Cobra's King Rickie Fowler reclaims seat at winner's table

Rickie Fowler claims his first victory in four years after a nail-biting finish sees him get his hands on a sixth PGA Tour trophy

Johnny Percival

03 Jul 2023

Rickie Fowler wins Rocket Mortgage Classic

Cobra's Rickie Fowler completed a long-awaited comeback, winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic, to claim his first PGA Tour title since 2019. The ever-popular American battled it out with Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa to seal the victory with a birdie on the first hole of the three-man playoff.

Fowler, 34, has had an excellent season on the PGA Tour in 2023, and after amassing seven top-10s, he finally managed to complete his highly anticipated return to the winner's circle with victory in Detroit.

The Cobra player was in imperious form all week shooting four rounds in the 60s for a final score of 24-under.

Shooting a four under 68 on Sunday was enough to get Rickie into a three-man playoff with Hadwin and Morikawa. Fowler gained entry to the sudden death shootout in dramatic fashion, needing a birdie on the final hole, he delivered a knock-out approach to close range before tapping in to book his spot in the playoff.

Needed birdie to force a playoff
Needed birdie for the win @RickieFowler came up clutch when it mattered most @RocketClassic pic.twitter.com/pvpsDlttwK
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023

After a wayward tee shot on the first playoff hole saw Fowler out of position in the right rough, it looked like he may struggle to keep up with his two competitors. However, a stunning approach to 12 feet saw him inside both Hadwin and Morikawa and after their respective birdie misses, Fowler pounced on his opportunity rolling the ball in the right side of the hole to seal victory.

Fowler's Cobra Aerojet Driver and 3-wood were both on song over the four days, with Fowler picking up +2.73 strokes on the field tee-to-green. He was also demonstrating pin-point accuracy with his Cobra King Tour irons leading the field in strokes gained approach.

Despite a muted initial celebration, Fowler was overcome with emotion having battled hard to regain his form after falling to 185th in the world rankings during a period in which he struggled with almost all areas of his game. A number of swing changes and a great deal of patience paid off as he's now seen himself shoot back up to World No.24 and an almost definite pick for the Ryder Cup later this year.

In his post-round press conference, Fowler said:

"I knew what I was capable of, but it's tough when you're struggling for that long period of time. But I knew it wasn't far off and I just had to kind of keep putting the time in, keep grinding and keep pushing."

This victory was Rickie's first as a father, and you could see what it meant to him as he held his daughter Maya on the 18th green during his post-round interview.
“It’s hard to put it into words.”@RickieFowler was emotional after his victory @RocketClassic. pic.twitter.com/aFlFUFAN2D
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2023