this visually excellent club also offers plenty of shelf appeal. It boasts a matte black face and top line, which is contrasted against a glossy carbon fiber club head. 

Cobra have also added pops of red and blue on its sole that, again, add to the premium feel here. At an $84 saving during Prime Day, this club is an excellent option for any more experienced player or consistent ball striker looking for a low spin driver. 

The 2023 Genesis Scottish Open will get underway from the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, United Kingdom. After a couple of weeks without golf’s top players, the vast majority of the FedExCup and OWGR top ten will be competing in the Genesis Scottish Open field, headlined by World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Other notable names include Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, defending champion Xander Schauffele, and 2021 winner Min Woo Lee, who more than doubled Schauffele’s winning scorecard during his victory two years ago.

While the Genesis Scottish Open has been an event since opening in 2007, this is only the second year with the PGA Tour serving as a co-sanctioning entity, along with the DP World Tour, which is Europe’s version. 75 players from each Tour are set to compete at Renaissance Club this week, where the coastal winds, big greens, tall fescue, and deep-walled sand bunkers will be a stark contrast from the birdie fests we’ve watched during the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic the last couple of weeks. 

Ball striking will be huge, along with quality putting, per usual. Look for players from the United Kingdom, such as McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Matt Fitzpatrick, to feel a bit more comfortable competing at this links course, which is what most of them grew up playing on. That’s not to say fading players from other countries is a smart decision, as California native Xander Schauffele secured the outright win here a year ago with his sharp iron play. However, Rai, a British golfer, won this event in 2020.

Let’s explore the outright betting odds leaderboard as it currently sits, then recap previous winners, a few relevant betting stats, and an in-depth course overview of the Renaissance Club. Finally, I’ll reveal my favorite golfers with lucrative outright odds to wager ahead of Thursday’s first round from North Berwick, Scotland.

Before we get into our picks for the Genesis Scottish Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Genesis Scottish Open selections this week.

Genesis Scottish Open Betting Odds

2023 Genesis Scottish Open Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Xander Schauffele (-7)
• 2021 - Min Woo Lee (-18)
• 2020 - Aaron Rai (-11)
• 2019 - Bernd Weisberger (-22)
• 2018 - Brandon Stone (-20)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Strokes Gained Approaching the Green
• Greens in Regulation percentage
• Sand Save percentage
• Scrambling
• Total driving

Course Layout

The Renaissance Club is a par 70 that runs over 7,200 yards with all of the signature designs of a British golf links course. Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2007, the Renaissance Club will use coastal winds, deep sand bunkers, and massive greens to challenge golfers throughout the event.

Greens in regulation remains an important stat to focus on from an outright betting perspective, but hole proximity needs to be factored in as well. The deep walled sand bunkers are another staple of British golf links, punishing errant lies, along with the tall fescue serving as the primary rough, demonstrating why strong tee shots and approach shots will determine the fate of a player’s round. There are more trees located at Renaissance Club than seen at other golf links, while the doglegged fairways and lengthy par 3s are other difficult aspects to overcome on the quest of winning the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open. 

Top Players To Bet For Outright Genesis Scottish Open Winner

Rory McIlroy (+750) (Bet $100 to collect $850) Go to DraftKings for the best Rory McIlroy odds

It’s a bit chalky to start, but I like the form we’ve seen from Rory McIlroy during his last five events. The 34-year-old native of Northern Ireland struggled for a duration but has since tallied finishes of T7, T7, T9, second, and T7 entering the Genesis Scottish Open. McIlroy is well-known for his powerful driver, and strokes gained off-the-tee, ranking first in driving distance. However, his irons are pristine and do not get discussed enough. McIlroy ranks second tee-to-green, second off-the-tee, eighth approaching the green, and 13th around the green in strokes gained metrics. However, his putter is a liability on links courses with bigger greens than the standard 5,500 square foot average on the PGA Tour. This could wind up being an advantage for McIlroy. Let’s jump on these +750 odds now before McIlroy begins to climb the leaderboard.

Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200) (Bet $100 to collect $2,300) DraftKings has the best Matt Fitzpatrick odds

Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick logged a T6 finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, going -4-under-par in the second round to pull himself out of an over-par opening round. Fitzpatrick had an outright win at the RBC Heritage earlier this spring while ranking 18th in strokes gained putting, 24th in strokes gained around the green, and 38th tee-to-green. He’s a quality driver, ranked 42nd, which will be helpful at a links course like Renaissance. At 22/1, oddsmakers are bullish on Fitzpatrick, as we should be. He’s ranked 17th in scrambling, 11th in total putting, and 21st in bogey avoidance. Let’s lay a unit on Fitzpatrick to ball on a course layout he’s well versed in, relying on his irons and sound putting to go on a run this week at Renaissance.

Sungjae Im (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Sungjae Im odds

Sungjae Im went +7 and missed the cut at the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open, but I have faith in his outlook this week. He’ll be seeking revenge, which starts with making the cut. We’ve seen the 25-year-old South Korean native dip down a bit lately, but he’s still got seven T10 finishes this season. Plus, Im ranks as one of the best overall iron players, going 28th strokes gained tee-to-green, 21st off-the-tee, and 30th around the green. His putter is an asset, not a weakness, ranked 48th in strokes gained putting, along with ranking 22nd in total driving. Im has converted over 34 percent of birdie attempts, which is top-15 on the PGA Tour this year. I’m betting on a strong bounce-back but only laying half a unit, which is more than enough to remain valuable at 40/1 odds.

Aaron Rai (+7500) (Bet $100 to collect $7,600) For the best Aaron Rai odds go to DraftKings

2020 Genesis Scottish Open winner, Aaron Rai, has enjoyed a strong campaign on the PGA Tour in 2023. The 28-year-old Englishman has three T10 finishes, two of which have come in the last three events Rai has competed in. He’s ranked 24th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 36th approaching the green, and 33rd in total driving. His driving accuracy percentage is ranked sixth, which affords Rai the ability to avoid bad lies, such as fescue and sand traps. Rai’s strongest asset is finding greens in regulation, ranking 12th at a 69 percent conversion rate, but his putter will have to perform better in order to secure his second victory at this event in four years. 70/1 is pure value, so even sprinkling Rai’s outright odds is enough to return value on investment this week.

Seamus Power (+10000) (Bet $100 to collect $10,100) DraftKings has the best Seamus Power odds

We’re digging deep into the high-value with Seamus Power’s outright 100/1 odds to win the Genesis Scottish Open. The 36-year-old Irishman has three T10 finishes this season, alongside two career wins, including earlier this season at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Power just logged a T13 finish at a birdie fest at TPC Deere Run, but he’s another UK golfer who should feel comfortable early on adapting to the links course. Power ranks 48th in strokes gained around the green, 24th in strokes gained putting, and 18th in total putting. He converts over 32.8 percent of birdie attempts, which is 42nd on the PGA Tour, and he’s 15th in three-putt avoidance. A hot flat stick usually keeps a player in contention, even with other mediocre aspects to their game, so sprinkling on Power’s 100/1 odds feels like an obligatory longshot wager to place. Plus, he’s ranked 31st in par breakers, 12th in bounce back, eighth in par 3 scoring average, and 23rd for consecutive greens in regulation. This number is too long, and we need to take advantage of it before Power gets off to a solid start on Thursday at the Renaissance Club.

The Genesis Scottish Open is currently the only co-sanctioned event between the PGA and DP World Tour. It is one of the five tournaments that is part of the Rolex Series, so it also doubles as one of the DP World Tour's five premier events. For the second time ever, it will also provide FedEx Cup points as well. The event has been played on several different courses, but in 2019, it moved to the Renaissance Club. We’ve seen a wide variety of different scoring conditions at Tom Doak’s modern links design, and like most coastal courses in the area, the wind completely dictates how challenging the course will play. In 2021, Min Woo Lee defeated Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry in a playoff at 18 under, and yet last year, it only took a winning score of seven under-par for Xander Schauffele to triumph. While this event is always the week before the Open Championship, it still receives an incredibly strong field. Schauffele will return to defend his title, and he will be met by a worthy crop of challengers, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Viktor Hovland, amongst others.

Before we get into our picks for the Genesis Scottish Open, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Genesis Scottish Open selections this week.

Genesis Scottish Open: Course Preview

The Renaissance Club

The Renaissance Club is a modern links design from the mind of one of our most well-regarded current architects, Tom Doak. About 20 miles east of Edinburgh, the Renaissance Club is not far from some of the most iconic links courses in Scotland such as North Berwick and Muirfield. While it pales in comparison to many of the classics, this event is still a wonderful change of pace from the uniform target golf that we have grown accustomed to each week on the PGA Tour. The course features five par threes and four par fives, and while two of the par threes are quite short (147 and 161 yards), the other three all measure above 200 yards. Seven of the par fours also measure over 445 yards, so it should not come as a surprise that that nearly 50% of all approach shots come from over 175 yards. Under blistery conditions, the Renaissance Club ranked as the fourth most difficult course on the PGA Tour last year, featuring the sixth hardest set of par threes, the fifth hardest set of par fours, and the eight hardest set of par fives. 

While the Doak design featured standard 31-yard wide fairways, players were able find the short grass last year at only a 48.9% rate, which can easily be explained by the extreme winds. There was not a massive price to pay for missing the fairway, as the Renaissance Club ranked 37th out of 38 courses in missed fairway penalty. At the top of the leaderboard, there was a far more prevalent correlation between driving distance than driving accuracy. Shorter players such as Tom Kim, Tommy Fleetwood, Jamie Donaldson can still succeed here, but Xander Schauffele, Kurt Kitayama, Rasmus Hojgaard, Alex Smalley, Thomas Detry, and Dean Burmester all finished top-10 ranking well above average driving distance. This week, I will primarily be looking for players that possess power off the tee, are elite with their mid to long irons, and have shown an ability to perform both on slower greens and in windy conditions.

Genesis Scottish Open Classic Key Stats

• Long-term Proximity 175 yards plus
• Strokes Gained Putting: Slow Greens
• Driving Distance

Genesis Scottish Open: Outright Winner

Tyrrell Hatton (+2200) (Bet $100 to collect $2,300) DraftKings has the best Tyrrell Hatton odds

It’s hard to believe that Tyrrell Hatton has yet to find his way into the winner’s circle this year, but I believe that changes this week in North Berwick. Hatton is coming off another solid ball-striking ball-striking performance at the U.S. Open, and he has gained strokes ball-striking in every single start this season. He’s also firing on all cylinders with the flat-stick, gaining over a stroke putting in seven straight starts. With 15 made cuts, 10 top-30 finishes, and seven top-10 finishes in 16 starts, Hatton continues to knock on the door. The Renaissance Club presents a unique opportunity for the fiery Englishman, and he has finished top-25 in all three appearances at the Tom Doak design. Hatton checks all the boxes that I am looking for this week, and he possesses above-average power off the tee, long iron play, and is one of the absolute best slow green putters and wind players on the PGA Tour. It’s only a matter of time before Hatton is the last man standing on Sunday, and we’ll be hard-pressed to find a better opportunity and course fit than the blustery Renaissance Club.

As you can see from OddsChecker's odds comparison above, Tyrrell Hatton's odds range from +2000 to +2200. This means if you were to bet $100 on Hatton to win at DraftKings or Bet365, you would be giving up $200 worth of additional profit you could make just from betting with FanDuel or BetRivers!

Tommy Fleetwood (+2200) (Bet $100 to collect $2,300) Head to DraftKings for the best Tommy Fleetwood odds

Like Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood has done almost everything this season but find the winner’s circle. I would not be concerned by a surprising missed cut at the Travelers Championship, as before that, Fleetwood had recorded back-to-back top-fives at the Canadian Open and U.S. Open. Fleetwood faced a heartbreaking playoff defeat to Nick Taylor in Canada but followed it up the next week by gaining 12 strokes ball-striking in a major. Now Fleetwood returns to familiar territory in the Renaissance Club, where he already has a second and a fourth in three appearances. The Englishman has gained over 5.6 strokes ball-striking in two of his three visits to the Doak design and gained over three strokes putting in both of his last two. Fleetwood’s success at this event should not come as a surprise, as the 32-year-old possesses an elite short game, is one of the best slow green putters in the world, and has a sterling resume of success on challenging, windswept golf courses. Fleetwood should have no issues finding his way to the top of the leaderboard by week’s end. 

Once again, you can see the power of odds comparison. OddsChecker has flagged that Tommy Fleetwood is +2000 on BetRivers, +2100 on FanDuel, and +2200 at DraftKings and Bet365. Claim an additional $100 to $200 in profit just by betting your $100 on DraftKings this week rather than other popular sportsbooks.

Talor Gooch's prolific winning form in the LIV Golf League should be enough to "definitely" make the USA Ryder Cup team, according to Bubba Watson.

Two-time Masters champion Watson is Gooch's team captain with the Range Goats in LIV Golf, and he believes his fellow American is playing well enough to get one of Zach Johnson's six picks for Rome.

Gooch is the only three-time LIV Golf tournament winner after claiming the trophy at Valderrama last week, and is again among the favourites for this week's event at Centurion.

The 31-year-old is being talked about as a possible Ryder Cup rookie for America, and Watson says that alongside the resurgent Rickie Fowler, Gooch should be a captain's pick.

"Well, he has to be - gosh, I don't know where Rickie Fowler is on the Ryder Cup standings, but he's got to be up there, too," Watson said of Gooch.

"But I would have to say those two have been the impressive ones the last few weeks, just their high finishes and how they've been playing pretty much all year. 

"If they're not already - if Rickie is not already in in points, he's definitely getting a pick, and Talor should definitely get a pick. He's playing that well, and he plays really good outside the US."

Watson added that Gooch is very much a quiet man on his team, and just enjoys having his family with him while out playing golf.

"You know what, he's so quiet, he's so to himself. But having his family travel with him, being able to spend a lot of time with his family, being able to spend time with his young one, his in-laws, he's just down to earth, and he's just focused on the next shot," Watson added. "He's just been grinding out.

"Solid player, we've all known that, and for him to quietly jump ship out of nowhere to come over here because he loves team golf, it was cool to see."

Due to LIV Golf not receiving ranking points and Gooch not playing in PGA Tour events, he won't qualify through the USA Ryder Cup standings.

Like Brooks Koepka, who seems certain to qualify, and Dustin Johnson, who will be a big candidate for a pick, LIV players remain eligible for Ryder Cup selection.

For Gooch himself, he just wants to keep playing well to press his claims to be on the plane to Marco Simone Golf Club in September.

“The better I play, the more that is just going to be a discussion hopefully,” Gooch said after winning in Spain. 

"I’ve got to go win, and I’ve got to go prove that I’m worthy of having a discussion about.”

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Butch Harmon has insisted that Rickie Fowler has got to be on the US Ryder Cup team after the American claimed his first victory on the PGA Tour in four years at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last weekend. 

The legendary golf coach, who has worked with some of the greatest players to grace the game, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, also claimed that Fowler's win 'meant more to him' than the other Majors some of his past students had won. 

After his sensational performance at the US Open, Fowler has continued his excellent vein of form, this time winning a three-man playoff to end what's been a difficult few seasons and his four-year winning drought. 

He carded a final round four-under par 68, that included a dramatic birdie on the final hole, to force his way into the playoff, where he would go on to defeat Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin to clinch his sixth win on the Tour. 

