Rickie Fowler Fades at Augusta, Joins Thomas, Spieth, Smylie for SB2K17

They’re back. The spring break bros. are hitting up Baker’s Bay once again for a SB2K16 redux. After finishing T11 at the Masters last week, Rickie Fowler is on SB2K17 with Jordan Spieth (T11), Justin Thomas (T22) and Smylie Kaufman (DNP) for another beer-drinking, barefoot-golf playing good time.

This is also the week of the year when it appears I’m going to have to re-lear Snapchat annually as that is where most of the fun is taking place. Thomas and Fowler are snappin’ the festivities. Here is a sampling.

Our favorite moments from the first day of #SB2K17 ? . . . ? via Rickie (RickieFowler15), Justin (jlthomas34) and Smylie (smylie_kaufman) on Snapchat

A post shared by Golf Digest (@golfdigest) on Apr 11, 2017 at 4:13pm PDT

Wouldn't be a trip without matching tanks ?? day 2 let's go!! Snapchat ?? jlthomas34 #sb2k17

A post shared by Justin Thomas (@justinthomas34) on Apr 12, 2017 at 8:26am PDT

#SB2K17 is on #BakersBay follow on @Snapchat ? RickieFowler15 JLThomas34 Smylie_Kaufman

A post shared by R I C K I E (@rickiefowler) on Apr 11, 2017 at 11:25am PDT

I talked a bit about this on the podcast, but Fowler’s ball-striking finally caught up with him in the final round at Augusta when he shot 76 and dropped way out of contention. He didn’t hit the ball particularly well for any of the four days, but he got away with it for the first three because he putted out of his mind.

I wrote on Saturday night that I thought he was going to win because I didn’t think he could hit it that badly for four straight days. I was wrong.

On the final day, though, almost no putts fell — he finished near last in the field in strokes gained putting for Round 4 — and we all saw why hitting your irons well wins big boy golf events (i.e. Sergio and J Rose). Fowler is now one of the two or three best golfers in the world without a major. I think he gets one soon and could get two if everything breaks the right way.

His best chance will come at an Open Championship at some point in the next 5-10 years. He could also win Augusta, too, but he’ll have to hit it better than he did last week.