Rickie Fowler has made a strong start at the Travelers Championship, aiming to turn around what he describes as a 'terrible' year.
The fan-favourite American, 35, has had a challenging season, finishing tied for 30th and 63rd at the Masters and PGA Championship respectively before failing to make the cut at last week's U.S. Open.
His early departure from Pinehurst marked his first consecutive missed cuts in the past two years. However, Fowler bounced back with an impressive 6-under 64 at the Travelers Championship on Thursday, securing joint second place, two shots behind leader Tom Kim and one ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
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His performance at TPC River Highlands, the final signature event of the PGA Tour calendar, was a much-needed boost after a tough season.
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"I've basically played terrible this year; pretty simple and easy way to sum it up," Fowler admitted at Pinehurst last week. "Just kind of been waiting. I'm putting the work in, but I'm kind of having to stay patient to see some kind of progress and actually take advantage of these next few weeks and put myself in position where I'll get to play in August some more."
It appears that Fowler's hard work is starting to pay off. He relied on his excellent putting skills, taking just 23 putts from a total of 124 feet, and his short game flourished as he completed a round without any bogeys and six birdies in Connecticut.
(Getty Images)Fowler, known for his putting prowess, has ironically struggled with it this season. He hasn't managed to secure a top-10 finish in 2024, with only one top-20 in 16 starts.
"Putting was something that I could rely on last year, something I've tried to get back to where I was, as well as other parts of the game," Fowler confessed after his impressive first round. "But I feel like a lot of it can go back to not putting well.
"Like I was saying, putting well helps free up other things. You're not seeing putts go in and it kind of adds some extra stress to having to hit greens or hit it closer, chip it close, that circle gets quite a bit bigger once you see some go in."
Despite being 111th in FedExCup points, Fowler is still ranked No. 49 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
He added: "I'm significantly closer this year from where I was a few years back. So, yeah, it's just more just a lot of disappointment as far as knowing how close it is and not having a couple shots go the way I thought they would, or a few putts go in and change kind of momentum, and [that's] kind of how the season or round had been going."
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