The resurgent American has certainly turned things around this season, with Fowler securing eight top ten finishes from 20 events and has shot right up the FedEx Cup standings to eighth place - a far cry from his performances in recent years. 

And in light of his excellent recent form, his coach, Harmon, believes he deserves a spot on Zach Johnson's Ryder Cup team later this year. 

"No doubt about it," Harmon said to the Sky Sports Golf Podcast. "He has got to be on that team.

"No.1, everyone loves Rickie [Fowler] and No.2, you can pair him with anybody. Rickie is a perfect guy for the Ryder Cup and he will be in that team."

Fowler also admitted that gaining a berth in the tournament in Rome this Fall was one of his ambitions for the season.

“One of the end goals was to be a part of the Ryder Cup team and that's still what we're focusing on right now," he said following his win in Detroit. "I’ve been a part of a handful and they're very special weeks, so that's where I have kind of my eyes.”

He hasn't featured in the biennial tournament since 2018, but is currently 12th in the qualification places following his triumph at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. 

Prior to this weekend, Fowler's last win on the PGA Tour came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open back in 2019. 

But soon after that, he found himself battling with his form, dropping to 173rd in the Official World Golf Rankings last August, missing nine cuts, while making one top ten finish in 2022. 

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It prompted him to seek the advice of Harmon at the end of last year, who linked up with the American after having previously coached him for several years before parting ways in 2019. 

"This win for Rickie [Fowler] probably means more to me personally than all the Majors that I have had guys win that I've worked with," Harmon told Sky Sports. 

"From where he was, how down low he was not only in self-esteem but his game and his life, for him to come back the way he has come back means a lot to me. I'm so happy for him and his family.

"Rickie Fowler is good for the game of golf and he's back folks, so get ready to really enjoy it."

And during his post round press conference on Sunday, the world No.23 lumped praise on his coach saying he is "The best coach out there. It's more just the communication and talking and going back and him looking at videos, or what he sees on TV or stuff he can sees on TV or on the Tour app or whatever it may be.

"He does a great job with players, taking what they have and ultimately I think making them the best that they can be with who they are, how they swing and making what they do well that much better and bring up the weaknesses."

After a four-year drought, Rickie Fowler is finally back in the winner’s circle, much to the delight of his huge fan base. The popular American came close to ending his baron spell at last month’s US Open, only to wilt on the final day and finish in a tie for fifth. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, however, Fowler was not to be denied a first win since 2019, putting on an exhibition with his flat stick. 

After claiming an emotional victory, Fowler admitted it has “been a long road”. Had it not been for a red hot putter, it could have been even longer. So far as golf equipment is concerned, Odyssey’s Versa Jailbird putter has dominated the headlines recently.

Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley both lifted titles with it at the US Open and Travelers Championship, respectively. And Fowler’s playoff win over Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa made it a third consecutive win for the attractive mallet.

A closer look at the 34-year-old’s putting stats from Detroit make for impressive reading. Averaging 1.6 putts per Green In Regulation (GIR), Fowler ranked fourth in the field, and an overall Strokes Gained figure of 4.528 put him 12th. No one had more birdies (28), and his 27.86 putts per round ranked 16th. Understandably, his putter has attracted a lot of attention off the back of his recent displays on the greens.

Following his historic round of 62 at last month’s US Open, Fowler revealed that he had changed the length of his putter by an eighth of an inch, whilst also altering his grip pressure.

The six-time PGA Tour winner added a counterbalanced Odyssey Versa Jailbird mallet putter to his bag at the start of the year. Equipment fanatics will have noticed plenty of lead tape added for weight, plus he’s had a lengthy grip installed. But the high-contrast Versa alignment system is the same as what any golfer can buy off the shelf, with the contrasting block colors helping to show face angle and path.

“I was very shocked, because I never really looked into anything that was longer, counterbalanced, or anything like that,” Fowler explained at the start of the year. “It’s very interesting, but it’s kind of freeing me up in a way. I’m not changing stroke-wise, or setup, not gripping anything differently than my normal length putter. I just feel like it’s, I don’t know, kind of helping me do some things, and I don’t have to think about it.”

After admitting to not putting “how I’m used to” over the last few years, it now appears he has his confidence back. Plenty of other Tour players may soon see their confidence on the greens return, too, this season. 

According to Golf.com's Jonathan Wall, Joe Toulon (PGA Tour Rep for Odyssey/Callaway Golf) said over a hundred Jailbird requests were made across all tours after Wyndham Clark’s US Open win, the most the brand had seen in one week for a model since Rocco Mediate’s ‘08 US Open run with Sabertooth.

Rickie Fowler is targeting a place at this year’s Ryder Cup after his first win on the PGA Tour in 1,610 days at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Fowler shot a final round four-under-par 68, including a dramatic birdie on the last hole in regulation to force his way into a three-man playoff with fellow American Collin Morikawa and Canada’s Adam Hadwin.

Despite finding the right rough with his tee shot on the first playoff hole, Fowler produced a superb iron shot into the 18th green before sinking another birdie putt to win the playoff and claim his first PGA Tour win since the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February 2019.

Having come close to victory at the US Open last month after carding a record-breaking opening round, Fowler continued his good form with a T13 at the Travelers Championship last week before capturing his sixth PGA Tour title in front of a frenzied and partisan crowd in Detroit.

Fresh off his triumph, the resurgent American, who dropped to as low as 185 in the world rankings last September, has now set his sights on a place in USA's 12-man team for the Ryder Cup in a few months.

“One of the main goals this year was to win,” he said on Sunday. 

“Outside of that was obviously playing well and doing what I've been doing to make it to the Tour Championship.

“One of the end goals was to be a part of the Ryder Cup team and that's still what we're focusing on right now. I’ve been a part of a handful and they're very special weeks, so that's where I have kind of my eyes.”

The 34-year-old has played in four Ryder Cups since making his debut in 2010. Having missed USA's dominant 2021 Ryder Cup victory at Whistling Straits due to poor form, Fowler now sits 12th in the qualification standings for the US team.

The top six qualify automatically for the tournament, which this year is held at Marco Simone just outside Rome, while the other six are selected by US Captain Zach Johnson.

America will be searching for their first Ryder Cup win on European soil since 1993 when Tom Watson captained the side to a 15-13 win at the Belfry.

Max Homa is known as one of the good guys on the PGA Tour and, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he brought the surrounding crowds into raptures, with a hole-in-one on the par 3 15th, his second on the PGA Tour.

Starting his final round, Homa was -10 and well back of overnight leader Rickie Fowler. However, three birdies in his first five holes moved him up the leaderboard, before a bogey at the sixth and a birdie at the eighth kept him at three-under-par going into the back nine.

A bogey at the 13th followed, but Homa then made an incredible shot at the par 3 15th, with his 140-yard tee shot pitching just past the hole and spinning into the centre of the cup for the first hole-in-one of the week.

After the ball had dropped, Homa didn't seem too phased, as he calmly flicked his wrist and high-fived his playing partners. Not only did the ace move him to four-under for the day and -14 for the tournament, but it also moved him inside the top-25 as he faced his final few holes of the round.

Considering the relative ease of the track at Detroit Golf Club, the Rocket Mortgage Classic is still wide open for the taking. Rickie Fowler (-20) holds a slight one-stroke lead over Adam Hadwin (-19), while Taylor Pendrith (-18) sits two strokes off the pace. 

Fowler (-105) is the current betting favorite to secure the victory, while the subsequent Canadians are +360 and +750, respectively. Hadwin posted a nine-under third round, so it’s not too outlandish to say he can close the gap and win his first event of the campaign. 

Hadwin’s nine-under score was the best on Saturday, and he was followed by Fowler, Carl Yuan, and Lucas Glover, who all posted eight-under rounds. Yuan (-16) is one of five golfers in a T6 position, while Glover (-14) is one of six competitors at T11. 

As I mentioned above, the pedestrian course means this tournament is still up for grabs. From a betting standpoint, there’s plenty of value on the board. Let’s dive into my favorite bets for Sunday’s finale in the Motor City. 

Before we get into our Rocket Mortgage Classic picks, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic selections this week.

2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic Picks - Live Picks

Adam Hadwin to Win Outright (+360) (Bet $100 to collect $460) DraftKings has the best Adam Hadwin odds

You can easily argue for Rickie Fowler to hold onto his one-stroke lead and pick up the win on Sunday. He’s been excellent recently, finishing inside the top 20 in eight of his last nine tournaments. That streak includes four top 10s and a top five. However, the wins have eluded the 34-year-old, and he hasn’t won an event since the WM Phoenix Open in 2019.

That said, I don’t think it’s wise to play Fowler at -105 odds – especially considering the ease of the course. Instead, I’ll take a shot with the value play and lock in Adam Hadwin to erase the deficit and collect his second PGA Tour win.

This is the fourth time that Hadwin has played Detroit Golf Club, so he’s very familiar with the layout. Among the three prior attempts was a T4 (-16) finish in 2020. I expect the Canadian to build off of his top score on Saturday and chase down Fowler for the win. The +360 payout is simply too good to pass up. Let’s take a shot with Hadwin to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Carl Yuan Top Five Finisher (+320) (Bet $100 to collect $330) Go to DraftKings for the best Carl Yuan odds

I’m going to take a flier on Carl Yuan to finish inside the top five on Sunday at +320. There are some bigger names like Collin Morikawa (-16) and Aaron Rai (-17) in contention, but I don’t think the value is there from a betting standpoint.

Instead, I’ll ride with Yuan, who has continuously topped his previous score throughout the week—the 26-year-old shot -2 on Thursday, -6 on Friday, and -8 on Saturday. The eight-under third round propelled him into a T4 position at -16.

In my opinion, there’s room to move north on the leaderboard with unproven names like Taylor Pendrith (-18) and Peter Kuest (-17) above Yuan. Heck, even Morikawa is known for his Sunday struggles. Let’s take a shot on the Chinese-born golfer to climb into the top five! 

2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic Picks - Live Odds Entering Sunday

Rickie Fowler birdied the first playoff hole to win a dramatic Rocket Mortgage Classic and pick up his first PGA Tour title in more than four years.

Not since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open 1,610 days ago had Fowler tasted success but he ended his drought in style to take down Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin at Detroit Golf Club.

Since reuniting with Butch Harmon, the American has rediscovered some of his best form but had failed to turn that into a win, falling short at the US Open after taking a lead into the final round.

This was therefore an important Sunday for Fowler. He began the day one clear and extended his advantage with three birdies in his opening seven holes,  before a run of 10 straight pars left him playing catch-up to Hadwin and Morikawa, who set the clubhouse target at 24-under after a bogey-free 64. 

When the pressure was at its most intense, however, Fowler responded, firing an approach shot to three feet on 18 to set up a birdie that forced his way into the playoff. 

Sometimes to get over the line you need some good fortune and that's exactly what Fowler got as the trio returned to 18 with lightning incoming. A big right miss landed in the gallery but after taking relief left him with a good lie in the rough and a clear shot to the green.

He took advantage to turn the tables on his opponents before holing from 11 feet to confirm his return to the big time.

An emotional Fowler dedicated the win to his family on the 18th green.

"It's hard to really put into words," Fowler said. "Obviously a lot of good stuff this year and I've been playing some really good golf, so I knew it was just a matter of time with how I've been playing.

"I've had a couple of tough weekends where I've had a chance, you know at the US Open I didn't get it done, but at the end of the day getting to hang with [daughter] Maya and my wife, winning is great but there's a lot more to life than that." 

As well as a return to the winner’s circle and the $1.584 million first prize, Fowler is set to vault back into the world’s top 25, having fallen well outside the top 150 at his lowest ebb. 

Rocket Mortgage Classic Leaderboard 2023

*won in a playoff

• -24 Fowler*
• -24 Morikawa, Hadwin
• -21 Moore, Glover, Kuest
• -20 Schenk
• -19 Lower

Useful Links

• Rocket Mortgage Classic Live Stream
• Aberg Boosts Ryder Cup Chances With Stunning Audition Alongside Skipper Donald
• Bathroom Emergency Sends Rickie Fowler Into A Detroit Spin
• Rocket Mortgage Classic Prize Money

Hello and welcome

Welcome to live coverage from the final round of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Sunday tee times at Detroit Golf Club have been moved up with inclement weather predicted for later in the day, so the leaders are out imminently.

Everyone is chasing Rickie Fowler, who goes in search of his first PGA Tour title since 2019. It promises to be a thriller on a mammoth Sunday of sport, so strap yourselves in!

Morikawa on the move

Morikawa has already reduced his arrears to three with a birdie at the first. Behind, the final group is out on the course, with Fowler on the green around 30 feet away.

Alongside, Hadwin and Pendrith have good chances at the first from inside 15ft.

Fowler maintains lead

It's pars at the first for the final group, meaning Fowler remains a shot clear of Hadwin.

Morikawa within two

A birdie at the third for Morikawa gets him to -18 and within two of Fowler. The leader is safely aboard the second green and will have a good chance to make his first birdie of the day.

Conditions on the course are very wet but there's no rain falling currently.

Bogey for Pendrith

The Canadian finds the second green in regulation but a costly three-putt drops him back to -17 and three behind Fowler. 

Fowler and Hadwin make pars to remain -20 and -19 respectively.

Birdie for Fowler

The Sky Sports coverage has begun, thankfully. In time to report a Rickie Fowler birdie as well. The American is now -21 and two clear of Hadwin.

How Malnati got to -17?

The PGA Tour Policy Board member has been busy recently off the course, and he's making moves on it today in Detroit. This birdie takes him to -17 and into a share of sixth place.

Hadwin cuts Fowler's lead to one

The Canadian curls in a tricky left-to-righter for his first birdie of the day on the fourth. He's up to -20 and just one behind Fowler, who makes from 4ft for par.

Brolleys up

The rain has arrived to add another layer of intrigue to this final round. Hopefully it stays light and doesn't cause any delays. Time will tell. 

Hadwin and Fowler safely find the green on the 165-yard par-3 fifth.

What a putt!

What a time to hole a monster putt for Fowler. He pours it in for birdie from 46ft at the fifth to get to -22 and restore his two-shot lead.

Up ahead, Malnati makes another birdie and moves into a tie for third at -18.

How Rickie got to -22

This 46-footer got Rickie to -22 and two ahead.

Morikawa to -19

The two-time Major winner continues his assault up the leaderboard with another birdie on the par-5 seventh. He taps in to get to three-under for the round and -19 in total. He's three behind Fowler.

Schenk charging

Adam Schenk makes his fourth birdie in a row at the 10th to get to -19. He could cause an upset if he keeps this up.

Fowler is in decent shape in two on the par-5 seventh.

Another birdie for Morikawa

Morikawa makes it back-to-back gains with a birdie at the eighth that gets him to -20. He's momentarily within two of the lead until Fowler converts from 6ft on the seventh to get to -23.

Hadwin and Pendrith also birdie the seventh to get to -21 and -18 respectively. 

Hole in one!!!

Brightening up a fairly miserable Detroit day, Max Homa makes a cracking hole-in-one on the par-3 15th, landing his tee shot beyond the hole and spinning it back into the middle of the cup. 

It gets Homa to -14 and into the top 25. 

