DETROIT — Not much has been able to slow down Rickie Fowler on the golf course these days.
In a season that has revived his career, Fowler has been on a roll, finishing in the top 25 in 14 of 19 events, including top 10s in three of the last four. In that mix was an opening-round 62 at The U.S. Open and a third-round 60 last week at The Travelers Championship.
And for most of Thursday’s first round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Fowler was authoring another beauty, sitting at 7 under with two to play.
That’s when things went off the rails just a touch, as Fowler went bogey-bogey on Nos. 8 and 9 to close with a 5-under 67, three off the lead established by Peter Kuest, who shot 8-under 64.
But there was a good reason for the shaky finish — he couldn’t find a porta potty.
“To be perfectly honest, I had to go to the bathroom pretty badly,” Fowler said. “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.”
It’s understandable that Fowler might have been distracted down the stretch, but it still doesn’t take away the fact the Rocket brand ambassador is playing some of the best golf he’s seen in a couple of years.
Fowler was in the final group at The U.S. Open two weeks ago before scoring well again last week. In 19 events this season, he’s missed just two cuts and seems on the verge of breaking through for his first victory since 2019 in Phoenix.
“It’s just the confidence and self-belief and knowing what I’m capable of and that what I’ve been doing and the consistency and kind of being able to build momentum,” Fowler said. “That was something that I definitely didn’t have the last few years. Yeah, (I’m) in a lot better spot.”
It showed on Thursday as Fowler made eight birdies and tied for the lead after his birdie at the par-5 seventh. The bogeys followed on the next two holes, but it wasn’t enough to damper the optimism Fowler has heading into the second round.
“Still a solid day, a lot of good stuff, off to a good start and that’s really all you hope for on a Thursday to get a tournament going is get out moving in the right direction,” said Fowler, who missed the cut at last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. “Now I’m going out with the little one and rest up. We’ve been on a pretty big stretch and looking forward to a couple days off next week before we head overseas.”
Haze phase
Air quality continued to be an issue in Southeast Michigan on Thursday, and it led to yet another day of hazy conditions at Detroit Golf Club.
Things were especially thick on Tuesday evening during the 313 Celebrity Scramble, but the sun was out Thursday afternoon and with the prospect of clearer skies ahead this weekend, the conditions didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the players.
“I played in that kind of haze yesterday, but it seemed actually a little bit better today,” said Sam Ryder, who shot a 7-under 65. “It was pretty nice early and then it got really dark when some of that weather started moving through, and then it kind of rained and the sun tried to poke out there for a minute.
“It was different. You don’t really think about that too much, just kind of — we’ve played in that different times of the year. We dealt with it in Minnesota couple years ago, did it in Napa with some fires over there.”
Added Jackson native Brian Stuard: “I didn’t necessarily feel it. Sometimes it’s kind of hard to see a little bit, kind of hard to see where the flag’s at exactly. Doesn’t seem to be affecting it too much.”
Nice shot
There were plenty of impressive shots during Thursday’s opening round, and Ryder was happy his best has him one shot off the lead after missing the cut in four of his last five events, a stretch that included just one sub-70 round.
It was at the par-4 10th when things really got going for Ryder, who split the fairway with a 305-yard drive then holed out from 119 yards — sailing the ball straight into the hole without a bounce — and vaulting into the lead at that moment.
By the end of the round, Ryder was one shot out of the lead and firmly in the hunt for his first Tour victory.
“I was kind of in between clubs,” Ryder said. “It was a 120 number and that’s kind of like a max for my 54-degree wedge, so I hit kind of a choked down pitching wedge trying to control the spin. It just was perfect. It didn’t even hardly touch anything, didn’t mess up the hole, didn’t really get much of the pin.”