After McIlroy had just finished birdie-eagle to join Henrik Stenson on 14-under-par, Fowler, who was on 15-under-par just off the 17th green, chipped in to ease the pressure after seven birdies in a row on the back nine. The 23-year-old is a giant, swings the club like a god, and, I suspect, might just make the Ryder Cup team.
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Dressed in his trademark Sunday orange, Fowler rebounded from a double-bogey at No. 7, which helped trim his lead over a congested pack of challengers from four strokes to one, by chipping in from 30 yards for eagle from a bunker at No. 8.
Fowler wasn’t intimidated and answered by holing a chip for birdie on the par-4 17th.
With wins by Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler two of the last three weeks, the golf year is already off to an incredible start. It appeared 2014 was going to be his year when he finished in the top 5 of all four majors, but another year passed without a win. “It is nice to have the game where it’s at right now going into the season, instead of trying to work on things and trying to find stuff”.
From The Players on, just being in the situation, contention, Sunday, final round, against the best players in the world and just believing and having the confidence that, hey, if I go hit the shots, Im winning, no question, Fowler said.
Sandwiched between Northern Ireland’s McIlroy and American Spieth in the rankings, though absent from Abu Dhabi, is Australia’s Jason Day and between them, the trio have won five of the past six majors.
“I’d like to jump in and be a part of that crew”, added Fowler, who has now won four times in eight months, starting with the Players Championship at Sawgrass last May in the same week he and Ian Poulter were voted the most overrated players by their peers in an anonymous survey conducted by Sports Illustrated. That gave the momentum right back to the man who seems as comfortable with the lead these days as any of the three players ranked ahead of him. “I think I mentioned through the summer at some point …”
“I’ve got my eye on No1, that would be the ultimate goal, but I’m up against some pretty tough competition”.
“I want to be playing against the best players in the world and beating the best players in the world”.
Rory McIlroy tried to take the positives from yet another near-miss at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, after finishing in a tie for third as Rickie Fowler triumphed on Sunday.
“There was an 18-hole stretch I played in one over and in a tournament like this, you just can’t do that”.
“We have had a lot of fun times”. And I’d like to have my shot at getting the Green Jacket there.
But who really would have thought it would be Rickie Fowler after he’d been overshadowed by both Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy in Thursday’s opening round of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship?
“We were off this week”, said Spieth. Physically, we’re not 100 per cent right now.
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“I didn’t get in a rhythm and when I did have chances, they just wouldn’t go”. Anybody would be after the last 12 months he’s put together, especially playing internationally more regularly than he has in the past.