Hadwin closes in on Fowler

Fowler can only manage a par on the eighth, leaving the door open for Hadwin from six feet. The Canadian steps through with a birdie to get to -22 and cut Fowler's lead to one.

Audi performance zone

For anyone watching the Sky Sports coverage, can you let me know if you've ever seen Simon Holmes in a different outfit. Starting to think he sleeps in black shoes, black trousers and a black jumper. 

Morikawa to -21

A brilliant wedge into the 10th leaves Morikawa around 6ft for birdie and he converts to get to -21 and within two of Fowler.

Fowler hits a stunning tee shot into the 212-yard par-3 ninth but can't get the 15-footer to drop. He'll take a one-shot lead into the back nine. It's well poised.

Huge par save for Morikawa

Morikawa comes up short on the long par-3 11th and hits a pretty poor chip to around 12ft. Trailing by two, he can't really afford to take a backwards step and doesn't, slotting the par putt to remain -21.

In the final group, Fowler lengthy birdie putt on 10 shaves the edge but stays above ground. Hadwin also makes par, so it's as they were going to 11.

Another birdie for Collin

Here comes Collin. Another pinpoint approach on the 12th leaves him about 10ft for his sixth birdie of the day and he makes it to get to -22. He's now just one behind Fowler, who is on the par-3 11th green but quite a distance away.

Homa in the house

Max Homa, who made a hole-in-one earlier in the day, closes with a par and a round of 67. He leads in the clubhouse at -15 and will take encouragement from that after back-to-back missed cuts.

Schenk to -20

The American two-putts the par-5 14th for birdie to get to -20 and within three of Fowler. He'll need a storming finish to challenge for the win but you never know.

On the DP World Tour...

A storming finish - a birdie and two eagles in his final four holes - earned New Zealand's Daniel Hillier his maiden DP World Tour title at the British Masters. What an effort.

Weather update

The rain is chucking down here but it's not bad enough to suspend play yet. Greens are mega slow, with Fowler coming up short with his birdie putt on 13. He is able to mop up for par, though, and stay -23.

He's still one clear of Hadwin and Morikawa with five holes to go. The par-5 14th is up next.

Double bogey takes Moore out of contention

Taylor Moore's slim hopes of winning end on the par-5 14th with a double-bogey. The American hit his third into the water and couldn't get up-and-down to salvage a bogey.

There's a serious hold-up on this hole, with players taking shelter while they wait.

Morikawa ties Fowler at the top

This is sensational from Morikawa. He zips a wedge back to around 10ft on the par-5 14th and coolly pours it in the front door for his seventh birdie of the day to join Fowler on -23. 

Fowler finds 14th in two

A superb drive and fairway wood gets Rickie Fowler onto the par-5 14th green in two, meaning he'll have a great chance to surge clear again having been caught by Morikawa.

Ahead, Morikawa cleans up well from 4ft for par on 15 and finds the fairway on 16. Hadwin is still in the mix at -22 but it looks like a three-way shoot-out for the title.

Fowler three-putts

Nerves are starting to show here. Fowler lags his 73-foot eagle putt to 4ft but pulls his birdie effort and misses a huge chance to retake the solo lead. He remains tied with Morikawa on -23 as he heads to the short par-3 15th.

Hadwin also failed to make birdie so sticks at -22. 

Three-way tie at the top

Hadwin holes from 15ft to get to join Fowler and Morikawa on -23. Rickie is up next on the same line but from a couple feet closer and can't get his to fall, meaning there are now three tied at the top with just three holes left.

Advantage Hadwin on 16

Fowler does well to muscle a nine-iron onto the 16th green from the thick, wet rough, but he's left with 60 feet for birdie.

From the fairway, Hadwin has far more control and takes advantage, flighting an iron shot into 19 feet.

Morikawa takes on par-5 17th in two

Morikawa launches a drive on the par-5 17th and takes on the green in two with a fairway wood. It's all over the flag but stops a fraction long of the green and looks to have nestled on the collar between the fringe and the rough. Could be a tricky up-and-down from there.

Pars for Fowler and Hadwin

Fowler superbly lags his 60-foot birdie putt down to tap-in distance, meaning Hadwin has a putt to take the solo lead for the first time all day. He hits it well and it's tracking but it dives across the hole and misses left. 

The pair remain locked on -23 with Morikawa.

Morikawa hits the front

The two-time Major winner hits a great chip from the back of the 17th green down to about three feet and makes no mistake with the birdie putt. He takes the lead on his own on -24 as he heads to 18.

Birdie and 65 to finish for Glover

It's good to see Lucas Glover back in form. The 2009 US Open champion cleans up from 4ft at 18 for a birdie and a round of 65 to finish -21. 

Morikawa burns edge on 18, Fowler out of position

A good drive and iron shot into 18 leaves Morikawa a 20-footer for birdie and it looks set to fall but burns the edge on the high side. He drops to his knees but it won't change the result. He taps in for a brilliant 64 and sets the clubhouse target at -24.

On 17, Hadwin finds the par-5 green in two while Fowler is in the rough facing a tricky pitch shot. 

Hadwin birdies, Fowler pars

Hadwin cleans up from 4ft for a brilliant two-putt on the par-5 to join Morikawa on -23.

Fowler's pitch shot is lucky to bounce out the rough onto the fringe but he can't get his lengthy birdie putt to fall. He's now one behind and needs to birdie 18 to have any chance of winning for the first time in four years.

Kuest on a quest

This is a potentially huge Sunday for Peter Kuest, who Monday qualified for this event. He needs to finish in a two-way tie for fourth to secure Special Temporary Membership to the PGA Tour; he's currently in a three-way tie...

FOWLER!!!!!!

Fowler's tee shot narrowly avoids the hazard that runs up the left-hand side of 18 and he takes advantage, firing a laser-like iron shot from the semi rough to about 4ft. That was clutch.

Hadwin finds the rough off the tee and misses the green with his second, but he's not in bad shape in the first cut. A playoff looks likely but you never know...

Fowler makes, playoff time

Death, taxes and a PGA Tour event I'm covering going to a playoff. 

Hadwin chips to 4ft and makes the par putt to finish -24 and ensure we're going to a playoff. Can Rickie join them? Absolutely. He bangs it in the middle after an unbelievable second shot.

Fowler in trouble

Back to 18 we go. Morikawa is up first and pipes one down the middle. Fowler is next and he shells it well right and into the gallery. Hadwin joins Morikawa on the fairway.

Lightning isn't far away so it looks like we'll only have time for two extra holes.

Fowler hits a stunner

Rickie gets a huge break off the tee to pull a lie but boy does he make the most of it. From 184 yards he fizzes his approach to 11 feet.

Over to Hadwin and his approach lands close but it's loaded with spin and backs up some 20 feet away.

Morikawa goes aggressive and hits his approach over the green.

Amazingly, it's advantage Fowler.

FOWLER IS THE CHAMPION!

Hadwin hits a great putt but it just burns the edge on the left side. Morikawa is next from the thick rough and goes underneath it, leaving himself 7ft for par.

But it matters little as Rickie steps up and slots his birdie putt to win on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2019. He did it the hard way. Take a bow, Rickie Fowler.

The winning moment

Incredible scenes!

Thanks for joining

As ever, thanks for following along with us. It was a memorable day as one of the game's good guys returned to the winner's circle. We'll be back next week but until then, it's goodbye!

There's not been much stopping Rickie Fowler of late but, after going on another tear of low scoring at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he was hampered by a bathroom emergency.

The 34-year-old, who shot a 60 at the Travelers last week to follow up on that opening 62 at the US Open, was seven-under after 16 holes before back-to-back bogeys slowed things down. And he revealed afterwards that it wasn't a cold putter or a misplaced swing that had hindered his progress.

"To be perfectly honest, I had to go to the bathroom pretty badly, so luckily I just got drug tested so I went straight in. There weren't many bathrooms the last five holes so I was a little shaky coming in, and not to necessarily blame the finish on that, but it didn't help," explained Fowler.

Needless to say this will only be a short-term problem and Fowler's star is very much on the ascendancy. A year ago, at the same tournament, he would miss the cut and go on to finish the season in 133rd on the FedEx standings. This year has seen a huge turnaround in his fortunes, aided by the reunion with coach Butch Harmon.

"It's quite a bit different, just the confidence and self-belief and knowing what I'm capable of and what I've been doing and the consistency and kind of being able to build momentum. That was something that I definitely didn't have the last few years.

"Butch is great at just being a golf coach. It's not all about swing. So keeping it fairly simple, kind of one or two things that you focus on swing-wise. That's more in warm-up and practice, and have that one or so swing thought that you kind of go with out there.

"I finished tied for sixth or so in Napa to start the year. That was kind of the first step in the right direction. Then was in the final group in Japan. So having the couple finishes in the fall that I did kind of gave me something to lean on and build off of. That was a start, and then to continue it once we got back going in January."

This season Fowler has made 17/19 cuts with seven top-10s in there, including a tie for fifth at LA Country Club. He's now in 16th spot on the Ryder Cup rankings and, with six captain's picks in place, there is a chance of him returning to a competition that he has graced four times, the last of which was in Paris in 2018.

"I've kept up with or checked on points here or there, but it's not like breaking down points to see, oh, I need to finish this to move to a certain spot. Not having much or many points from last year on there doesn't exactly help me. Just keep doing what I'm doing, keep trying to play well and get some good finishes and we'll see where we end up."

Keegan Bradley says he’s “still got a lot to show the captain” after his home victory at the Travelers Championship catapulted him right into the thick of the race for the automatic spots in the Team USA Ryder Cup standings.

Bradley’s second win of the wraparound PGA Tour season vaulted him up 13 places in the Ryder Cup standings into seventh place – just one outside of the top six that get automatic places on Zach Johnson’s team for Rome.

The 37-year-old also rose up into No.18 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), which is his highest mark since 2014 – the year he made his second Ryder Cup appearance in his last outing for Team USA in any team event.

And Bradley is determined to get back onto Team USA as they look to win on European soil for the first time in 30 years – turning his attention to it immediately after his Travelers win.

"It is the first thing I said to my wife walking up to sign my card: This is a pretty big step towards (Ryder Cup qualification)," said Bradley after winning the Travelers.

"I'm 37 years old. I hope to play in multiple more. I don't know how many more with everybody so good and the younger kids, just the team is incredible."

The 2011 PGA Championship winner’s resurgence offers Johnson yet another option, but in a way adds to his selection headache with so many players pushing for inclusion.

Johnson already has the LIV Golf scenario to deal with – Brooks Koepka looks pretty safe in the third automatic spot, with a strong finish at the Open probably tying up his place, while Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark also look locked in.

It’s a scramble for the other three automatic spots though and the six captain’s picks could be tricky with Dustin Johnson wanting to play and having that brilliant perfect record at Whistling Straits in 2021 – he’d be tough to leave out.

You could also throw in Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed from LIV Golf, while among those currently outside of the automatic spots are Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau, Cameron Young and Sam Burns.

Bradley wouldn’t have been too high up on Johnson’s list for wildcards, but if he continues his form and manages to qualify or just falls short, he’ll have to also be thrown into what is a crowded mix for places.

Bradley has had mixed experiences in his two Ryder Cups, making a huge splash in 2012 despite the Americans suffering that huge upset defeat in the Miracle of Medinah comeback by Europe.

A splendid partnership with Phil Mickelson saw them win all three of their matches, before Bradley lost to Rory McIlroy in that epic Sunday singles.

Qualifying for 2012, Bradley was then a wildcard pick for captain Tom Watson at Gleneagles in 2014, where he went 1-2 and lost the decisive singles match against Jamie Donaldson – so he’ll be keen to get back in the side to put that record straight.

The PGA Tour returns to Detroit this weekend for one of the most popular summer events in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Like what we saw last week at TPC River Highlands, where the winning score was well over -20, the world’s best should tear this course up again. 

With the lack of elevated status, this week’s field is as expected light without the top players in the world, as Tony Finau and Colin Morikawa lead the way amongst the highest ranked in the field. Let’s take a closer look at my top five for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Before we get into our picks for the Rocket Mortgage Classic power rankings, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. With the offers below, you can turn $6 into $350 worth of bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic selections this week.

Rocket Mortgage Classic Odds

Rocket Mortgage Classic Course - Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, MI

Despite coming in at nearly 7,400 yards, longer than the Tour average, the best in the world have been known to eat this course (and its greens up). When the weather is nice, which we expect this week, the greens are amongst the friendliest on Tour. 

A Donald Ross design, Detroit Golf Club is a Par 72 that was founded in 1899, making it one of the oldest golf courses in regular rotation on the PGA Tour. One thing to look out for this week, the course suffered extreme damage due to a storm last weekend, and as such, some greens have been freshly surfaced. 

Rocket Mortgage Classic Power Rankings

Tony Finau (+1400) Bet $100 to collect $1,500 Get the best Tony Finau odds at DraftKings

Tony Finau dominated this event last year, winning with four straight days under 67 finishing the week at -27. He has been in a rut as of late since winning the Mexico Open in April, but this is the exact place to get the spark back. 

Rickie Fowler (+1400) Bet $100 to collect $1,500 Head to DraftKings for the best Rickie Fowler odds

The pain of losing the US Open has likely worn off for Rickie Fowler, as he returns to a place he’s had success at in the past. 

Collin Morikawa (+1400) Bet $100 to collect $1,500 DraftKings has the best Collin Morikawa odds

Making his debut here, Collin Morikawa finished T14 at the US Open and has quietly been playing some stellar golf despite last week’s missed cut. 

Max Homa (+1800) Bet $100 to collect $1,900 Go to DraftKings for the best Max Homa odds

Max Homa missed the cut at the US Open and last week at the Travelers but returns to a course he’s had success with an average score of 69.3 per round. 

Justin Thomas (+1800) Bet $100 to collect $1,900 For the best Justin Thomas odds go to DraftKings

There aren’t many tournaments left for Justin Thomas to make his debut, but he will be this week and comes in off a top 10 at the Travelers.

The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic is the next event on the PGA Tour schedule this week. Located at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, players will compete at one of the flattest terrain courses on the PGA Tour circuit, where we’ve seen course records and round records set several times since the inception of this event in 2019. 

Designed by Donald Ross, Detroit GC runs just under 7,400 yards and plays as a stock par 72, featuring four par 3s and four par 5s. The Poa Annua bentgrass green mixture is expected to run up to 12.5 feet via the Stimpmeter, while the size of the greens tends to be on the smaller side of average at 5,150 square feet. Bluegrass rough stands over four inches, punishing errant lies, while the undulations in the fairways, combined with tiered putting surfaces, makes Detroit GC a bit more cumbersome than past winning scorecards indicate. 

The RMC DFS slate still has plenty of big names that warrant attention, starting with defending champion Tony Finau, who went -26-under-par in 2022 to set the course record at Detroit GC. Finau already has an outright win at the Mexico Open a couple of months ago, but he’s riding a shaky slump right now, while Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa comprise the most expensive blue-chip prospects available to roster in DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups this week. 

Despite the absence of Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy at the 2023 RMC, there is plenty of talent to tap into, with a lot of players presenting terrific value, making them a great return on investment assets in our DFS lineups this week. Nate Lashley and Cam Davis are the other two previous outright winners in attendance in the field at Detroit GC, while plenty of other golfers have been heating up ahead of what could wind up being a birdie fest in the Midwest this weekend. 

