Rickie Fowler ended this year five spots lower in the world rankings (79th) after finishing the 2024 season in 74th place. However, he made a big jump in the FedEx Cup standings, going from 108th to 32nd while easily retaining his Tour card for next season.
Like most pros, Fowler is currently enjoying the offseason before competing in Tiger Woods’s TGL event representing his team, the New York Golf Club, which begins in December.
Amid the downtime, the orange-loving fan favorite disclosed a little-known fact about his injuries.
“I had some shoulder issues all year,” Fowler admitted during a casual round with golf influencer Grant Horvat. “Luckily played good enough to earn some time off. Yeah. I only hit balls a few times, and then I’ve probably played about six rounds now,” he added, as seen in Horvat’s recent YouTube video.
Despite the lingering shoulder issues, Fowler managed to string together a quietly impressive season, especially in its final stretch. He recorded three top-10 finishes this year, two of which came during the FedEx Cup Fall events alone.
FedEx St. Jude Championship, where Tommy Fleetwood finally broke through for his first PGA Tour win, Fowler finished with a total of 6-under.
He followed that up with another top-10 showing at the BMW Championship. The 36-year-old carded a 7-under 273, finishing in the top seven and just eight strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler.
That said, the recent match with Horvat marked Fowler’s “first competitive round in two and a half months,” and he didn’t miss a beat.
The six-time Tour winner cruised through the 18 holes, carding 5-under while Horvat finished two strokes behind at 3-under.
“I’ve been on a terrible losing streak,” Horvat joked after the round, shaking hands with Fowler, who quietly smiled and soaked in the moment.
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