You may not have noticed, but Rickie Fowler is having a very solid season.
Now an elder statesman of the Tour at 37, Fowler sits 28th in the FedEx Cup heading into the playoffs, with the top 30 set to go to East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship.
As someone who watches golf every week, it’s almost surprising to see Fowler in such good shape. It’s felt like a quiet year for him for the most part. His final-round 65 at the Truist Championship to finish T2 was his most memorable moment for me and it’s also the only time all season he’s finished better than T8. But Fowler brought his best in many of the schedule’s Signature Events.
He logged a T9 at Bay Hill, a T8 at Harbour Town and a T9 at Doral. Those top 10s in big events did enough to offset a lackluster performance in the majors and put him in prime position for a playoff run.
The key to his success this year? A jump forward in iron play.
Last year, he ranked No. 95 in Strokes Gained: Approach. This year, he is up to No. 66 and that number is misleading because a couple of terrible weeks have tanked the stats for his otherwise strong approach play.
His refined iron setup has a lot to do with it.
Rickie has opted for graphite shafts in his irons
In a relatively rare move for a pro of his caliber, Fowler opted for graphite iron shafts (Aerotech SteelFiber 125CW) late in the 2025 season at the Travelers Championship.
He was still gaming COBRA King Tour irons at the time but now is playing COBRA 3DP RF prototype irons with the same SteelFiber shafts. It seems to be the right formula for him.
Interestingly, he transitioned directly from his 125-gram KBS Tour C-Taper steel shafts to the 125-gram SteelFiber graphite model. It wasn’t a weight issue. In fact, he wanted to keep the weight profile the same. And the shafts produced nearly identical launch, spin and carry numbers.
The reason for the switch, Fowler said, was primarily to relieve stress on his body and manage ongoing shoulder issues while maintaining the stability of steel. The graphite shafts absorb contact better and are easier from an impact shock perspective.
It’s clear he has gained confidence from the move. Fowler’s three consecutive top 10s at Harbour Town, Doral and Quail Hollow all featured more than four Strokes Gained on approach.
Fowler also went against the grain by switching to a 43.25-inch COBRA OPTM X driver. That’s very short for a Tour player. Fowler’s driving distance and SG: Off-the-Tee numbers have declined slightly but he is more accurate. Last year, he ranked No. 52 in driving accuracy; he is up to 37 this season.
Sometimes even the best players have to think about efficiency before maxing out on distance.
Fowler could make a rare trip to East Lake
After being a regular at the Tour Championship from 2012 through 2019, Fowler has made just one trip since. That was in 2023 when he had a resurgence and won the Rocket Classic in Detroit for his first win since Phoenix in 2019.
But Fowler didn’t build off that. He nearly dropped out of the top 100 in the world before steady play this year boosted him inside the top 50 and set him up for his second trip to the Masters since 2020. Fowler was once a mainstay in contention at Augusta and he’ll surely be pleased to make more appearances there in search of his first major title.
Making the Tour Championship could be a massive boost for Fowler as he prepares for 2027 and tries to build off this successful season. He would be able to fully set up his schedule including all of the major championships and any Signature Event he wants to play in. No more relying on sponsor invites that have brought on plenty of bad publicity in the past.
Fowler would be in full control to climb higher in the world rankings and set himself up for a second prime that we have seen from many players as they enter their late 30s into their 40s.
Where Rickie still needs to improve
At his best, Fowler was one of the top putters in the world. That was completely lost during his struggles.
He has managed to regain a bit of form with the flat stick but it’s still nowhere near the levels he may need to get back toward the top of the game. He ranks a respectable 34th in SG: Putting on the year.
The most disappointing part of Fowler’s game currently is his work around the greens. It was the one part of his game he leaned on during his worst years. He was known as a great scrambler in his prime but he has been very bad scrambling this year. He ranks 112th in SG: Around the Green and has managed to gain strokes just seven times all season.
If he can find a way to bring that back closer to his old ways, Fowler’s statistical profile bodes well for upcoming success.
This is a big playoff series for Fowler
Fowler will be able to draw from the success of last year’s playoffs. After a forgetful season, he snuck into the playoffs at No. 64 of the 70 who advanced. But a T6 in Memphis, the host of this week’s event, pushed him up to No. 48, narrowly qualifying for the BMW Championship. At the BMW, he again played well with a T7 finish but it only jumped him up to No. 32, two spots shy of making it to East Lake.
He didn’t make the postseason in 2021 or 2024. In 2022, he only made it to Memphis and finished T64. Fowler did make it to East Lake in 2023 but his overall performance in the playoffs was below average in all three events.
If he can replicate last year’s success this season, not only will Fowler coast into the Tour Championship for the second time since 2019, he’ll also have a chance to win the FedEx Cup with starting strokes no longer in play.
Top Photo Caption: Rickie Fowler in his famous Sunday orange. (GETTY IMAGES/Raj Mehta)
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