As always, good luck! Let’s cash some PGA DFS contests at RMC this weekend to start July off with money in our pockets!

Before we get into our Rocket Mortgage Classic DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic selections this week.

DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary

Rickie Fowler ($10,400)

California native Rickie Fowler has been in strong command of his entire golf bag lately. He has recorded four consecutive T15 finishes, including a T5 at the third major of the year at the U.S. Open, while going -10-under-par in his third round at Travelers Championship, yielding a T13 finish after starting off even par. Cashing DFS contests is all about birdies since they are so valuable based on the weighted scoring system. Fowler has been a birdie machine, recording 41 birdies in his past two events, generating 95.5 and 111 FPPG during this streak. Don’t hesitate to roster Fowler, who ranks 10th in total strokes gained, including 48th putting, 25th around the green, 12th tee-to-green, and seventh approaching the green.

Hideki Matsuyama ($9,600)

We’ve seen Hideki Matsuyama go T13 and T21 at Detroit GC back in 2019 and 2020 before withdrawing from play in 2021. A year off from this course should not worry you about the Japanese golfer’s production, as he’s recorded 15-18 birdies in each of his last three events. Matsuyama averages 70.3 FPPG across 19 events this season, making 17 of the cuts while still seeking his first outright win. At under $10,000, this is a solid value to acquire for a player ranking eighth in scrambling, eighth tee-to-green, and 14th tee-to-green. Let’s lock Matsuyama up in DraftKings lineups with extreme confidence. 

Ludvig Aberg ($8,700)

Since March, Swedish amateur Ludvig Aberg has quickly made a name for himself on the PGA Tour. Aberg has made all five cuts thus far, averaging 70.3 FPPG, including 13-17 birdies in four of his five events. At just $8,700, this feels like a steal, especially since Aberg has three T25 finishes across his last four events played. There aren’t many flaws to Aberg’s game right now, so despite playing at a new course, his accuracy with irons, plus a hot putter, make him a prime buy-low candidate to target during roster construction on DraftKings.

FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary

Tom Kim ($10,900)

We watched Tom Kim go -9-under-par in the final round of the 2022 RMC, so expect the 21-year-old South Korean native to continue his greens in the regulation clinic. Kim ranks eighth in converting greens in regulation at nearly a 70 percent rate, 18th tee-to-green, eighth approaching the green, and 15th total driving. He’s left a lot of short birdie putts out of the hole, so his putting game needs to improve, but Kim has still managed to drain over 40 birdies in the last two events, which were against major and designated fields. I expect Kim to be a huge asset in FanDuel lineups this week, so pay up to roster this rising star.

Doug Ghim ($8,900)

Quietly, Doug Ghim has logged three consecutive T20 finishes across his last three events. The 27-year-old American has 17-20 birdies in each of his previous four outings, which makes him a screaming value at under $9,000 on FanDuel. A shaky start to Ghim’s PGA Tour season has evolved into strong T20 finishes, finding greens in regulation at over 68 percent while also ranking inside the top 40 for scrambling. Ghim tends to pop in the middle rounds, so don’t fret if he gets off to a sluggish start. I’m not concerned about him missing the cut at the 2022 RMC, as I value Ghim’s current form over his results from last season.

Harry Hall ($8,500)

Englishman Harry Hall nearly pulled off the outright win during the Charles Schwab Challenge last month, using a nice mixture of precise irons and red-hot putting to drain birdies and eagles with ease. Hall has regressed a bit since that happened, but it was not a fluke, as he managed a T10 finish during another birdie fest at the Mexico Open back in April. Hall has delivered 13-20 birdies in each of his last four events while playing better early to make five straight cuts. Any time I see a player ranked seventh in strokes gained putting, he warrants serious consideration in DFS. Such is the case for Hall, who also ranks 18th in strokes gained around the green while ranking inside the top 40 for a sand save percentage and 19th in birdie or better conversion percentage. Let’s scoop up Hall as a cheap commodity with a massive ceiling due to his play around and on the greens.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic is the next event set to get underway on the PGA Tour circuit. It’s the fifth annual edition of the RMC, held at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. The course has yielded red scorecards galore since its inception in 2019 when Nate Lashley set a first-round course record at -9-under-par en route to his -25-under-par victory at the inaugural RMC.

Last year, Tony Finau scorched the entire course, going -26-under-par to beat Lashley’s 2019 record by one stroke. Again, Finau leads the field at 12/1 odds for his current outright value. Still, his inconsistency in the last five events following his outright win at the Mexico Open makes him a risky favorite to pursue. Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa round out the top five outright betting favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, ranging from +1400 to +1800. 

It’s a relatively deep field despite the absence of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Jon Rahm. Tom Kim and Cameron Young flashed in certain rounds at the 2022 RMC, plus Keegan Bradley is fresh off of a dominant -26-under-par outright win at Travelers. Sungjae Im is certainly a force with his irons. Cam Davis has been quietly producing quality, albeit inconsistent, finishes, returning to the only event he has won during his four years on the PGA Tour. Let’s explore the current outright betting odds, followed by previous winners, a few relevant betting stats, and an in-depth Detroit Golf Club course layout.

We’ll finish with my top players to target for outright betting tickets and explain why each one is worth wagering on ahead of Thursday’s opening round from the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. 

Before we get into our picks for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic selections this week.

Rocket Mortgage Betting Odds

2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic Betting Preview

Previous Winners

• 2022 - Tony Finau (-26)
• 2021 - Cam Davis (-18)
• 2020 - Bryson DeChambeau (-23)
• 2019 - Nate Lashley (-25)

Relevant Betting Stats

• Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
• Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
• Driving Accuracy percentage
• Strokes Gained Putting
• Birdie Average
• Scrambling

Course Layout

Detroit Golf Club is a Donald Ross design, playing as a par 72 that runs just under 7,400 yards. This is the first time in several PGA Tour events that four par 5 holes will be featured throughout the course, each running various lengths, including the 635-yard fourth hole. Narrow fairways with undulations are the main challenge to overcome at Detroit GC, as the greens are slightly under average in size but tend to cede plenty of birdies and eagles.

The tree-lined, doglegged fairways will create challenging lies with errant tee shots, while there are much fewer water hazards than we saw at TPC River Highlands. Greens have been modified recently to increase the pace of putting velocity, but Tony Finau and four other golfers netted -20-under-par or lower on their final scorecard last year. Accuracy off the tee will be huge, along with strokes gained off-the-tee, tee-to-green, and of course, strokes gained putting. Players who can hit greens in regulation while sinking putts on their first attempt is the specific skillset to target when competing at Detroit Golf Club.

Top Players To Bet For Outright Rocket Mortgage Classic Winner

Hideki Matsuyama (+1600) (Bet $100 to collect $1,700) Get the best Hideki Matsuyama odds at DraftKings

Any time we’ve seen Hideki Matsuyama at the RMC, he’s been solid, excluding his withdrawal after the first round in 2021. The Japanese native has been heating up lately, recording two T20 finishes in two of his previous three events played. Matsuyama is ranked 14th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 21st in approaching the green, eighth around the green, and eighth in scrambling. His putter has been a weak point in his game this season, but Matsuyama is rounding into form, returning to a course where he’s logged previous finishes of T13 and T21 in 2019 and 2020. At 16/1, let’s wager a healthy unit or two on one of the PGA Tour’s most proven players at a course that fits his skill set.

Cam Davis (+3000) (Bet $100 to collect $3,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Cam Davis odds

2021 RMC champion Cam Davis has climbed up to 30/1 for his outright odds after opening at 35/1 at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Aussie has only been on the PGA Tour for four seasons, with his lone win coming at Detroit Golf Club. When Davis is playing well, he can conquer any course, but his bad days can quickly erase him from atop the leaderboard. After missing the cut in 2019 and 2020, Davis won outright in a three-man playoff in 2021, then followed it up with a T14 finish in 2022. He went -12-under-par in his final two rounds at the 2022 RMC. Plus, he ranks ninth in strokes gained off-the-tee, 37th tee-to-green, and 12th in final-round scoring average. If he’s inside the top 20 once Sunday arrives, there’s a strong chance we cash his 30/1 outright odds, so let’s bet a unit or two for Davis to double-dip for his second career win at the same event, just like Corey Conners did at Valero earlier this year.

Brian Harman (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) DraftKings has the best Brian Harman odds

Brian Harman has seen his outright odds climb from 40/1 to 35/1, so we need to get on this number ASAP before it gets even shorter. The 36-year-old Georgia native has two career wins, but he’s currently riding a six-year win drought. Harman has begun to find his rhythm lately, recording an impressive T2 finish at Travelers last week while recording a T7 at RBC Heritage a few months ago. Harman is either going to deliver a strong performance or miss the cut, but he’s only missed one cut in his last four events. Plus, he’s ranked 52nd in strokes gained putting, 46th off-the-tee, 32nd greens in regulation, and 30th in total driving. While he doesn’t completely dominate one metric, Harman’s constantly steady and positions himself nicely with sharp irons and tee shots, avoiding bad lies and navigating to pars and birdies. 35/1 is still good value; although Harman has been absent from the RMC the past two years after missing the cut in 2019 and 2020, but his current form overrides his course form for me, making him a solid prospect to bet a unit on for the 2023 RMC outright win.

Stephan Jaeger (+4500) (Bet $100 to collect $4,600) Go to DraftKings for the best Stephan Jaeger odds

German golfer Stephan Jaeger produced a T5 finish at the 2022 RMC, going -4-under-par or lower in each of his four rounds at Detroit GC. He has not had a strong year, logging one T25 finish in his last four events played, but he has made the cut in seven consecutive outings. The final round has been Jaeger’s Achilles heel, going 76-76-76-74 during this relative slump. I don’t expect that trend to continue at a course where Jaeger is comfortable playing, ranking 11th in strokes gained around the green, 31st tee-to-green, and finding greens in regulation over 68 percent of the time. Let’s sprinkle on the 34-year-old German’s 45/1 odds before he produces his signature low-scoring first round. 

The PGA Tour heads west to Detroit, Michigan, for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a tournament that is still in its relative infancy. The event replaced the Quicken Loans National on the schedule and is the first PGA Tour event to be held completely in the Detroit city limits. Detroit Golf Club, an iconic Donald Ross design, is our host course, and while it may struggle to stand up to the modern game, it remains a wonderful course to watch golf on, and the event always produces great fan turnout and energy. 

While this is certainly a sleepy part of the jam-packed PGA Tour schedule, the Rocket Mortgage Classic will have its best field in tournament history, with 14 of the top 40 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. Tony Finau will return to defend his title, and he will be joined by the likes of Max Homa, Justin Thomas, Sungjae Im, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Tom Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, and recent Travelers Championship winner Keegan Bradley. I have always felt that this event deserves a stronger field, and it’s certainly exciting to see some of the World’s best show up in Detroit this week.

Before we get into our picks for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. We have teamed up with OddsChecker to ensure that you turn $6 into $400 worth of guaranteed bonuses, or you can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic selections this week.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Course Preview

Detroit Golf Club

Designed in 1916 by famed architect Donald Ross, Detroit Golf Club fits the prototype of a classical, tree-lined, Bent-grass course that pros tend to tear apart. While measuring a stout 7,370 yards on the scorecard, the golf course plays much shorter than that, as the average driving distance is nearly 10 yards longer than Tour average. Hot, humid, and muggy conditions aid in the distance, and this is not a golf course that in any way deters plays from bombing drivers on nearly every hole. Everything is all out in front of you at Detroit Golf Club, and there are no real hazards that players need to be concerned with. Last year, it ranked 35th out of 38 courses in a fraction of missed fairways that resulted in a penalty stroke and 37th out of 38 courses in penalty strokes per round. 

As a result, it should not be a surprise to see power hitters such as Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Davis, and Tony Finau win in the last three editions. While length off the tee is certainly advantageous at Detroit Golf Club, it’s far from a necessity. Wedge play and putting is still the name of the game. While elite drivers of the ball are not able to do much to separate themselves on this golf course, players who excel from inside 125 yards will have a huge advantage. Even more importantly, 40.1% of strokes gained at Detroit Golf Club have come with the flat stick, which certainly forces us to put the Ross design in the category of a “putting contest.” 

Like all Ross courses, these greens do have some character, and putting is the hardest strokes gained metric for players to gain strokes in, but the lack of firmness prevents these greens from truly having some bite. Putting inside 15 feet will remain absolutely essential this week, as scoring opportunities will be plentiful. I will primarily be looking for players who excel inside 125 yards, are elite at generating birdie looks, possess the ability to heat up with the putter and have a tendency to raise their baseline in easy scoring conditions.

Rocket Mortgage Classic Key Stats

• Long-term Proximity 100-150 yards
• Putting 5-15 feet
• Opportunities Gained

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Outright Winner

Tony Finau (+1200) (Bet $100 to collect $1,300) BetMGM has the best odds for Tony Finau

Despite being the defending champion, Tony Finau is flying relatively under the radar this week due to some understandable concerns about his recent form. While the six-time PGA Tour winner has failed to finish in the top 20 in his five starts since winning the Mexico Open, the ball-striking has never wavered. Finau is coming off a ho-hum 45th at the Travelers Championship, where he gained strokes in both ball-striking categories, including over three strokes off the tee. There’s absolutely nothing to prove in terms of course fit, and I would argue that Finau is a better player now than he was at this time last year. 

I would make that claim mainly due to the elevation of his approach play this season, as Finau remains the number two iron player in this field, behind only Collin Morikawa. Even more impressive is the fact that he ranks second in opportunities gained, third in birdies or better gained, first in par five scoring, and first in easy scoring conditions. My numbers suggest that despite a recent slump, Finau is still the class of this field, and this is the perfect time to buy on an elite talent that is playing far better than his results would suggest.

Mark Hubbard (+10000) (Bet $100 to collect $10,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Mark Hubbard odds

While I know Mark Hubbard disappointed many as a trendy pick last week at the Travelers Championship, I would not be so quick to hop off. Hubbard missed the cut on the number at TPC River Highlands while still gaining three strokes on approach. The 34-year-old’s irons have been absolutely on fire of late, as he has now gained over three strokes on approach in four straight starts. I love the way that Hubbard is hitting the ball right now, and I do not particularly feel that his lack of driving ability is really going to hurt him much at this course. 

With so many approach shots inside 125 yards, Detroit Golf Club should fit Hubbard’s ideal proximity ranges even better than the recent courses he has been tearing up. He also ranks 10th in this field in easy scoring conditions, and with strong performances at TPC River Highlands and TPC Deere Run, I have very little concern about his ability to keep up in a Bent-grass birdie-fest. While he has missed his last two cuts here, Hubbard finished 12th at the Ross design on debut and has gained ball-striking strokes in all three appearances. Coming off a very misleading missed cut, this is a great time to hop on one of the hottest approach players in the field.

You can see the power of odds comparison. OddsChecker has flagged that Mark Hubbard is +800 at BetMGM and Bet365 but +10000 at DraftKings. Claim an additional $200 in profit just by betting your $2000 on DraftKings this week.

Rickie Fowler came within one shot of joining golf’s exclusive 59 club in the third round of the Travelers Championship before eventually settling for a 10-under effort of 60.

