Rickie Fowler will officially miss the Masters Tournament for the second consecutive PGA season after qualifying for 10 straight years to start his career as a full-time PGA pro.
For Fowler, this adds another unwanted notch in the belt of what has been, by far, his worst stint on the PGA Tour.
Ricky Fowler Will Be Missed by Fans at 2022 Masters
Rickie Fowler has always been a fan favorite. The Zac Efron look-alike burst onto the scene over a decade ago as an extremely talented young golfer and a heartthrob all the same. Fowler quickly gained recognition via his performance and was impossible to miss on the course thanks in large part to his signature PUMA jumpsuits, made of seemingly every vibrant color under the sun.
Over the first 10 years of his PGA career, he matured into an extraordinary young golfer, becoming a pound-for-pound top-five driver on the PGA Tour, and has represented the USA quite well in both the Ryder Cup and at the Olympics.
His presence and personality will be missed by fans at the Masters this year, but the impact of his absence will likely be felt even more strongly by sportsbooks across the nation. Despite missing the cut in 2016 and a finishing position average of 19th, he does own three top-10 finishes at the Masters Tournament, highlighted by a second-place finish in 2018.
Fowler has always brought in boatloads of money. Year after year, the Ricky Fowler Masters bets sat near the top for money placed on winner, top-five and top-10 finishes. His popularity and likeability have always made it easy for people to bet on him, despite the statistically improbable chance of ever winning those bets.
Fowler Unable to Overcome Post Covid-19 Struggles
Since failing to qualify for the 2021 Masters, Fowler has only appeared in 20 total tournaments. The results have not been good. He has missed the cut nine times and averaged a 34th place finish in the remaining 11 tournaments. That average may even be slightly skewed thanks to a third-place finish at the CJ Cup back in October of 2021. In the five months following that top-5 finish, Fowler has failed to place inside the top 40 and has missed the cut in four of his last seven tournaments.
These epic struggles left him nowhere near the qualifying ranks for the 2022 Masters Tournament.
Is the Future Still Bright for Rickie Fowler?
In the end, it is unfortunate that Fowler will not be participating in the 2022 Masters Tournament. If you take a step back and look at it, a 10-year Masters qualifying run for a nonchampion is an impressive feat in itself. All professional athletes hit a slump at some point in their career, but for Fowler, it is starting to drag on at a concerning level.
In Fowler’s 10 years as a PGA pro prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, his average World Golf Ranking was between 19 and 20, including a five-year run inside the top-10 from 2014-18. In 2021, Fowler dropped to number 85 during Masters week and now finds himself at 134 in the most up-to-date 2022 rankings.
All we can hope for as fans is that these continued struggles somehow rejuvenate him, and inspires the 33-year-old to come back better than ever as he continues to look for his first-ever major victory and shed the “Best Player Without a Major” title that was passed down to him by Sergio Garcia just a few years ago.
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