Rickie Fowler will officially miss the Masters Tournament for the first time in his 10-year 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 year on the PGA Tour.
Fowler Will Be Missed by Fans and Sportsbooks Alike at Masters
Rickie Fowler has always been a fan favorite. The Zac Efron look alike burst onto the scene 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 his 10-year PGA career, he has 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 boat loads of money. Year after year he sat near the top for money placed on winner, top-five and top-10 finishes. His popularity and likeability has always made it easy for people to bet on him, despite the statistically improbable chance of ever winning those bets.
Fowler Unable to Overcome 2021 Struggles
In the time since the 2020 Masters Tournament, which took place in November due to COVID-related rescheduling, Fowler has only appeared in 10 total tournaments. The results have not been good. He has missed the cut three times, and has just one top-20 finish.
His final chance to qualify for the Masters came last weekend at the Valero Texas Open. The opportunity was simple — Fowler needed to win the tournament in order to qualify for the 2021 Masters, which was a tall task given how he had been playing.
Despite his best efforts, and best finish of the PGA season, he would end up in 17th place, officially eliminating him from the 2021 Masters field.
Future Still Bright for Rickie Fowler
In the end, it is unfortunate that Fowler will not be participating in the 2021 Masters Tournament. However, if you take a step back and look at it, a ten year run for a non champion is an impressive feat in itself. All professional athletes hit a slump at some point in their career, and for Fowler, this is it.
All we can hope for as fans is that this season rejuvenates him, and inspires the 32 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.