However, despite just failing to join the likes of Justin Thomas, Adam Hadwin and Jim Furyk as a player who has shot golf’s magic number, Fowler’s effort at TPC River Highlands is still the lowest in his PGA Tour career.

It is also the latest indication that the World No.35 is close to his very best form after a run that had seen him drop as low as 185th in the world rankings just nine months ago.

Starting on the 10th, Fowler began the day steadily enough with successive pars. However, he then served notice of the fireworks to come with five birdies in the next seven holes to leave him on 30 at the turn.

Two more birdies followed on his 10th and 11th holes, and it got even better for Fowler with three holes to play with an eagle on the par 5 sixth.

He shot another birdie on the penultimate hole, leaving him needing his ninth of the day on the final hole to shoot 59. It wasn’t quite to be as his birdie putt from just over 13ft left him adrift by 16 inches.

Still, Fowler will have returned to the clubhouse delighted with the state of his game and he heads into the final round at 15 under. That puts him in with an excellent chance of claiming his first PGA Tour win since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open.

Fowler’s impressive performance in Connecticut this week is the latest in a series of eye-catching displays in recent months, including three top-10 finishes in his last three starts.

That included a T5 in last week’s US Open, which featured a record for the number of birdies at the Major – 23. That resurgent form has also closely correlated with his decision in September to split with coach John Tillery and return to the legendary Butch Harmon.

After his third round, Fowler attributed his return to form at least in part to that decision. He explained: “I learned a lot over the last few years working with Tillery and being back with Butch and getting back to focusing on a few key things and where I’m in a position where I can go out and play golf with as limited thoughts as possible.”

Despite not quite making 59, Fowler revealed he had shot the score once, albeit not on the PGA Tour. He said: “I shot 59 at MaKena. I can't remember - it was a few years back. Rahm and I were playing together. I think I ended up winning the match 1-up. I shot 59, he shot 60. It was a grind.”

A few weeks before reuniting with Harmon, Fowler also split with caddie Joe Skovron and currently has Ricky Romano on the bag.

Fowler's achievement in the third round follows an identical score carded by Denny McCarthy in the first round of the tournament. 

Min Woo Lee's season is going from strength to strength though his success at last week's US Open has come at a price, of sorts.

The Aussie was all set to go from LA Country Club to this week's KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Baltusrol where his sister, Minjee, is going for her third Major.

Everything was all sorted and then a closing 67 in Hollywood saw him into a tie for fifth with Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler and the top 10 gave him a spot in this week's designated event at the Travelers where he began his week with a 66.

His friend Adam Scott spurred him on with the offer of a place on his private plane if he made it into the top 10 and so Lee made his way to Connecticut rather than New Jersey.

"Yeah, I was supposed to go. Everything was booked. Booked a house and media stuff, too, for this week at the KPMG, and obviously ended up top 10ing into this tournament. Sorry, sis. Had to come play here. She's probably happy. I annoy her too much."

In an interview with Golf Monthly we asked Lee how the siblings differ and who takes after who?

"If we had a hybrid of both of us it would be pretty special, mum and dad should have made another baby! My sister is very level-headed and doesn’t get emotional, she hits every shot good, she’s like a robot and then she holes the putts. I try to make golf fun for myself and you can see the emotion and you can tell how I’m playing whereas with my sister you wouldn’t know if she was 10 under or 10 over," Lee explained.

"Off the course I’m more like my dad and my sister is more like my mum. I'm like a lot of younger brothers where the older sister gets annoyed. Our mum, Clara Lee, was a golf pro and we would go and hang out while she was teaching and learn a little bit like that. She was on the Korean tour and then we moved to Australia before my sister was born."

Lee is now moving in elevated company these days and he's now up to 49th in the world. He now has special temporary membership on the PGA Tour and his star is on the up.

"There was a bit of pressure just after The Players because I just missed out by a shot (on the temporary membership) or something like that. After I got it, it was fine. Nothing really has changed. Still trying to have fun and enjoy it, and just really I guess the only thing that's changed is my golf ball. When it did get windy I did struggle, so we had to look at options with my golf ball.

"I changed, and ever since then it's been pretty solid, since PGA. I changed just at the beginning of the PGA Major and I just ended up playing good, so it was a really good change."

Wyndham Clark says he used the fact he was underestimated as inspiration to win the US Open.

Clark entered the tournament 32nd in the world rankings with no Major wins to his name. That had all changed by Sunday evening, even though he began the final round up against the likes of four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, five-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler.

Clark had served notice that he was running into some excellent form with his win in the Wells Fargo Championship in May, but he has largely flown under the radar in recent months, despite a string of strong performances.

Speaking to Sirius XM’s PGA Tour Radio, Clark revealed those who were paying attention would have seen his Los Angeles Country Club victory coming. He said: “People really watching the golf over the last, whatever, months, I feel like maybe other than Scottie I was playing better golf than all of them to be honest.

“I’ve made a million cuts, I’ve contended in a lot of tournaments. I had a really good chance to win at Memorial, I won at Wells... had a chance to win at New Orleans, had a chance to win in Dominican, had a chance to win at the Phoenix Open, so I’ve had a lot of really good chances to win. “

While that underdog status may have worked in his favour, though, Clark admitted the fact most didn’t see him as a contender had annoyed him. He continued: “It kind of p***** me off walking around and everyone was chanting ‘Rickie’ and ‘Rory’ and I get it, they’re fan favourites, but everyone kind of wrote me off. Even JT in his tweet was like: ‘I see Xander coming out hot’ and this and that - no mention of me and I was like: ‘Alright, boys, you know, get ready for it.’”

Even then, Clark revealed his form wasn’t as good as it could have been in the opening rounds, despite remaining well in contention going into the weekend. However, he revealed it improved just at the right time.

He said: “To be honest I wasn’t hitting my irons that great early in the week and as the week started going on I felt like my best golf was still out there and it obviously got tougher on the weekend but I felt like I was getting better and better as the week went on so it definitely fuelled some fire having no one rooting for me.”

There was little time for Clark to recuperate following his win as he plays in the latest designated event on the PGA Tour, the Travelers Championship, this week. Before the tournament, Masters champion Jon Rahm urged Clark to “make sure you celebrate” and added: “After winning I'm pretty sure he doesn't care how it goes this week.”

Even with the emotional rigours of the US Open and the quick turnaround from California to Connecticut, considering his form, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Clark challenge at TPC River Highlands too.

The drama of the final round of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club appears to have captured the imagination of TV viewers.

Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal group has reported on Twitter that NBC’s coverage drew 6.2 million viewers as Wyndham Clark saw off the challenge of Rory McIlroy to claim his maiden Major title.

That’s an increase of 800,000 on the same stage in 2022 as Matt Fitzpatrick closed out the victory, while it is also the highest number since 2019, when Gary Woodland thwarted Brooks Koepka’s efforts to claim a third successive title with a three-shot win.

On that occasion, 7.3m watched the action, although there was an alarming drop the year after in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the tournament was played in September and just 3.2 million saw Bryson DeChambeau claim the title. However, the year after, there was a significant bump as 5.7m watched Jon Rahm win his first Major at Torrey Pines.

One factor that could have helped boost viewing figures in the 2023 tournament's final round was the performance of the ever-popular Rickie Fowler, who had been in contention to claim his first Major before fading on as the day progressed. 

However, the tournament was not without its critics, with the likes of Brooks Koepka, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland airing frustrations with the course, while there were relatively low crowd numbers.

However, despite those niggles and the fact that one of the game’s biggest draws,15-time Major winner Tiger Woods, was absent as he recovers from ankle surgery, the figures will surely offer plenty of encouragement, particularly with the disappointment of those for the previous Major, May’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

Back then, despite headline-grabbing stories including club pro Michael Block producing a fairytale week and Koepka claiming his fifth Major win, the figures across the tournament slumped to a 15-year low. 

Thankfully, it appears that was an anomaly as the third Major of the year enjoyed a boost similar to the first, April’s Masters at Augusta National. That was the most watched golf telecast in five years, as over 15 million watched Rahm clinch the title.

Attention will soon turn to the figures for the final Major of 2023, The Open at Royal Liverpool, which takes place between 20 and 23 July.

It's time for one of the most loved PGA Tour events to return as the Travelers Championship gets set to begin in Hartford, Connecticut at TPC River Highlands.

The event is always well attended by many of the PGA Tour's finest but this year is slightly different as it has been elevated as one of the tour's 'designated' events, meaning it carries a huge $20m purse and a field made up of nearly all of the top players on the tour.

The event dates back to 1952 and has been played at TPC River Highlands since 1984.

After the thrilling US Open last week at Los Angeles Country Club, a number of big names will be arriving in Connecticut in great form, especially some notable TaylorMade players including Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler and Rickie Fowler, who were all inside the top five at Los Angeles Country Club.

Here we take a look at why they might be able to continue their form into this week and get their name on the Travelers Championship trophy on Sunday evening...

Travelers Championship Key Info

5 Players To Watch At The Travelers Championship

Rory McIlroy

• World Ranking: 3
• PGA Tour wins: 23

View Rory McIlroy What's in the bag?

McIlroy arguably played the best golf of anyone last week, leading the field in greens in regulation at LACC. Unfortunately his bogey on the par 5 14th ultimately cost him a chance of a playoff but a 2nd place finish shows that his game is in great shape for the rest of the summer.

The Northern Irishman was top-20 here last year so clearly likes the course and will surely be towards the upper echelons of the leaderboard as he looks to pick up his first PGA Tour win of 2023 and second victory in total after winning the Dubai Desert Classic in January.

Scottie Scheffler

• World Ranking: 1
• PGA Tour wins: 6

View Scottie Scheffler What's in the bag?

The World No.1 simply can't stop featuring near the top of leaderboards, with his T5 at the US Open incredibly being his ninth top-five of 2023 already (which includes two victories as well!)

Scheffler was 3rd in LA and, like McIlroy, looks destined to be challenging for another win this week.

The Texan ranks 1st in the PGA Tour's strokes gained category for off tee tee, tee to green, approach and total this season but is down in 138th for putting - although he ranked T21st on the greens at LA Country Club so perhaps his fortunes are beginning to turn with the flat stick.

A good putting week for the 26-year-old will make him almost impossible to beat.

Rickie Fowler

• World Ranking: 35
• PGA Tour wins: 5

View Rickie Fowler What's in the bag?

Rickie so nearly won his maiden Major title last week in what was one of his career-best performances through three days in LA. He made more birdies than anyone at the US Open (23) and ranked T3rd in putting for the week.

The five-time PGA Tour winner and two-time DP World Tour victor became the first man in history to shoot 62 in a US Open and is now one of three men to have carded the magic number in Major championships.

His T5 was his best Major finish in over five years and his world ranking continues to climb. It's now up to 35th, having been outside the top 100 at the end of 2022. 

He'll surely fancy his chances to win his first PGA Tour title since February 2019 this week.

Tommy Fleetwood

• World Ranking: 20
• DP World Tour wins: 6

View Tommy Fleetwood What's in the bag?

After his agonising playoff defeat at the RBC Canadian Open, Fleetwood followed it up with some more brilliant golf at the US Open with a T5th.

The Englishman shot a 63 in the final round at LACC to become the first man in history to shoot multiple 63s in US Open final rounds, after also doing it at Shinnecock Hills in 2018.

Fleetwood really is looking back, or at least very close, to his best this year with a T5 at the US Open, 2nd at the RBC Canadian Open, T5 at the Wells Fargo Championship and T3 in the Valspar Championship over the past few months.

Surprisingly he still hasn't won on the PGA Tour yet, but it's surely only a matter of time. 

Collin Morikawa

• World Ranking: 19
• PGA Tour wins: 5

View Collin Morikawa What's in the bag?

Morikawa got off to a slow start in the US Open and looked close to missing the cut on Friday but he rallied with three birdies in his final four holes to card a 69 and comfortably make it into the weekend.

He then shot back-to-back 69s on Saturday and Sunday to rise up the leaderboard and post a T14 finish.

The two-time Major champion has had an average start to the year by his very high standards but his impressive finish at the US Open could be the catalyst for a win this week and a glorious summer as he looks to book his spot in his second Ryder Cup later this year.

For more on all of TaylorMade's Tour Staff and the company's products, visit the TaylorMade Golf website

The last thing on Wyndham Clark’s mind this morning will be world rankings, but there are a lot of perks to winning the US Open, and the new champion will wake up today to find himself inside the top 15 and with potentially a lot more to look forward to this year.

Clark held off an incredibly strong field to capture just his second PGA title at Los Angeles Country Club, his first coming just last month at Quail Hollow. World number one Scottie Scheffler and the third best player on the planet, Rory McIlroy, were the big fancies on the final day, as was joint overnight leader, Rickie Fowler – but it was Clark who prevailed.

The 29-year-old entered his seventh Major Championship ranked number 32 in the world. He’d been down at 80 prior to that win at the Wells Fargo Championship, and as low as 163rd at the end of last year. Now, though, he sits in a rather more lofty position – 13th – and, perhaps more importantly, at number two in the US Ryder Cup standings.

“You know, this is now my second win on the PGA Tour,” reflected the 2023 US Open champion “The first one was surreal and this one is surreal. It hasn't quite hit me yet. Walking up 18 was pretty emotional, and then finishing. It's been a whirlwind of the last five, six weeks.”

It was an emotional victory Clark, who almost gave up the game because of the heartache of losing his mother to breast cancer in 2013. Bit by bit, though, he’s turned himself into quite the player, someone who Justin Thomas described on Twitter as “one of golf’s next biggest faces.”

Clark himself is unlikely to make any big predictions about what the future may hold, but he’s understandably proud of the progress that he’s made. “I feel like I belong on this stage, and even two, three years ago when people didn't know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world,” he said. “I felt like I've shown that this year.

“I've come up close, and obviously everyone sees the person that hoists the trophy, but I've been trending in the right direction for a long time now. I've made a lot of cuts. I've had a handful of top 10s and top 20s, and I feel like I've been on a great trajectory to get to this place.

“Obviously it's gone faster than I thought as far as just starting to do some stuff mentally that I've never done before, but I feel like I'm one of the best players in the world. Obviously this just shows what I believe can happen.”

Clark will now head to the Royal Liverpool for the 151st Open Championship, where he’ll be confident of bettering last year’s tied 76th finish. Beyond that, he’s put himself right in the mix for a first appearance at the Ryder Cup, which takes place in Rome at the end of September.

Although Rickie Fowler came up shy at the US Open, he can take a lot of positives from his week at Los Angeles Country Club, with the American back in the Major contention picture and, in the process, picking up his best result in the top-four tournaments since the 2018 Masters.

Finishing in a share of fifth, it was only the final day that let the 34-year-old down, with Fowler finishing five shots back of eventual winner and good friend, Wyndham Clark, who fired a level-par score on Sunday to pick up a first Major title and one shot victory over World No.3 Rory McIlroy.

Speaking after his final round 75, Fowler stated: "I told him (Clark) obviously congrats and proud of him, him being a guy that was at Oklahoma State. He obviously didn't finish there. He went to Oregon to finish up, but he's still a Cowboy.

"We had a good time the last two days. I feel like we both enjoy going out and chatting throughout the round and keeping it fairly -- try and keep things light, but it's still a Major in the final group the last two days. Then yeah, the last -- I went back in there and just said, your mom was with you. She'd be very proud."

10 years ago, Clark lost his mother following a lengthy battle with breast cancer, with the American visibly emotional as he celebrated his US Open victory on Sunday. “I know my mom is proud of me," Clark stated after his final round. "She's always been proud of me, regardless of how I'm doing or what I'm doing. I just wish she could be here and we could enjoy this.”

Although Fowler missed out on Major glory he remains positive following this week and, with a stacked run-in culminating in a Ryder Cup in September, the American has certainly put his name amongst the favourites to make it to Marco Simone in just three months time.

"I definitely think we're heading the right direction," claimed Fowler. "It's been nice to be back and have chances in tournaments or at least getting solid finishes and turning weeks that maybe not having my best stuff and maybe finish top 20 or top 10 or whatever it may be.

"Like I've mentioned before, I feel like I get more out of those weeks knowing that when I do have my good stuff, I know I can go in and go toe to toe with anyone. We had a lot of good stuff this week. Unfortunately today we just couldn't get it going. The last 10, 12 months has been great. I'm heading the right direction, and we're still going forward and up."

Wyndham Clark says he "couldn't see" for the last two holes of Saturday's US Open third round due to darkness after late tee times at LA Country Club.

The final group didn't tee off until 3.40pm on Saturday afternoon, meaning not only was it very late viewing in Europe and later-than-usual timings for the US east coast, but the golfers also struggled with vision at the conclusion of the round.

Clark said they were playing "twilight golf" and put his bogey on the 17th as well as playing partner Rickie Fowler's bogey on 18 down to the darkness as the clouds began to sweep over LACC around 8pm local time.

"Yeah, I mean, it's a little ridiculous that we teed off that late," Clark said after his one-under-par 69.

"I would say right around hole 15 or 16 it started getting to where you couldn't see that well. I mean, I don't personally understand why we teed off - we played twilight golf.

"At the end, it was - the last two holes I 100 percent think my bogey on 17 was because I couldn't see, and I think Rickie's bogey on 18 was because he couldn't see.

"I'd like to see us go off an hour and a half, two hours earlier. If we had a playoff tomorrow we wouldn't even be able to play the playoff tomorrow because it was so dark.

"With that, I'm not trying to make an excuse, but it definitely was a challenge. 17 and 18, my putt on 17, I literally couldn't see it, and we just played off of feel and how Rickie's putt came in, and then my putt on 18, same thing.

"John [his caddie John Ellis] was like, 'well, it's kind of around here. Make sure you hit it soft because we need to - we don't want to blow this by. We need a tap-in coming in'.

"So it's kind of tough and it's crazy to think that we're doing that on the last two holes of a Major when we could have teed off two hours earlier. Hopefully tomorrow we don't have that issue."

Clark gets his wish as US Open final round tee times have been moved forward 1hr 10mins for Sunday's round four as the USGA makes some time for a playoff if needed and the trophy ceremony.

The Coloradan, who now lives in Arizona, said the later tee times were probably for TV but admitted that he and Fowler had a disadvantage over the closing holes. He even said the pair could have quite easily called it and come back to finish in the morning.

"Yeah, I mean, it's TV, but what is it, midnight on the East Coast? Personally I don't quite understand it.

"I know we're West Coast and whatnot and I know they probably have the say, but I would like to think that they would step in and be like, hey, we want to make sure it's in the light and we have time.

"Definitely Rickie and I had a little bit of a disadvantage on those last two holes playing in the dark. That's all I have to say on that.

"I've never really played a final round of any tournament in the dark. I have in my first few years on tour, I'm the last tee time off, and there's many times when we're trying to finish our last hole and I have to come back the next day, but it is crazy to think that we almost - honestly, we both could have called it if we wanted to on that putting green and said, 'hey, I can't see', and we'd play tomorrow, and I think that would look pretty poorly on both sides of it."

The recent Wells Fargo Championship winner currently ranks 32nd in the world. He co-leads heading into the final round with Rickie Fowler at 10-under-par.

They go off at 2.30pm local time (5.30pm ET/10.30pm BST).

Wyndham Clark produced an underdog story for the ages to overcame a star cast and win the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

All the talk ahead of the final round in tinsel town was of the ensuing battle between Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, both of whom were in search of their own redemption story.

However, it was the relatively unknown Clark who kept his cool. The American had never made a US Open cut before in two previous attempts but held off some of the game's biggest names to win a maiden Major and the $3.6 million first prize.

"I just felt like Mum was watching over me today," Clark said. "I felt like it was my time.

"US Opens are tough. The up-and-down for bogey on eight was huge. The back nine was tough but I kept telling myself, 'I can do this, I can do this'.

"This is now my second win on the PGA Tour and first one was surreal and this one is surreal. It hasn't quite hit me yet. 

"Walking up 18 was pretty emotional, and then finishing. But yeah, it's been a whirlwind of the last five, six weeks. It's been -- just so blessed and humbled to be here."

Clark, who won for the first time at last month's Wells Fargo Championship, began the day in a tie for the lead at 10-under with Fowler but it quickly became a two-horse race with McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman has made no secret of his intense desire to return to the Major winner's circle and got off to the perfect start. A trademark McIlroy missile down the first fairway set up the simplest of birdie fours that momentarily vaulted him into a share of the lead.

However, he was forced to play catch-up for most of the day. In fact, there were shades of St Andrews as McIlroy hit green after green, only to be thwarted by a stone-cold putter.

In the end he left himself too much to do and had to settle for second, meaning his Major drought will continue to Hoylake.

"The golf course was playing really tricky, and obviously the scores in the final few groups reflected that," McIlroy said. "There was a couple of things that I probably would have done differently, but all in all, I played a solid round of golf. 

"I'm getting closer. The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it's going to happen for me. Just got to regroup and get focused for Hoylake in a few weeks' time."

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was well below his best but still managed to wrestle himself into third, ahead of Cameron Smith in fourth, and a trio of players in a tie for fifth, which included Tommy Fleetwood.

US OPEN LEADERBOARD 2023

• -10 Clark
• -9 McIlroy
• -7 Scheffler
• -6 Smith
• -5 Fleetwood, Lee, Fowler

USEFUL LINKS

• US Open Prize Money And Purse Breakdown 2023
• US Open Live Stream
• Gordon Sargent Wins Low Amateur Medal Despite Bizarre Bounce-Out
• WATCH: Gordon Sargent Putt Jumps Out Of Hole At US Open
  

CRACKING LEADERBOARD - MUCH EXCITEMENT 

What a brilliant looking leaderboard going into the Sunday of what has been a different, but thoroughly enjoyable US Open. Two huge fan favourites Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy are seperated by a shot - while the excellent Wyndham Clark could spoil the party.

WELCOME TO THE FINAL ROUND

Good afternoon, Happy Father's Day etc. Right, who's winning this thing?

who's your money on?

I've been backing this guy in the Majors since the 2014 PGA Championship. Thought he'd be in double digits by now. I'm too far down the line to stop backing him now, but should he get the job done later today, I won't be anywhere near breaking even. Still, come on Rory. 

RORY'S MAJOR WINS...

Will the Ulsterman add a fifth later? Here are McIlroy's four Major wins to date.

He's currently the 2/1 favourite. 

FINAL ROUND PIN POSITIONS 

15... yikes!

CLARK AIMS TO DO A CINK 

Stewart Cink will forever be remembered as the man who ruined the fairytale ending to the 2009 Open Championship. That was Tom Watson's... what a party pooper. Now we have Wyndham Clark threatening to spoil a great story, threatening to deny Rickie Fowler or Rory McIlroy. It shouldn't be allowed. 

HOW WOULD A PLAYOFF WORK?

Remember when Tiger Woods needed 19 holes to defeat Rocco Mediate in 2008? The 18-hole playoff, thankfully, has been scrapped. Here's the current playoff format for the US Open.   

CONGRATULATIONS CHIARA HORDER

Away from the US Open and we have a winner at Prince's Golf Club - Chiara Horder is the 2023 Women's Amateur champion. Here's the winning moment...

BATTLE OF THE JAILBIRDS 

Great story, this, from Golf Monthly's Elliott Heath. Rickie Fowler, who has made a remarkable 21 birdies after three rounds, switched to an Odyssey Versa Jailbird mallet in January, and his playing partner in the final round Wyndham Clark has an exact replica.

Might be time to buy a new putter, me thinks. 

THOUGHTS ON THE COURSE? 

Rarely does a US Open pass without a course/set-up debate - and this year's it's been no different. LACC has received mixed reviews. Here are a few snippets...

Scottie Scheffler: "I definitely like the golf course a lot. I think it's a very interesting place to play golf."

Brooks Koepka: "I'm not a huge fan of this place. I'm not a huge fan of blind tee shots."

Padraig Harrington: "These are probably the best greens we've ever putted on in a Major."

Matt Fitzpatrick: "Not my cup of tea."

Harris English: "I like this track. I played it a couple times before this week and it's fun."

Viktor Hovland: "I'm not a big fan of this golf course, to be honest. I think there's some good holes. I don't think there's any great holes. I think there's a few bad holes."

I've never played LACC, but here's what I think: it's Ok to have a different opinion to someone else. Also, let's not be quick to judge players we think are moaning. In many cases, they're getting asked the question. Sure, probably hard to say you love the place if you've just shot 80.

'WE PLAYED TWILIGHT GOLF' 

Wyndham Clark says he "couldn't see" for the last two holes of Saturday's US Open third round due to darkness after late tee times at LA Country Club. Try facing Pat Cummins when the seam is moving all over the place on a humid, overcast day at Edgbaston, mate. 

RORY KEEPING COOL

This was Rory arriving at LACC ahead of the third round. Could this be the secret to winning Major number five - showing the biceps, looking cool? Not as important as the walk on for boxers, sure, but I'd be worried seeing Rory rock up looking like this. 

STAT ATTACK

Love this one. Through three rounds, the 17th is playing as the most difficult hole on the golf course. Scottie Scheffler is the first player in 20 years to make an eagle on the hardest hole of a US Open Championship. 

Here's the real crazy stat: three players did that in 2003 at Olympia Fields. That year, the hardest hole was the par-4 12th hole (playing to a stroke average of 4.365). Tom Watson eagled it in the first round, Jerry Kelly in the second round and Angel Cabrera in the third round.

HISTORY IN RICKIE'S FAVOUR 

Players who had at least a share of the 18, 36 and 54-hole lead at the US Open, since 2000:

Tiger Woods, 2000, Pebble Beach, Won
Retief Goosen, 2001, Southern Hills, Won (playoff)
Tiger Woods, 2002, Bethpage State Park, Won 
Rory McIlroy, 2011, Congressional, Won 
Phil Mickelson, 2013, Merion, T2
Martin Kaymer, 2014, Pinehurst, Won  
Dustin Johnson, 2018, Shinnecock Hills, 3rd  
Russell Henley, 2021, Torrey Pines, T13

FINAL GROUP NERVES FOR RICKIE?

Rickie Fowler has been in the final group of a Major twice before. In 2014, he finished T2 behind Martin Kaymer. Also in 2014, he was denied by Rory McIlroy at Hoylake.

FLASHBACK 

Where does the time go? Remember when Rory made winning Majors look easy? 2011, Congressional... happy times. 

A STRONG LEADERBOARD

Here's a reminder of how things look. 

- 10 Fowler, Clark
-9 McIlroy
-7 Scheffler
-6 English
-5 Johnson, Schauffele
-4 Nagano
-3 Kim, DeChambeau, Smith

This will be just the third US Open in the last 20 years in which two of the top three ranked players in the world will be in the top four going into the final round. This also happened in:

2022 Scottie Scheffler (#1) was T4 and Jon Rahm(#2) was 3rd
2006 Phil Mickelson (#2) was T1 and Vijay Singh(#3) was T4 

MORE CONGRATULATIONS 

Kristyna Napoleaova wins on the first playoff hole to land her maiden LET title. Earlier on today, we saw Chiara Horder win the Women's Amateur. How nice was Prince's looking, by the way? 

PLAY UNDERWAY 

The final round of the 123rd US Open is underway. Enjoyed seeing a bit of Ryo Ishikawa this week, not a name I've been used to typing out too much in recent years. 

BUILD-UP BEGINS 

"Two under or better." That's what Rich Beem thinks Rory has to post on the front nine to give himself the best chance of winning Major number five. We're also hearing how Rory seems to have a different mindset going into the US Open this week - steering clear of the media, spending time with Tiger, more of a Brooks Koepka mindset. Basically, ditching a bit of the Mr Nice Guy (which he is). 

'THIS IS WHERE THE TOURNAMENT STARTS'

This was what Rickie Fowler had to say after the third round yesterday. He says he loves the golf course, "it fits my eye." All sounds very positive. Also says he's "not afraid to fail."

He's been through quite a lot over the last few years. Can he get over the line? It would be a fantastic comeback story.

DON'T WRITE OFF CLARK 

Would it really be such a great surprise if Wyndham Clark, who goes into the final round as joint leader? True, he only has one PGA Tour title to his name - the Wells Fargo Championship - but with 18 holes to go he's right there. He has nothing to lose whatsoever. The pressure is on Fowler and McIlroy - no real expectations so far as the 29-year-old is concerned. I reckon he's going to hang around; then again I was convinced Norway would beat Scotland by a considerable margin last night. 

ACTION UNDERWAY

Good evening, afternoon and morning, depending on where you are in the world. Matt Cradock here to take you through the next three hours of action, with early play underway at Los Angeles Country Club. 

Although the leaders aren't off for another near five hours, we still have plenty of golf ahead of us, specifically the battle for top amateur honors which, currently, Gordon Sargent leads by three!

SNAP!

Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark tee off in the final group this evening, with both men looking to secure their maiden Major titles. Sharing the lead, both men also share exactly the same putter, not literally of course!

On Saturday, it was revealed that Clark had an exact replica of Rickie Fowler's putter made earlier this year. The story goes that Clark played a round with Fowler at Medalist in Florida and asked for the exact same putter after seeing Rickie make "every single putt." Check out the full story here...

BIRDIES AT THE FIRST

The first hole at Los Angeles Country Club has already yielded a number of birdies in the final round, with the par 5 certainly a nice beginner for those starting on Sunday. There's a lot of action still to go at the opener, which has seen Rory McIlroy average 382 yards off the tee through the first three rounds!   

EARLY SCORES ON THE DOORS

A few hours into the final round at the 123rd US Open and just a few players are under-par for the day. These include Englishman Jordan Smith, LIV Golf's Patrick Reed and David Puig, as well as American Nick Hardy. Looking at the pin positions laid out by the USGA, the front nine today will prove crucial for the eventual winner!

AMATEUR UPDATE

Gordon Sargent continues to lead in the amateur competition and, with a near hole-out eagle at the short par 4 sixth, he still has a three-shot advantage. Momentarily, it was down to two from Aldrich Potgieter, but Sargent still remains comfortably ahead.

JORDAN SMITH MAKING A CHARGE

Jordan Smith currently holds the lowest round of the day, with the Englishman three-under-par through just five holes. It's thanks to shots like this that Smith is flying at Los Angeles Country Club!

LIV GOLF UPDATE

A number of LIV players have started their day brightly, with Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia under-par for their final rounds. Currently, Dustin Johnson is the best of the 10 LIV players who made the cut, with the American out at 2.08pm local time.

RAHM UP-AND-RUNNING

Although the 2021 US Open champion won't be pleased about his performance at LACC this week, Rahm has begun his final round with a birdie at the opening hole. He sits at +1 for his tournament, with the World No.2 looking to go low to advance up the leaderboard.

CAN RORY END HIS NINE-YEAR MAJOR DROUGHT?

It has been 3,233 days since Rory McIlroy's last Major victory with the 34-year-old picking up 18 top-10s in the big four tournaments since then. He tees off in the penultimate group at 2.19pm alongside World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, as McIlroy looks to pick up his fifth Major title and first since The 2014 Open Championship.

SARGENT CRUISING IN LA

Gordon Sargent seems to be cruising to the low amateur title with the American now two-under-par for his day after four birdies in his last five holes. He is currently eight shots clear of Ben Carr and, with just eight holes remaining, the Amateur World No.1 looks set to pick up yet another impressive scalp!

RORY HAS ARRIVED

SOME LOW SCORES TO BE HAD

So far, in the early wave on Sunday, there is certainly a low score to be had with a number of players making big moves. Currently, Jordan Smith is -5 for his day, whilst
Austin Eckroat (-4) and Nick Hardy (-3) are comfortably under-par as well. Could make for interesting news for the those at the top of leaderboard...

"I'M KIND OF A BIG DEAL"

Rory looking rather relaxed as he arrives on the ground at LACC, with the four-time Major winner sharing a joke with his close friend, Brooks Koepka.

CLASS FROM TOMMY

Tommy Fleetwood produces a beautiful shot at the driveable par 4 sixth hole! Not only does he stick it close from off the tee, but he holes the eagle putt to move under-par for the tournament and three-under for the day!

29 FOR AUSTIN ECKROAT

Wow! What a front nine for Austin Eckroat, who cards four birdies and an eagle for a score of 29 (-6). He sits in T8th and that also matches Tom Kim's front nine on Saturday, with it just the sixth 29 in nine holes at the US Open!

JORDAN SMITH CONTINUES INCREDIBLE RUN

Despite a bogey at the treacherous 513-yard par 4 13th, Jordan Smith is still going along very nicely. He currently sits -5 for his round and just outside the top-10. He now comes to the par 5 14th, with a potentially strong finish capping off an excellent tournament.

AWAY FROM THE US OPEN

Away from the US Open for a minute - with news that Leona Maguire has won the Meijer LPGA Classic! The 28-year-old fired a stunning final round of 64, with Maguire six-under under for her final six holes! Incredible golf for the Irishwoman, especially in a Solheim Cup year!

FOWLER ON THE GROUNDS

Is it his time to break the Major duck? Fowler is on site at the US Open!

FLEETWOOD INTO THE TOP 10

A front nine of 30 has seen Tommy Fleetwood jump into the top 10 at the US Open. Three birdies and an eagle means he is seven off the lead but, importantly, moving steadily up the leaderboard.

FAREWELL, ROLEX HOUR

For the past four evenings I've begun this blog as we've waved goodbye to the Rolex Hour. And we're off with an ad from golf's favourite watch maker. Sky Sports follow it up with a few memories of Rory's Major triumphs. The most recent nine years ago of course. 

WHAT WILL RORY BE WEARING?

There's no substance to this but I'd quite like Rory to be wearing something navy. For whatever reason I get a bit agitated when he's in khaki. Grey or blue would please me, something more daring and I'm fretting again.

No surprises for guessing what Rickie will be wearing..

TOMMY LAD

The 11th measures 295 yards. Fleetwood picked up his tee with the ball halfway there. Finishes two feet away. Ridiculous. Will soon move to -4 and six under for Sunday.

FLEETWOOD'S LATE FLURRY

Fleetwood opened with a 73 to sit in 107th spot. He's now into the top 10 as his good form continues. A bit like Rickie and Rory a Major win here would be incredibly popular, one of the all-time good guys.

GOOD POINT, WELL MADE

If I had to guess I'd say the tee shot at the 11th was a 5-wood but the point still stands..

SARGENT MAJOR

Gordon Sargent is going to take the amateur honours here - the 2022 NCAA Division I champion will have 10 shots to play with going up the 18th.

WHO WOULD YOU FOLLOW?

There are some fantastic pairings out there today. If you were on the property Hovland and Min Woo Lee would be good for a few holes, then wait for Smith and Matsuyama and then, presumably, wait for Rory and Scheffler. Crowds are abysmal at LACC so you wouldn't probably struggle to follow it closely. 

RORY IN GREY/TURQUOISE

I think we're going to be alright..

Wyndham Clark is a good-looking character, looks the business today. 

ICYMI: THAT SCOTTIE EAGLE

Given the time differences etc there's a good chance you missed how Scheffler very quickly played himself back into the US Open. Followed this up with a birdie to finish.

JT: RICKIE TO WIN

Here's how JT sees Sunday playing out..

SARGENT STINKER

Gordon Sargent holes out but then sees the ball pop back out on the 18th. Somebody from the USGA will be rushing out there and pushing the cup back down. Video to follow shortly..

WATCH: OR MAYBE DON'T

Somewhere in a USGA office a lot of men are having kittens

SOCIAL MEDIA GOING GENTLY BERSERK

Twitter etc enjoying what's just gone on at 18 with Gordon Sargent. Look forward to hearing his quotes, and then seeing the GIF be trotted out for the next 10 years.

FLEETWOOD FAIRWAY WOOD WORKS A TREAT, AGAIN 

Fleetwod has 281 yards in to the 14th and he's played yet another incredible fairway wood. Should, and he's around 20 feet away, he hole it he would move to -6 with four holes to play. Leaders on -10.

JOE DALEY REVISITED

This happened to Joe Daley on the 18th, never did get his Tour card

STRONG WEEK FOR SMITH 

Jordan Smith was round in 66 today and finished his week at +1. Is coming back into form and he might be one to watch to make a late run for this year's Ryder Cup side. Is more than capable to perform at the highest level and might well chalk off a biggish win in the coming months.

EAGLE FOR TOMMY!

Fleetwood holes it with a beautiful putt across the 14th green. Has a little smirk to himself. He's -6 now and has four holes to play. 

He'll have a 15-footer at the 15th to sneak another one back.

DJ IS UP AND RUNNING

An bounding down the fairway before settling in the first cut. Harris English, on the other hand, sprays it miles right and some clown of a spectator picks it up before dropping it in a panic.  

NAGANO ROLLS ONE IN..

For a par at the 1st. He seems to be the outlier on this leaderboard, big/gargantuan day ahead for the 35-year-old Japanese player. Two more groups to go out now, Rory up next.

THAT OPENING TEE SHOT

I think we're probably all building the importance of Rory's opening tee shot up too much. For the first three days he's hit absolute bombs down the middle and made a birdie each day. Maybe it will tell us how he's feeling, or maybe it's just one shot that will be played with a lot of nerves running through the system.

RORY'S AWAY AND IN GOOD SHAPE

Scheffler clears the fairway bunker but it sticks in the thick rough. Rory hits a pearler, stays inside the left half of the fairway and he'll comfortably be able to get home from there.

ENGLISH MUSTARD

Harris English parred the 1st which, the way it would have looked off the clubface, is some result. Scheffler is hacking his way up the left of the 1st and will struggle to get it anywhere near at this reachable par 5.

RORY SAFLEY ABOARD

The perfect approach, lands it on the front and sees it run up to 30 feet. Scheffler plays a very sensible shot but one which leaves him an opening putt of 40 feet.

AND EVERYONE IS NOW ON THE GOLF COURSE

Other than those who have already finished and are on their way to the airport. Fowler in the rough down the right, Clark miles down the fairway. We've heard plenty about Scheffler's putter - he very nearly knocks one in from 40 odd feet.

EARLY BIRDIE FOR RORY!

Two putts and he's up to -10.

CLARK THROUGH THE GREEN

Things are hotting up and getting bouncy. Fowler has plotted his way down the 1st and has around 20 feet for a birdie, Clark is through the back.

Harris English is making an absolute mess of the 2nd... Fleetwood makes a great par-saving putt at the 17th.

FOWLER 

CLARK LEADS ON HIS OWN

Wyndham Clark plays a beauty of a chip from the back of the 1st green and cleans up for a very tidy birdie. 

EARLY DAYS BUT RORY LOOKING GOOD

McIlroy has a huge putt across the 2nd green which he judges to a treat. Stone dead from 70-odd feet away. 

FLEETWOOD ROUND IN 63

But he misses a very short one at the 18th for a birdie. Half the length of the one at Shinnecock. A remarkable round and he's 5th as things stand now.

English doubled the 2nd by the way.

NOW A FOUR-HORSE RACE?

Fleetwood finishes at -5 which leaves Scheffler (-7), Fowler and McIlroy (-10) and Clark at -11. The leader leaves his long putt so short at the 2nd, Fowler also struggling for par – Rory in to 10 feet at the 3rd.

THINGS ARE CHANGING QUICKLY

Clark misses his par putt , as does Fowler. Up ahead at the 3rd Scheffler lips out after hitting a great putt, Rory's putts rolls three feet past but he cleans up nicely. 

SMITH: DON'T GET ON THE WRONG SIDE

Nice bit of insight here..

Q. How does the course set up for the leaders now?

JORDAN SMITH: The thing is there's some accessible pins, but you get the wrong sides of them, you're coming straight downhill to those tight pins on 13, 14 stimped greens. If you're on, you can get close to them, but if you're not on, you can get sort of stymied on a lot of shots.

QUICK RECAP..

Rory is the only player of the leading quartet who is under par with Fowler +1 and Clark has begun birdie-bogey. Few birdie holes to come soon as Schauffele rolls one in and he's now -5.

THAT TOMMY EAGLE

Here's a look at how Fleetwood moved up the leaderboard with another US Open Sunday flourish

CLARK IN TIGHT

Clark plays a spectacular long iron to the 233-yard 4th, Fowler was on line but well short and doesn't even sniff the green.

Rory's tee shot runs into the rough at the 5th and it looks to be a particularly deep spot there. 

FLEETWOOD ON THE 15TH

The short par 3 might be a key hole as this championship climaxes. Here's what Tommy had to say about it..

'It's tricky but I guess you're only hitting some kind of wedge or gap wedge into it. I think above the hole it's very, very difficult. Sam, who we played with, hit a lovely shot and came up just below the hole and had a nice chance.'

FOWLER MAKES AN ALL-TIME PAR SAVE

Rickie chips up to 15 feet and knocks it in, Clark makes an incredible two. Big hole for the final pairing.

MCILROY HITS SENSATIONAL PUTT

Rory plays a sensible approach from the thick rough and has another monster putt from off the 5th green..

And lips out. Lots of very impressive grinding going on already. 

MCILROY TICKING ALONG

Scheffler and McIlroy both escape with pars at the 5th, the latter almost lipping out (again). Looks a bit perplexed how it moved right but it's in the hole.

THE HISTORY BOY

The final word on Tommy. One day he'll win one of these

THE 6TH HOLE

Scheffler lays up and spins one in there, Rory hits a fairway wood and fans it out to the right where he has little chance of getting it close and he's now 45 feet past the pin. Looks like a lay up given what the wind's now doing.

Fowler bogeys the 5th..

PAR, PAR. AND MOVE ON

Scheffler leaves it right in the jaws and it's now six straight pars. Rory knocks in another par putt. Good stuff.

SCOTTIE IN THE DEEP STUFF

Clark hits a driving iron and is in a scrubby bit of rough by the green, Fowler will play from the fairway. Talk of Fowler's putting going off the boil from Thursday onwards which isn't a big surprise given that he opened with a 62.

Rory safely aboard the 272-yard 7th (par 3), Scheffler goes well left which looks to be a grim spot.

DJ NOT MAKING A MOVE

Johnson is doing nothing thus far. The front nine is the place to pick up some shots and he's yet to make a birdie. Jon Rahm is now up to T11 after his closing 65.

CLARK TWO CLEAR

Scheffler gets a great break in the trees where he has a shot to the 7th green, plays a beauty and it runs around 12 feet by.

Clark plays a very neat chip from greenside at the 6th, Fowler narrowly misses his birdie putt. Our leader holes from five feet for a third birdie today.

SCOTTIE SLIPS BACK

No sweat par at the 7th for Rory. This is all good, long way to go etc etc. Scheffler comes up short again and bogeys. All of this does show quite how brilliant Fleetwood's round was today. 

FOWLER FALTERING

Rickie short-sides himself at the 7th, has very little green to work with and will likely drop (at least) one shot. Rory on the short stuff at the par-5 8th, let's hope he can knock it on and get one back here.

Fowler misses par putt

Fowler comes up short with his first pitch and can't salvage a par. A third bogey of the day drops him to -7 and five back. It's been a horror start for the American.

Disappointment for McIlroy

That'll hurt. After finding the green in two on the par-5 eighth, McIlroy three putts for par to remain two back. With the difficult back nine upcoming, how costly could that prove to be? We'll find out in a few hours.

Clark in the barranca

The leader is in trouble, serious trouble. His second on the par-5 eight is a hair left and it bounces further left into a bush in the barranca. He goes straight under the ball with his first effort. 

Take two: this time he gets too much club on it and vaults it over the other side of the green into the bermuda rough. He'll do well to salvage a bogey. Huge moments upcoming.

Leader limits damage

Huge credit to Clark, who hits a superb chip to a couple feet to drop just one shot. Alongside him, Fowler makes birdie to get back within three. It just got a lot more interesting.

Scheffler, McIlroy miss birdie putts

Great shots into the 10th go to waste for Scheffler and McIlroy, while Clark makes a huge up-and-down from the rubbish on the par-3 ninth. That could be a huge swing. 

We're into the back nine, folks.

JT and Homa to call the action

After missing the cut, two of the best players in the world are tempted to try their hand at commentary.

Par fest

Clark and Fowler both make pars on the 10th to hold station at -11 and -8 respectively. Up ahead, Scheffler finds the greenside bunker on the 11th before McIlroy launches a high draw to around 20 feet. 

It's between these four players it seems.

Bogey for Scottie

Scheffler hits a great bunker shot but can't covert the par putt. In fact, he leaves himself work to do for bogey but makes it to drop back to -6. He's five behind and not out of it but needs to make something happen soon.

Birdie for Smith

Cam Smith could set an interesting clubhouse target. The Australian curls in a beauty on the 15th to get to -6 and within five. If he can post -8 or -9, that might not be far away as the pressure builds among the final groups.

Shot goes for Fowler

After a brilliant bunker shot on the par-3 11th, Fowler misses from five feet to drop back to -7. Clark is also in trouble after missing the green left but hit an incredible lob shot and converts the four-footer to maintain his one-shot lead.

Fitzpatrick's defence comes to an end

The 2022 US Open champion closes his title defence by making a nice 12-footer for par on 18. It's a round of 72 for Fitzpatrick and a one-under total of 279.

More putting woes for Scheffler

It hardly needs repeating after being drilled into us these past few days, but Scheffler is struggling with his putting. He three-putts the 12th to drop back to -5 and arguably out of contention.

Two-horse race

This is descending into a straight shoot-out between Clark and McIlroy as the challengers fall by the wayside. Fowler misses from 10 feet on the 12th to drop another shot and slip to -6, five behind his playing partner.

Scottie!!

Who said the man can't putt? The World No. 1 drops a bomb on the 13th to get back to -6.

McIlroy in trouble on 14

We have a situation here. McIlroy's third to the par-5 14th comes up short and plugs into the face of the bunker. It's eventually found and the Northern Irishman will need to take a drop.

Update: he's able to drop it out the bunker and into a far better position, what a huge break that could be. He needs to take advantage and make a par at worst. 

Smith in at -6

It's a closing par for Smith and a round of 67 that gets him in the clubhouse at -6. It'll be a few shots light but a solid week's work all the same. 

Bogey for McIlroy

McIlroy chips it to about 10 feet but misses his par putt on the right lip. The bogey is a huge blow to his chances and drops him two behind Clark. His putter has been stone cold!

Clark in prime position 

The leader hits a pinpoint shot into the 14th, chasing a fairway wood onto the green/ He'll have around 20 feet for eagle and to move four clear all of a sudden. 

Clark three clear

The eagle putt slides by but it's the easiest of birdies for Clark. Up ahead, McIlroy can't birdie 15 so the lead is three.

Alongside, Fowler also makes birdie to get back to -7.

Clark bogey opens door

Just when you think Clark has the US Open within his grasp, he gives hope to the chasing pack. He hits his tee shot on the short par-3 15th long and left and can't get up-and-down, dropping him back to -11 and two clear of Rory.

The leader then pipes his tee shot on 16 into the fairway bunker, so will be up against it to make par.

Up at the green, Scheffler finds another birdie to get to -7 while McIlroy two-putts from distance to stay -9.

Clark pitches out, McIlroy in trouble

All the leader can do is splash out the bunker, leaving him with plenty of yardage left to the 16th green. A bogey wouldn't be the worst score from here.

Up ahead, McIlroy hits it well left off the 17th tee, but that might have been his plan. Time will tell.

Fine margins

Wow! Clark hits a superb third into about six feet on 16 and his putt looks good, only to lip out on the high side. That would have been a huge save. As it is, he's back to -10 and only one clear of McIlroy, who has a long birdie putt on 17.

McIlroy pars 17

The Northern Irishman makes a par on the tough 17th to remain -9, one behind Clark. Amazingly, he hasn't made a birdie since the opening hole today. What he would give for one up 18. 

Tense

This is how close Clark came to maintaining his two-shot advantage on the 16th. Ouch!

Long birdie putt for Rory on 18

McIlroy hits a great drive up the last into prime position but tugs his second well left and will face a 30-footer to set the clubhouse target at -10. He's holed nothing all day, so it ever there was a time...

There's a good chance he'll need it, too, with Clark making an easy par on 17 to remain at -10 and one ahead. 

Great effort but a par for Rory

McIlroy's putt is tracking but just dies at the end and misses a couple of inches right. It's a closing 70 for a nine-under total for the Northern Irishman, who just couldn't get any putts to drop. 

Behind, Clark hits a ropey cut off the 18th tee but it hangs onto the fairway. It's in his hands now.

Clark on the green - two putts to win the US Open

Clark's second is on a great line and finds the green but it is well short of the pin, leaving him roughly 40 feet for birdie. He's got two putts to win which, in normal circumstances, would be no problem.

However, these are far from normal circumstances for the one-time PGA Tour winner.

Wyndham Clark is the 2023 US Open champion

As he has done all day, Clark keeps his cool under the utmost pressure. He lags his putt to a foot and taps in to win his first Major championship by one shot from Rory McIlroy.

Take a bow!

Thanks for following along

Anyway, that's all from us. As ever, thanks for following along!

The 123rd US Open was highly anticipated. It's taking place over one of America's greatest layouts in one of the country's greatest cities.

Los Angeles Country Club is one of the USA's most exclusive clubs and this year's US Open was a chance for us all to get a rare peep in behind the doors and check the place out.

LACC's North Course is a stunning layout with plenty of memorable holes, from the terrific set of par 3s to the unique drivable 6th and the distinctive barranca running through the property. But sadly this US Open isn't quite delivering despite a leaderboard that boasts two of golf's fan favorites, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy, contesting for the iconic trophy.

The week has already been record breaking, with the only two 62s shot in this great old championship coming within 20 minutes of each other on Thursday morning. Except that's not really a great thing.

Scoring has been controversial this week as record after record has been either broken or matched. The US Open is supposed to be golf's toughest test but LACC was somewhat of a birdie fest over the first two days, with Rickie Fowler birdieing 18 of the first 36 holes.

Fans are used to brutally difficult US Open tests and we've seen some excellent ones in recent years. Shinnecock Hills in 2018 was a controversial week with the course setup, with some believing it went too far, but it made for a thrilling spectacle where Brooks Koepka prevailed at one-over-par. Justin Rose also won the brilliant 2013 US Open at Merion on the same one-over-par total.

The last three years have all seen winning scores of six-under, with last year's event at Brookline standing out as one of the best in recent times.

And while the scoring hasn't been ideal for fans who love the pros to suffer or the USGA who will have been seeing plenty of those fans' comments online, it's not the scoring that is the reason why there should be some changes before next time LACC hosts in 2039.

It's the atmopshere.

Compared to last year's jam-packed US Open in the sports-loving city of Boston at The Country Club, this year's championship has been somewhat of a damp squib.

Crowd numbers have been fairly low - a reported maximum of 30,000 per day with many of them believed to be corporate or members' guests. The layout also ensures that they're also quite far away from the action.

The 13th and 14th holes in the corner of the property in particular seem very sparse, which makes for an odd look considering that's really where the thick of the championship begins to be decided come the final day.

This has resulted in a quiet atmosphere that certainly isn't translating into a great TV product when you compare it to a Masters or an east coast Major.

LA's own Collin Morikawa doesn't quite agree, though.

"It's great. Being out in LA, being home, seeing a lot of friends, family, it's always great," he said. "Having a Major championship out here, the energy is just amazing. Even though the fans aren't really close, it's awesome to be out here in LA."

Matt Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, reportedly had much stronger feelings with his friend and Barstool Sports journalist Dan Rapaport saying he described the atmosphere as "very poor".

The second reason why the USGA might need to change things up at LACC is because of the course - but not due to the scoring.

The players' feelings on it is very mixed, and that was starting to become evident on Saturday evening when nearly every post-round interview featured questions on what the player thought of the North Course.

Brooks Koepka said he wasn't a fan after the second round. Matt Fitzpatrick called it a "little bit unfair". Bryson DeChambeau said it's "a completely different test of golf than a normal US Open" and Viktor Hovland said "I'm not a big fan of this golf course, to be honest."

Hovland continued: "I think there's some good holes. I don't think there's any great holes. I think there's a few bad holes. I think No. 9 is probably the best hole out here in my opinion."

Hardly glowing endorsement.

The west coast location means that fans on the east coast of the US have to stay up later than usual, and Europeans have to stay up until around 4am until the final putt drops. They'll do that for a Pebble Beach or an atmosphere that is gripping.

This year's US Open isn't quite that.

The notoriously difficult US Open hasn't quite been that so far this week at Los Angeles with a number of records beaten or matched by the world's best players.

LACC is a demanding test of golf, but softer-than-usual conditions for the US Open along with benign conditions have meant that low scoring has been a storyline so far in what already is a record breaking championship.

Here we look at some of the US Open records to have been beaten or matched this week...

62

Rickie Fowler's 10 birdies and two bogeys on Thursday set the single round scoring record in a US Open, with the five-time PGA Tour winner becoming the first man in history to card a 62 in America's national open.

A mere 20 minutes later, Xander Schauffele had matched him - meaning that Fowler and Schauffele joined Branden Grace as the only golfers to shoot 62 in a men's Major championship.

130

A record matched this week was Martin Kaymer's 36-hole scoring record that he set in 2014 at Pinehurst. He posted back-to-back 65s for a 130 total after two days nine years ago, and that was matched by Rickie Fowler on Friday at Los Angeles Country Club.

Rickie's historic 62 was followed up with a 68 to post 10-under-par and the fabled 130 after two rounds.

71.38

The record breaking opening round at LA Country Club saw a 71.38 scoring average throughout the 156-man field, which comfortably broke the previous first round record of 72.29 set in 1993 at Baltusrol.

18/36 birdies

This one Rickie Fowler now has on his own. The American made an incredible 18 birdies (50% of his holes!) after two days to record the most ever birdies through two rounds in a US Open.

29

Tom Kim matched the championship's lowest ever nine hole score on his first nine in the third round at LACC.

The two-time PGA Tour winner made six birdies and three pars to go out in six-under and 29. It's the fifth 29 in over nine holes in a US Open and the first since Louis Oosthuizen in 2015 at Chambers Bay.

No 80s

The first day's play at Los Angeles Country Club saw 156 players take on the North Course and not a single one register a score in the 80s. That's the first time that has ever happened.

65

Thursday's opening day saw the most ever rounds of 65 or better in a US Open. There were six in total, beating the previous record of four from the second round of the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black.

Another 65-related statistic revolves around Dustin Johnson, whose 65 on Thursday was the tenth of his career in Majors to tie Tiger Woods.

Hole-in-one by the defending champion

Matt Fitzpatrick made the third hole-in-one of the 2023 US Open on day two, with all three of them coming at the short 15th.

It was the Englishman's first ever ace on the PGA Tour and the first time a defending champion has ever made a hole-in-one during their title defence.

Back-to-back rounds in the 60s

Rory McIlroy's second round 67, to go along with his opening 65, meant that he had recorded back-to-back rounds in the 60s to start a US Open for the fourth time - having also done it in 2011, 2019 and 2022.

Nobody in history has done that four times. Until now.

Fastest to -10

Rickie Fowler reached 10-under-par in a US Open quicker than anyone in history.

He started round two birdie-birdie to get to -10, which was six holes faster than Rory McIlroy did in 2011.

Rickie reached 11-under on the very next hole to take that record away from McIlroy, too.

Shortest ever hole

Not scoring related but a record nonetheless. In Saturday's third round, the superb par 3 15th was playing at just 81 yards - making it the shortest hole in US Open history.

The previous record was 92 yards on the 7th at Pebble Beach in the final round of the 2010 US Open.

Scoring records are being broken left, right and center at the US Open this week as Los Angeles Country Club poses slightly less of a stern test that many are used to in America's national open.

Considered to be 'golf's toughest test', the 123rd US Open has been somewhat of a birdie-fest at the top of the leaderboard, with Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele becoming the first players in history to shoot 62s in a US Open. Fowler tied the 36-hole scoring record and also made 18 birdies in his first 36 holes, the most ever in a US Open.

Not everyone has been tearing it up though, with LACC still able to catch out players with its fast, sloping fairways and greens as well as thick rough. The golfers who didn't quite bring their 'A games' have struggled, and there's plenty of big names who are heading out of Los Angeles early.

The top-60 and ties make it through to the weekend at the US Open, and the cut mark fell at two-over-par, meaning that anyone at +3 or worse missed out.

Perhaps the biggest and most notable name is Phil Mickelson, who has finished runner-up six times in the US Open and only needs the fabled trophy to complete the career grand slam.

Lefty was one-under-par after 18 holes but a 74 on Friday meant he missed the cut for the third time in the past four years with a score of three-over-par, agonisingly just a single stroke shy of making it to the weekend.

The most surprising performance came from Justin Thomas, with the two-time Major winner finishing towards the bottom of the leaderboard after two days at 14-over-par. It hasn't exactly been a stellar year for Thomas so far, after missing the cut at The Masters and now US Open to go with his T65th at the PGA Championship.

Thomas reportedly said his score was "humiliating and embarrassing" and described his performance as the "lowest I’ve felt."

Justin finished 36 holes a total of 24 strokes behind his close friend Rickie Fowler, and another close friend of theirs, the 2015 US Open winner, Jordan Spieth also missed the cut. Spieth joined Mickelson at three-over to miss out by a single stroke.

Another big name Max Homa, playing in his home city, also missed out on four-over. Justin Rose also posted four-over despite a valiant effort on Friday. He shot a two-under 68 but the damage was done on Thursday with a 76.

Other Major winners to be going home early are Justin Rose, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Martin Kaymer, Francesco Molinari and Keegan Bradley.

Notable players to miss the cut at the US Open:

• +3 Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth
• +4 Max Homa, Justin Rose
• +5 Adam Scott
• +9 Jason Day
• +14 Justin Thomas

View all the scores on the US Open website

Rickie Fowler has enjoyed a hugely successful career, with the American picking up multiple PGA Tour titles, as well as making several appearances in both the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.

Although Fowler has had many successes, there was also a time where his game was struggling, with the American seeing his world ranking drop as low as 173rd at one point.

However, after switching caddies to Ricky Romano, as well as switching coaches back to Butch Harmon, Fowler has found his form again, with his wife, Allison Stokke, being by his side throughout the ups-and-downs.

It is reported that Fowler and Stokke began dating in 2017, when they were first pictured together at a MotoGP event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Not long after that, the pair were seen together on the PGA Tour, with Stokke caddying for Fowler at the Masters Par 3 Contest in April 2018. 

Only a few months later, the couple would get engaged, eventually tying the knot in Cabo, Mexico in October 2019. They were originally due to marry in Baker's Bay, Bahamas but Hurricane Dorian meant they had to find a new venue.

Stokke is often out supporting Rickie at tournaments and was present for her husband's victories at the 2017 Hero World Challenge, 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open and 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic as well as the 2017 and 19 Presidents Cups and 2023 Ryder Cup.

So, what do we know about Stokke? Well, she was born in California and, whilst at high school, was very skilled at pole vaulting, breaking a number of American records at high school level.

Because of her skill, she received an athletic scholarship to study Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. Stokke would continue to pole vault, competing at two NCAA Division I Championships and, at one point, she did attempt to make the US Olympic team for the 2012 Olympics.

Three years later, in 2015, she became a sportswear model for Nike and Athleta, with Stokke also working for GoPro, in which she attached a camera to the end of a pole to show the inner workings of the sport.

After getting married in October 2019, the couple announced the birth of their first child, Maya, in 2021. In an Instagram post, Fowler wrote "Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As you can see Allison & I are beyond thankful…a whole new meaning to life!! Maya Fowler born 11/18/21. My heart is full!!"

Stokke also appeared on Netflix's Full Swing Season 2 alongside Rickie, where the pair opened up on their relationship.

“She’s a lot better looking than me, she’s a lot smarter than me. She’s better than me, not at golf but I’ve got that covered. It’s just one of those things it just felt easy when we met," Fowler said of his wife.

“Allison will want to know how I’m feeling or how it went on the golf course. I don’t talk a whole lot. Going through this struggle for the last few years and learning to open up and share more is not easy but for me being able to get input or hear her side, it means something.”

“I did track all throughout college, I didn’t follow golf but I knew vaguely probably about five golfers and he was one of them and I just knew that he wore orange," she said of her husband, before discussing his drop in form.

“It feels gut wrenching at times. There’s probably a bit more silence than normal," Stokke said.

“I think now it’s just later and not to see that there will never be many struggles in the future but I’ve got to imagine he’s feeling like if there are, he can figure it out.”